“There are poets who believe that you shouldn't engage at all in any cause. And there's something to be said for that. Because you don't want to - I think most political poetry is very bad. And it's very bad because you know too much to start with. You have a sense that you're right, and you're trying to tell other people what's right. And I think that's always kind of fundamentalism, and I don't like it.” PeopleThinkingKnowsWantTryingBelieveKindSaidPoliticalCausesToo MuchPoetPoetry IsFundamentalism Author:W. S. Merwin
“But most love poetry is awful; nobody knows how to write good love poetry either. But that's not a reason not to write love poetry. Some of the best poetry ever written has been love poetry, and some of the greatest poetry ever written has been political poetry.” KnowsWritingHas BeensReasonPoliticalKnow HowWrittenAwfulPoetry IsNobody KnowsLove PoetryGood LoveBest PoetryGreatest Poetry Author:W. S. Merwin
“The Divine Comedy is a political poem and when you say poetry is not about - he's always quoted out of context, that "poetry makes nothing happen," that doesn't mean you shrug your shoulders and don't try to make anything happen. And Dante felt that poetry was engaged, there was a point of view; it's not my point of view, it's orthodox medieval Christianity, and I have my troubles with that. He didn't feel that you could just rule out so important a section of life - we care about these things, and it's out of caring about them that we write poetry.” FeelsWritingTryingMeanImportantHappensCarePoliticalFeltViewsChristianityComedyTroubleDivineCaringPoint Of ViewThings HappenShouldersEngagedPoetry IsOrthodoxSectionsMedievalOf ContextDivine Comedy Author:W. S. Merwin
“Poetry is like making a joke. If you get one word wrong at the end of a joke, you've lost the whole thing.” IfsEndsWholePoetryLostJokesPoetry IsOne Word Author:W. S. Merwin
“Poetry is a way of looking at the world for the first time.” WorldWayFirstsArtFirst TimePoetry Is Author:W. S. Merwin
