“Satire is, indeed, the only sort of composition in which the Latin poets whose works have come down to us were not mere imitators of foreign models; and it is therefore the sort of composition in which they have never been excelled.” PoetModelsMereSatireLatinCompositionImitator Author:Thomas B. Macaulay
“On the whole, however, the conclusions I have drawn from the proofs quoted may, I believe, safely be relied on. Assuredly they will not be disturbed either by the lays of a poet displaying the exaggeration of his craft, or by the compositions of the chroniclers that are attractive at truth's expense; the subjects they treat of being out of the reach of evidence, and time having robbed most of them of historical value by enthroning them in the region of legend.” BelieveMayWholeValuesI BelieveSubjectsPoetEvidenceTreatsLaysHistoricalProofConclusionCraftsAttractiveRegionsExpensesLegendsCompositionDisturbedExaggerationHistorical Value Book:History of Greece Source: History of Greece
“How can one express the indefinable sensations that one experiences while writing an instrumental composition that has no definite subject? It is a purely lyrical process. It is a musical confession of the soul, which unburdens itself through sounds just as a lyric poet expresses himself through poetry...As the poet Heine said, 'Where words leave off, music begins.'” WritingSaidSoulProcessSoundMusicSubjectsPoetMusic IsMusicalSensationsConfessionCompositionDefiniteLyricalIndefinable Author:Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
“It may be safely affirmed that there neither is, nor can be, any essential difference between the language of prose and metrical composition.... They both speak by and to the same organs; the bodies in which both of them are clothed may be said to be of the same substance, their affections are kindred, and almost identical, not necessarily differing even in degree; Poetry sheds no tears "such as Angels weep," but natural and human tears; she can boast of no celestial ichor that distinguishes her vital juices from those of prose; the same human blood circulates through the veins of them both.” HumansMaySaidBodyPoetrySpeakLanguageNaturalDifferencesBloodTearsPoetEssentialsDegreesAngelAffectionSubstanceProseOrgansShedCompositionVeinsBoastJuiceIdenticalCelestialKindred Author:William Wordsworth
“The great poet makes us feel our own wealth, and then we think less of his compositions. His best communication to our mind is to teach us to despise all he has done.” ThinkingFeelsMindDoneWealthTeachPoetCommunicationDespiseCompositionGreat Poet Book:Essays (Annotated Edition) Source: Essays (Annotated Edition)