When modernist poetry, or what not so long ago passed for modernist poetry, can reach the stage where … - Laura Riding

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That whole week, we started to divide things into those two categories: anything or something. A piece of jewelry bougth at a department store: anything. A piece of jewelry made by hand: something. A dollar: anything. A sand dollar: something. A gift certificate: anything. An IOU for two hours of starwatching: something. A drunk kiss at a party: anything. A sober kiss alone in a park: something.

Laura Riding

When modernist poetry, or what not so long ago passed for modernist poetry, can reach the stage where the following piece by Mr. Ezra Pound is seriously offered as a poem, there is some justification for the plain reader and orthodox critic who shrinks from anything that may be labelled 'modernist' either in terms of condemnation or approbation. . . . Better he thinks, that ten authentic poets should be left for posterity to discover than one charlatan should be allowed to steal into the Temple of Fame.

Thinking, Long Ago, Pounds, Approbation, Poetry, Steal

Same Author Quotes

How our story has been divided up among the truth-telling professions! Religion, philosophy, history, poetry, compete with each other for our ears; and science competes with all together. And for each we have a different set of ears. But, though we hear much, what we are told is as nothing: none of it gives us ourselves, rather each story-kind steals us to make its reality of us.

Philosophy, Reality, Giving, Told, Together, Make

Until the missing story of ourselves is told, nothing besides told can suffice us: we shall go on quietly craving it.

Missing, Stories, Goes On, Quietly, Suffice, Story

Myth is a tale once believed as truth; believed, it is not myth, but religion. A tale once religiously believed that has come to be called a myth is something of religion corrupted with disbelief. What are beliefs for some societies but myths for others cannot fill spiritual vacancies in the life of those others.

Beliefs, Religion, Religiously, Societies, Spiritual, Vacancy

Nature is what you don't have to trouble about. It looks after itself.

Looks, Trouble, Nature

Much of the magical effect that poetry gives of rendering everything it touches pellucid comes from the necessity of compression that it imposes. The impossibility of pausing in poetry as long as may be needed to make sense clear causes many a set of words actually deficient in linguistic workmanship to pass for an eloquent brevity.

Long, Giving, Causes, Poetry, Eloquent, Necessity