Poetry has done enough when it charms, but prose must also convince.

Summary

This quote suggests that the purpose of poetry is primarily to captivate and delight its audience through its lyrical and artistic qualities. However, prose, with its straightforward and matter-of-fact nature, needs to go beyond mere charm and engage the reader through convincing arguments or believable narratives. While poetry can evoke emotions and evoke aesthetic pleasure, prose is expected to present logical reasoning or present information in such a way that it is persuasive and credible. Thus, this quote emphasizes the different functions and expectations of poetry and prose in terms of their impact on the reader.

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