# Chapter CXIII explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

A brief aphorism suggesting that boasting about romantic success with women is likely to alienate male listeners.

## Themes in this chapter

### Deception and Self-Deception

The narrator implies that self-congratulation in romantic matters is a form of self-deception that fails to impress others.

## Key lines

> He who relates his success in charming woman’s heart may be assured of his failure to charm man’s ear.

Anyone who boasts about winning a woman's love will certainly bore or irritate other men.

_The chapter is a single aphorism on the social futility of romantic bragging._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters/cxiii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters