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?
It is essential that the painter should develop not only his eyes, but also his soul, so that it too may be capable of weighing colors in balance.
There’s a real question as to what beauty is and why it’s important to us. Many pseudo-philosophers try to answer these questions and tell us they’re not really answerable. I draw on art and literature, and music in particular, because music is a wonderful example of something that’s in this world but not of this world. Great works of music speak to us from another realm even though they speak to us in ordinary physical sounds.
I think the trouble with artists or chefs who whine about criticism is that if you love the good reviews, you have to at least read the bad ones.
Painting is the frozen evidence of a performance.
An autobiography can distort; facts can be realigned. But fiction never lies: it reveals the writer totally.
From the moment you are born, you could die. I think as an artist it is important to meditate on that.
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