Abstract: The text analyses the relationship between poetry and gnostic thought. So strong is the antithesis emerging, that Poetry against Gnosis might be a more fitting title for the essay than Poetry and Gnosis. Bonnefoy underlines this antagonism: “It is my firm belief that poetry is not gnosis. I would go so far as to say that it is anti-gnosis, a struggle against the gnostic dream.” In this essay, the author presents his aesthetic vision and draws up the gulf between poetic inspiration and simple literary practice.
