Poets on Poetry - Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Quotations and Excerpts from Master Poets, Reflecting Upon the Poetic Craft
"The proper and immediate object of poetry
is the communication of pleasure . . .
I wish our clever young poets
would remember my homely definitions
of prose and poetry;
that is, prose: words in their best order;
poetry: the best words in the best order ."
is the communication of pleasure . . .
I wish our clever young poets
would remember my homely definitions
of prose and poetry;
that is, prose: words in their best order;
poetry: the best words in the best order ."
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
(1772 - 1834)
So what is poetry, then? Is it meter and rhyme? Is it metaphorical language? Or is it something more intangible and elusive than that?
Just for fun, here's another Coleridge quote, taken from the closing lines of his famous poem, "Work Without Hope."
"Work without Hope draws nectar in a sieve,
And Hope without an object cannot live."
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Poets on Poetry - Robert Browning Robert Browning on poetry - from a series of quotations and excerpts from master poets, reflecting upon the poetic craft.
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- Imagine Passion: A Look at the Poem "Kubla Khan" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- Born in England in 1772, Samuel Taylor Coleridge was the youngest of 14 children.
- In 1798, he coauthored "Lyrical Ballads" with poet William Wordsworth.
- Facing opium addiction and financial troubles, Coleridge died in London in 1834.
Linda Ann Nickerson has written and published many helpful holiday how-to's, humor pieces, poems, and informative articles. Click on her name at the top of this item to view additional content from this prolific author.
4 Comments
Post a CommentGood Job Miss Linda. ken
Amazing work with this wonderful poet !!
Neat article! Well done Linda
Very interesting! I'm still pondering these words you quoted: "prose: words in their best order;
poetry: the best words in the best order ".