"If epic poetry is a definite species, the sagas do not fall within it."

Poetry,

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"If epic poetry is a definite species, the sagas do not fall within it."

Exlpore more Poetry quotes

"Everything one invents is true, you may be perfectly sure of that. Poetry is as precise as geometry."

Gustave Flaubert, French Novelist

Poetry, Geometry, May

"But at the beginning it was clear to me that concrete poetry was peculiarly suited for using in public settings. This was my idea, but of course I never really much got the chance to do it."

Ian Hamilton Finlay, Scottish Poet

Poetry, Idea, Beginning, Chance

"I get a little poetic sometimes. The moonlight does that to me."

Julie Kagawa, American Author

Poetry, Emotion, Truth, Observation

"And here, in thought, to thee-In thought that can alone, Ascend thy empire and so be A partner of thy throne, By winged Fantasy, My embassy is given, Till secrecy shall knowledge be In the environs of Heaven."

Edgar Allan Poe, American Poet

Poetry, Imagination, Fantasy, Creativity, Thought

"Justice is not Healing. Healing cometh only by suffering and patience, and maketh no demand, not even for Justice. Justice worketh only within the bonds of things as they are... and therefore though Justice is itself good and desireth no further evil, it can but perpetuate the evil that was, and doth not prevent it from the bearing of fruit in sorrow."

J. R. R. Tolkien, English Novelist

Poetry, Peace, Beauty, Truth, Hope

"None but a poet can write a tragedy. For tragedy is nothing less than pain transmuted into exaltation by the alchemy of poetry."

Edith Hamilton, American Writer

Poetry, Alchemy, Nothing, Pain

"Every poet has his dream reader: mine keeps a look out for curious prosodic fauna like bacchics and choriambs."

W. H. Auden, English Poet

Poetry, Dream, Literature, Creativity

"My second thoughts condemnAnd wonder how I dareTo look you in the eye.What right have I to swearEven at one a.m.To love you till I die?Earth meets too many crimesFor fibs to interest her;If I can give my word,Forgiveness can recurAny number of timesIn Time. Which is absurd.Tempus fugit. Quite.So finish up your drink.All flesh is grass. It is. But who on earth can thinkWith heavy heart or lightOf what will come of this?"

W. H. Auden, English Poet

Poetry, Love, Time, Forgiveness, Doubt

"Most people ignore most poetry because most poetry ignores most people."

Adrian Mitchell, British Poet

Poetry, People

"That men, who might have tower'd in the vanOf all the congregated world, to fanAnd winnow from the coming step of timeAll chaff of custom, wipe away all slimeLeft by men-slugs and human serpentry,Have been content to let occasion die,Whilst they did sleep in love's Elysium."

John Keats, English Poet

Poetry, Potential, Failure, Time, Neglect

Explore more quotes by Lascelles Abercrombie

"It is more difficult to keep the attention of hearers than of readers."

Attention

"By the general process of epic poetry, I mean the way this form of art has constantly responded to the profound needs of the society in which it was made."

Art

"For the stage displays the first vigorous expression, as the natural thing and without conspicuous restraint, of private individuality."

Expression

"With several different kinds of poetry to choose from, a man would decide that he would like best to be an epic poet, and he would set out, in conscious determination, on an epic poem."

Poetry

"The Border Ballads, for instance, and the Robin Hood Ballads, clearly suppose a state of society which is nothing but a very circumscribed and not very important heroic age."

Age

"The epic poet has behind him a tradition of matter and a tradition of style; and that is what every other poet has behind him too; only, for the epic poet, tradition is rather narrower, rather more strictly compelling."

Style

"The world knows of a vast stock of epic material scattered up and down the nations; sometimes its artistic value is as extraordinary as its archaeological interest, but not always."

Interest

"Epic poetry exhibits life in some great symbolic attitude. It cannot strictly be said to symbolize life itself, but always some manner of life."

Attitude

"But the development of human society does not go straight forward; and the epic process will therefore be a recurring process, the series a recurring series - though not in exact repetition."

Society

"Traditional matter must be glorified, since it would be easier to listen to the re-creation of familiar stories than to quite new and unexpected things; the listeners, we must remember, needed poetry chiefly as the re-creation of tired hours."

Poetry