"I have spent my days in stringing and unstringing my instrument."

Poets convey a timeless message. They are often key witness to history’s great
political and social changes. Their writings inspire us to build lasting peace in our
minds, to rethink relations between man and nature and to establish humanism
founded on the uniqueness and diversity of peoples. This is a difficult task, requiring the participation of all, whether in schools, libraries or cultural institutions. To quote the poet Tagore, the 150th anniversary of whose birth will be celebrated this year, "I have spent my days in stringing and unstringing my instrument."

Irina Bokova,
Director-General of UNESCO
Message for World Poetry Day
21 March 2011