"We know the particular poem, not what it says that we can restate"

Allen Tate's quote, "We understand the particular poem, not what it says that we can restate", records a necessary stress in between understanding poetry as an art form and the desire to equate its significance into simple prose. The quote highlights the inherent obstacles in distilling poetry's essence into a concise description.

Embedded within this declaration is the recognition that poetry often withstands simplification. Poems are not merely vessels for a single, straightforward message; rather, they are intricate, layered productions that depend on form, language, rhythm, and sound to convey their meaning. Poetry invites readers into an experience-- one that is emotional, intellectual, and often visceral.

Tate implies that our comprehension of a poem is deeply tied to its special structure and linguistic choices. The "particular poem" is valued not merely for what it seemingly "says" in literal terms but for how it says it. This how is inseparable from its material. The poet utilizes literary gadgets such as metaphor, importance, meter, and images, which contribute distinctively to each reader's experience, making poetry an art of recommendation rather than statement.

The notion of "reiterate" points to the common temptation to transform poetry into prose, to strip it of its subtleties by trying to summarize its "message" in simpler terms. Such attempts can cause a loss of the poem's subtleties, as the richness of its language and the individual experience it evokes might be reduced. A poem resists complete translation due to the fact that its meaning is not wholly encapsulated by the words themselves but rather develops from the dynamic interplay of those words and their plan.

Tate's quote suggests a reverence for the irreducible nature of poetry, acknowledging that particular facts may be best expressed through the obscurity and depth that poetry uniquely offers. Comprehending a poem thus suggests appealing with it on its own terms, appreciating its particularities, and recognizing that some elements of its significance might always remain evasive or uniquely personal.