"My sense of a poem - my notion of how you revise - is: you get yourself into a state where what you are intensely conscious of is not why you wrote it or how you wrote it, but what you wrote"

Philip Levine's quote on poetry delves into the complex and frequently mystifying process of modifying a poem. At its core, the quote stresses the significance of concentrating on the content of the poem itself, rather than getting tangled in the origins or the technical aspects of its production.

Levine begins by pointing out "the state" a poet should intend to reach throughout revision. This "state" can be analyzed as a mindset or a level of engagement where the poet is deeply connected with the work. Accomplishing this state requires shedding extraneous ideas about the poem's genesis or the mechanics behind its writing. It's a call for poets to immerse themselves into the essence of the poem itself, permitting intuition and feeling to guide them instead of intelligence alone.

The focus on being "extremely conscious" recommends an increased awareness and focus. Levine indicates that modifying a poem is not simply a mechanical job of remedying errors or refining language. Instead, it's a deep engagement with the poem as it stands, putting aside preconceived notions and external influences. This level of consciousness helps the poet to genuinely "see" the poem, to comprehend its current kind and what it communicates, without individual predispositions or the remnants of initial motivation.

Moreover, Levine's quote recommends that the critical stage of modification involves an honest conflict with what exists in the text. It asks the poet to evaluate the poem as an independent entity, looking for its inherent fact and resonance. The focus shifts from the 'how' and 'why'-- the poet's own rationale and strategy-- to the 'what'-- the poem's own voice and message.

In this sense, Levine is promoting for a procedure that respects the integrity of the poem, urging poets to listen carefully to what their work is stating, and to let that comprehending guide the function and form of their modifications. This needs vulnerability, openness, and possibly most notably, a profound respect for the poem itself.