"A true poem is distinguished not so..." - Quote by Henry David Thoreau
A true poem is distinguished not so much by a felicitous expression, or any thought it suggests, as by the atmosphere which surrounds it. Most have beauty of outline merely, and are striking as the form and bearing of a stranger; but true verses come toward us indistinctly, as the very breath of all friendliness, and envelop us in their spirit and fragrance.
More by Henry David Thoreau
More on Poetry
“Comic strips introduced me to metaphors. They are pure metaphor, so you learn how to tell a story with symbols, which is a very valuable thing to learn. And I learned that from motion pictures, too, and from poetry. Poetry is mainly metaphor. If it doesn't have a metaphor, it doesn't work.”
“There are two classes of poets - the poets by education and practice, these we respect; and poets by nature, these we love.”
“I wrote some of the worst poetry west from the Mississippi River, but I wrote. And I finally sometimes got it right.”
More on Art
“The true philosopher and the true poet are one,and a beauty, which is truth,and a truth, which is beauty,is the aim of both.”
“She lives the poetry she cannot write.”
“I can't distract myself enough here, for sketches to a new opera are constantly buzzing around in my head, to the extent that I need all my strength to wrest myself from them.”