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A poet is a professional maker of verbal objects.
W. H. Auden
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Interpretation

What this quote means

A poet creates language that is crafted with care and intention.

W. H. Auden's quote highlights the artistry involved in poetry, suggesting that poets are skilled creators who construct meaningful and impactful expressions through words. This emphasizes the idea that poetry is not merely about writing but about the careful crafting of language to evoke feelings, imagery, and thoughts in a structured form.

Themes

PoetCreationLanguageArtistryVerbalCraft

In practice

Example use cases

During a workshop on creative writing, I shared this quote to inspire budding poets to see their craft as a profession.

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Death is the sound of distant thunder at a picnic.
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Nobody knows what the cause is, though some pretend they do; it like some hidden assassin waiting to strike at you. Childless women get it, and men when they retire; it as if there had to be some outlet for their foiled creative fire.
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History is, strictly speaking, the study of questions; the study of answers belongs to anthropology and sociology.
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Music is the best means we have of digesting time.
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'Healing,' Papa would tell me, 'is not a science, but the intuitive art of wooing nature.'
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