Poetry is not Irish or any other nationality; and when writers such as Messrs. Clarke, Farren and the late F. R. Higgins pursue Irishness as a poetic end, they are merely exploiting incidental local colour.
Interpretation
Poetry transcends national boundaries, and focusing solely on national identity can undermine its essence.
In this quote, Patrick Kavanagh emphasizes that true poetry is universal and cannot be confined to a specific nationality or cultural identity. He suggests that when poets emphasize 'Irishness' as a primary goal, they may be limiting their perspective and instead drawing on superficial elements of local culture rather than exploring more profound, universal themes that poetry can address.
In practice
During a poetry reading, to illustrate the need for universality in poetry.
It is impossible to read the daily press without being diverted from reality. You are full of enthusiasm for the eternal verities - life is worth living, and then out of sinful curiosity you open a newspaper. You are disillusioned and wrecked.
Music is...the coordination between man and time.
No translation can possibly be perfect. Every production and every performance is a different path up the mountain, and nobody ever makes it all the way to the summit.
Literature is like any other trade; you will never sell anything unless you go to the right shop.
When writing loses touch with the beautiful surface of the world, it loses its way. You always want to be in touch with how things look and what people say and what they call their dogs.
My elaboration of the story always conforms to the reality at its source. It is always close to the world, the life, the reality it describes. No matter where I go, I’m still holding up a mirror.
A great artist is a great man in a great child.
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