No poet is ever completely lost. He has the secret of his childhood safe with him, like some secret cave in which he can kneel. And, when we read his poetry, we can join him there.
Interpretation
Poets hold the essence of their childhood within them, allowing readers to connect with that innocence through their work.
The quote emphasizes that a poet's true essence and inspiration stem from their childhood experiences, which remain safeguarded within them like a hidden treasure. When readers engage with the poet's work, they are invited to share in this intimate space, connecting with the emotions and memories that shaped the poet's voice, allowing for a profound and shared artistic experience.
In practice
In a literary discussion about the inspiration behind a poet's work.
Why should a novelist not also be a historian? To force unnatural divisions within the English language is to work against its capacious and accommodating nature. To expect a writer to produce only novels, or only histories, is equivalent to demanding from a composer that he or she write only string quartets or piano sonatas.
It may seem unfashionable to say so, but historians should seize the imagination as well as the intellect. History is, in a sense, a story, a narrative of adventure and of vision, of character and of incident. It is also a portrait of the great general drama of the human spirit.
I used to tremble from nerves so badly that the only way I could hold my head steady was to lower my chin practically to my chest and look up at Bogie. That was the beginning of The Look.
Write what you want bottomless from bottom of the mind.
There is no greater joy than that of feeling oneself a creator. The triumph of life is expressed by creation.
There is no complete spiritual life without music, for the human soul has regions which can be illuminated only by music.
The best stories come out of the truth.
Great art is never produced for its own sake. It is too difficult to be worth the effort.
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