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Poetry takes courage because you have to face things and you try to articulate how you feel.
Edward Hirsch
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Poetry requires bravery as it involves expressing deeply personal feelings.

This quote by Edward Hirsch emphasizes that poetry is not just a creative expression but a courageous act of confronting one's emotions and experiences. The act of articulating feelings through poetry involves vulnerability, as it demands that the poet lays bare their innermost thoughts and emotions to the world, risking judgment or misunderstanding. It highlights the strength that comes from embracing one's feelings and the transformative power of expressing them artistically.

Themes

PoetryCourageFeelingsExpressionArt

In practice

Example use cases

Sharing this quote at a poetry reading can inspire others to be brave in their writing.

More from Edward Hirsch

It's absolutely crucial to maintain my life as a poet.
Edward HirschRead
The commitment to working at poetry is important because a poet is a maker, and a poem is a made thing. We have to honor our feelings by working to transform them into something meaningful and lasting.
Edward HirschRead
As far as I'm concerned, freedom is the most important thing to creativity. You should feel free to write in whatever way, whatever language, feels comfortable to you.
Edward HirschRead
The idea that a poem was a made thing stayed with me, and I decided then that I wanted to be an artist, not just a diarist. So I put myself through a kind of apprenticeship in writing poetry, and I understood even then that my practice as a poet was deeply related to my reading.
Edward HirschRead
And every year there is a brief, startling moment _x000D_ When we pause in the middle of a long walk home and _x000D_ Suddenly feel something invisible and weightless _x000D_ Touching our shoulders, sweeping down from the air: _x000D_ It is the autumn wind pressing against our bodies; _x000D_ It is the changing light of fall falling on us.
Edward HirschRead
When poetry separates from song, then the words have to carry all the rhythm themselves; they have to do all the work. They can't rely on the singing voice.
Edward HirschRead

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