THE POET A moody child and wildly wise Pursued the game with joyful eyes, Which chose, like meteors, their way, And rived the dark with private ray: They overleapt the horizon's edge, Searched with Apollo's privilege; Through man, and woman, and sea, and star, Saw the dance of nature forward far; Through worlds, and races, and terms, and times, Saw musical order, and pairing rhymes. Olympian bards who sung Divine ideas below, Which always find us young, And always keep us so.
Interpretation
This quote reflects the essence and joy of creativity and the profound insights that come from artistic expression.
Ralph Waldo Emerson emphasizes the transformative power of poetry and art, portraying the poet as a wise child who perceives the beauty and order in the world. Through imaginative and joyful exploration, the poet connects with nature and humanity, illustrating how art can transcend time and age, keeping the spirit youthful and vibrant.
In practice
This quote can inspire students studying literature to appreciate the deeper meanings behind poetry.
It is plain that there is no separate essence called courage, no cup or cell in the brain, no vessel in the heart containing drops or atoms that make or give this virtue; but it is the right or healthy state of every man, when he is free to do that which is constitutional to him to do.
Few people have any next, they live from hand to mouth without a plan, and are always at the end of their line.
Men cease to interest us when we find their limitations
Tis the good reader that makes the good book; a good head cannot read amiss: in every book he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden from all else and unmistakeably meant for his ear.
The world belongs to the energetic.
Hast thou named all the birds without a gun?
I love inventing names, but I also collect unusual names, so that I can look through my notebook and choose one that suits a new character.
An actor is a sculptor who carves in snow.
I write as if to save somebody’s life. Probably my own. Life is a kind of madness that death makes. Long live the dead because we live in them.
In a portrait, you have room to have a point of view. The image may not be literally what's going on, but it's representative.
Fashion is a language. Some know it, some learn it, some never will - like an instinct.
Acting became more than a profession to me. It became a sort of religion.
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