"It is the timber of poetry that wears most surely, and there is no timber that has not strong roots among the clay and worms"
- John Millington Synge
About this Quote
This quote by John Millington Synge speaks with the power of poetry and its capability to stand the test of time. He suggests that poetry is like a durable tree, with strong roots that are strongly planted in the ground. The roots of poetry are deeply ingrained in the earth, among the clay and worms, suggesting that poetry is deeply connected to the natural world. Synge is recommending that poetry is classic and will stay pertinent and effective for generations to come. He is also recommending that poetry is a part of the natural world, which it is deeply linked to the earth and its occupants. This quote speaks to the power of poetry and its ability to hold up against the test of time, and to stay appropriate and powerful for generations to come.
"We don't attempt to have any theme for a number of the anthology, or to have any particular sequence. We just put in things that we like, and then we try to alternate the prose and the poetry"
"Concrete poets continue to turn out beautiful things, but to me they're more visual than oral, and they almost really belong on the wall rather than in a book. I haven't the least idea of where poetry is going"
"I think Ginsberg has done more harm to the craft that I honor and live by than anybody else by reducing it to a kind of mean that enables the most dubious practitioners to claim they are poets because they think, If the kind of thing Ginsberg does is poetry, I can do that"
"If I do a poetry reading I want people to walk out and say they feel better for having been there - not because you've done a comedy performance but because you're talking about your father dying or having young children, things that touch your soul"
