Orbler
Byron Twain
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Jeanne Dininni
Shilpa KarhikInsightful Quotes on Poets and Poetry
May 12th 2007 05:23
By Well-Known Writers of Yore
The poet is like the prince of the clouds, who rides the tempest and scorns the archer. Exiled on the ground, amidst boos and insults, his giant's wings prevent his walking. ~Charles Baudelaire~
A famous poet is a discoverer, rather than an inventor. ~Jorge Luis Borges~
Modesty is a virtue not often found among poets, for almost every one of them thinks himself the greatest in the world. ~Cervantes~
A poet, with the exception of mysterious water-fluent tea-drinking Auden, must be a highly-conscious technical expert. ~Cyril Connolly~
The poet is the rock of defense for human nature. ~William Wordsworth~
Poets don't have an "audience." They're talking to a single person all the time. ~Robert Graves~
Democritus maintains that there can be no great poet without a spice of madness. ~Cicero~
The courage of the poet is to keep ajar the door that leads into madness. ~Christopher Morley~
The man is either crazy or he is a poet. ~Horace~
Poets are born, not paid. ~Wilson Mizner~
No bad man can be a good poet. ~Boris Pasternak~
All poets who, when reading from their own works, experience a choked feeling, are major. For that matter, all poets who read from their own works are major, whether they choke or not. ~E.B White~
A poet more than thirty years old is simply an overgrown child. ~H.L. Mencken~
Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world. ~Percy Bysshe Shelley~
The poet is the priest of the invisible. ~Wallace Stevens~
A poet dares to be just so clear and no clearer; he approaches lucid ground warily, like a mariner who is determined not to scrape his bottom on anything solid. A poet's pleasure is to withhold a little of his meaning, to intensify by mistification. He unzips the veil from beauty, but does not remove it. A poet utterly clear is a trifle glaring. ~E.B. White~
When you read and understand a poem, comprehending its rich and formal meanings, then you master chaos a little. ~Stephen Spender~
The poet is like the prince of the clouds, who rides the tempest and scorns the archer. Exiled on the ground, amidst boos and insults, his giant's wings prevent his walking. ~Charles Baudelaire~
A famous poet is a discoverer, rather than an inventor. ~Jorge Luis Borges~
Modesty is a virtue not often found among poets, for almost every one of them thinks himself the greatest in the world. ~Cervantes~
A poet, with the exception of mysterious water-fluent tea-drinking Auden, must be a highly-conscious technical expert. ~Cyril Connolly~
The poet is the rock of defense for human nature. ~William Wordsworth~
Poets don't have an "audience." They're talking to a single person all the time. ~Robert Graves~
Democritus maintains that there can be no great poet without a spice of madness. ~Cicero~
The courage of the poet is to keep ajar the door that leads into madness. ~Christopher Morley~
The man is either crazy or he is a poet. ~Horace~
Poets are born, not paid. ~Wilson Mizner~
No bad man can be a good poet. ~Boris Pasternak~
All poets who, when reading from their own works, experience a choked feeling, are major. For that matter, all poets who read from their own works are major, whether they choke or not. ~E.B White~
A poet more than thirty years old is simply an overgrown child. ~H.L. Mencken~
Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world. ~Percy Bysshe Shelley~
The poet is the priest of the invisible. ~Wallace Stevens~
A poet dares to be just so clear and no clearer; he approaches lucid ground warily, like a mariner who is determined not to scrape his bottom on anything solid. A poet's pleasure is to withhold a little of his meaning, to intensify by mistification. He unzips the veil from beauty, but does not remove it. A poet utterly clear is a trifle glaring. ~E.B. White~
When you read and understand a poem, comprehending its rich and formal meanings, then you master chaos a little. ~Stephen Spender~
Percy Bysshe Shelley
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Comment by David
Because they've buried their emotions far too deep, and have been living such shallow lives?
A poet is not possessive. He/She allows each individual reader to claim the thoughts contained within the poem as his/her own, and fantasise that the poem itself was written exclusively for or by him/her.
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Your definition of a poet is every bit as insightful as any I've quoted above--and far more insightful than many! Thanks for sharing your words of poetic wisdom with us!
Oh, the sheer magic of poetry! None could ever fully explain it--not even the poet who casts its mysterious spell!
Regards,
Jeanne
Comment by David
That's a wonderful compliment. Thank you ...
I wouldn't even attempt to define thoroughly what a poet is, or what poetry is ...
Just writing the above comment about what a poet is took long enough ...
I tend to have more of an intuitive knowledge of what a poet is and what poetry is because I write poetry, and prefer experience and experimentation of a craft rather than academic discourses on it ... That's just me, I guess ... (But the experience and experimentation only came after studying under a great poet and great poetry teacher ... I am not anti-theory, or anti-study, but once the theory has been explained to me, and I've fully comprehended and grasped it? Let me at it ...
Not much different to seeing a beautiful woman, I guess. * (That's the problem with having a rapid mind and quick parts ...
I rarely ever have to define what it is I am doing as a poet. I generally let the poetry speak for itself ...
But it's a worthwhile exercise to think about it now and again ...
I'll leave teaching poetry up to the teachers of poetry, and I'll just continue writing it ...
David ...
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
As somewhat of a poet myself, I know precisely what you mean about poetry. Poetry is indeed an experience! And, while academics are fine--and I myself am a college student--poetry either comes naturally or it doesn't. If it doesn't, academics cannot create the spark that makes it truly inspired. But If one does have a natural talent and affinity for it, study can enhance that talent and can also help the poet understand precisely what he already does naturally in his finest moments of inspiration. Lacking a natural inward "feel" for the rhythm and movement of words, as well as their expressive power, a lifelong study of poetry will never yield a true poet.
Poetically yours,
Jeanne
Comment by David
I was just fortunate that my poetry teacher was both an academic, and an accomplished and published poet, so he had the rare ability to be able to analyse a great poem, and then teach us how to write one based on our pathetic attempts ...
He would always hone in on the one good thing (or line) about what we'd written and make us expand on that one single thought ...
He was always looking to improve someone's poem or poetry ...
I used to pity the poor guy some days ...
So many students are so incorrigible ... They don't attend writing classes to learn how to write, and won't be told anything ... They're only there to showcase their ignorance ... and tell everyone how good they already are ... and how they don't need to learn anything about 'craft' ...
The virtual world is full of those types ...
Whatever ... I'll leave them to it ...
I'm too busy writing poetry to teach them something they refuse to learn ... or think needs learning: 'The Craft of Poetry' ... (and how many facets there are to it ...
They can stick their own 'Vanity Publishing' poems up on their fridges with magnets, or glue them to their mirrors while they look at themselves *
I've got better things to do in the bathroom than that ...
David ...
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Sounds like you had a wonderful teacher--one who possessed the uncanny ability to inspire you to reach the heights of your own inner giftedness--even while a fledgling--through belief in both yourself and your gift. That is truly rare. You were very fortunate to be under the tutelage of a real poet and a great teacher! Some may not have appreciate him, but he made a difference in the lives of those who did--and that's what teaching is all about.
Jeanne
Comment by David
His name is Graeme Webster ... My favourite poem of his is 'In The Killing Pen' ... It was runner up to Roland Leach's 'Drowning Ophelia' in the Newcastle poetry prize ... I thought they should have shared the prize myself ... (not just because it carries a $15,000 prize but because I couldn't separate the two poems in terms of merit ...
He has one book of poetry called 'Skinning Time' ... He was a guest at the Adelaide Writer's Festival ... along with James Elroy ...
He's a principal of a Secondary School in Adelaide nowadays ... I've tried to get in contact with him, but no luck so far ... [I just sent an email, so it's not like I've tried really hard ... but I never received a reply ... I might try again ...
Google his name, the titles of his poems ... etc ... I mean, he's a brilliant poet ... I'll always be eternally grateful that he introduced me to Pablo Neruda (not just his poetry, but Pablo's advice on how to write poetry ...
I've pretty much fashioned or modelled every poem I've ever written on his advice .... (and Graeme's teaching ...
He's actually a teacher of economics ... but he had the foresight and vision to set up a creative writing school in Australia based on the American College model ...
He has what you can only describe as 'A Brilliant Mind' ...
David ...
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Particularly liked these two images:
“fired fear across our dinner plates” (The intruder) and “bees silently fixing pollen socks to their knees” (Rock memories).
I read a little Neruda a while back, as well, and found him quite expressive. It amazed me the way he could take such mundane items as salt and elevate them to a level of creativity you'd never believe they could reach! Of course, he deftly handled the more abstract emotions and concepts--which tend to better lend themselves to poetic turns of phrase--as well.
In celebration of the Muse,
Jeanne