The painted veil

The painted veil, the mask of emotion people carry around on a daily basis. The mask that covers true feeling, true thought; the mask that covers truth.

Behind [the veil] lurk Fear

And Hope, twin Destinies; who ever weave

Their shadows, o’er the chasm, sightless and drear (760).

I am confused here as to what exactly Shelley is referring to as the “chasm”. Is he implying that face below the veil is a filled with a gap? Like a black hole that sucks in and hides all true sentiment. If we were to remove these veils, what would we see? Based on Shelley’s wording, I would expect to see nothing beneath the veil. As if we have been wearing these veils for so long we no longer have faces of our own.

I knew one who had lifted it—he sought,

[…] things to love,

But found them not alas! […]

Through the unheeding many he did move,

A splendor among shadows, a bright blot (761).

If the whole world walks around with covered faces, how are we to find someone to love. You cannot love someone until you truly know or believe to know them. No wonder so many people are alone these days. We are all looking for something or someone that is presumable unobtainable. Why do we put up these fronts? Is it just the thing to do? Are we born with them or do they develop over time? If so, when?

Ultimately, I wonder what it would take to get someone, anyone to take off their veil?