"I admit to two orders of poets, but no third; and by these
two orders I mean the Creative (Shakespeare, Homer, Dante)
and Reflective or Perceptive (Wordsworth, Keats, Tennyson).
But both of these must be first-rate in their range, though
their range is different; and with poetry second-rate in
quality no one ought to be allowed to trouble mankind. There
is quite enough of the best - much more than we can ever read
or enjoy in the length of a life; and it is a literal wrong
or sin in any person to encumber us with inferior work. I have
no patience for apologies made by young psuedo-poets, "that
they believe there is 'some' good in what they have written:
that they hope to do better in time," etc. Some good! If
there is not all good, there is no good. If they ever hope to
do better, why do they trouble us now? Let them rather
courageously burn all they have done, and wait for the better
days. There are few men, ordinarily educated, who in moments
of strong feeling could not strike out a poetical thought,
and afterword polish it so as to be presentable. But men of
sense know better than so to waste their time; and those who
sincerely love poetry, know the touch of the master's hand
on the chords too well to fumble among them after him. Nay,
more than this, all inferior poetry is an injury to the good,
inasmuch as it takes away the freshness of rhymes, blunders
upon and gives a wretched commonality to good thoughts; and,
in general, adds to the weight of human weariness in a most
woeful and culpable manner. There are few thoughts likely to
come across ordinary men, which have not already been
expressed by greater men in the best possible way; and it is
a wiser, more generous, more noble thing to remember and
point out the perfect words than to invent poorer ones,
werewith to encumber temporarily the world."
on Modern Painters Vol. III Chapter 12]
"Didactic poetry is my abhorrence; nothing can be equally
well expressed in prose that is not tedious and
supererogatory in verse." Unbound, p. 6]
Which pill should I take the blue or the red?
If I make the wrong choice I could end up dead.
Illusion's so sweet with parties and steaks.
Reality so harsh with battles and aches.
Am I a drone or am I 'the one'?
Should I battle machines or try to have fun?
I decide in my head
to myself being true
either way I might one day rue
I think I'll choose ...
:P
Best I could do on short notice. Better than this one?
http://umsis.miami.edu/~tdallman/poetry/matrix.htm