Rate-a-Poem: Ars Poetica

William Haskins · Dec 10, 2005

(for those in the "what is poetry" thread)

By Archibald MacLeish
1892-1982

Ars Poetica

A poem should be palpable and mute
As a globed fruit,

Dumb
As old medallions to the thumb,

Silent as the sleeve-worn stone
Of casement ledges where the moss has grown -

A poem should be wordless
As the flight of birds.

A poem should be motionless in time
As the moon climbs,

Leaving, as the moon releases
Twig by twig the night-entangled trees,

Leaving, as the moon behind the winter leaves,
Memory by memory the mind -

A poem should be motionless in time
As the moon climbs.

A poem should be equal to:
Not true.

For all the history of grief
An empty doorway and a maple leaf.

For love
The leaning grasses and two lights above the sea -

A poem should not mean
But be.

Perks · Dec 10, 2005

I love this. It's so humbling in its rightness. It may shame me from ever saying I wrote a poem again, or at least making sure I'm in the correct mind set before I label any old verse-spewing as poetry. I think I'm going to go delete mine...

Paint · Dec 10, 2005

It says it all. I love the way every line is loaded with meaning.

my favorite:
"Silent as the sleeve-worn stone
Of casement ledges where the moss has grown -"

It's a five.
Paint

A. Hamilton · Dec 10, 2005

I gave it a 5. No comment needed.

mkcbunny · Dec 10, 2005

Another 5.

Pat~ · Dec 10, 2005

A beautiful poem; I didn't vote in the poll because I'd give it a 4.5...he refutes his own poem when he says a poem is 'mute,' 'silent,' 'doesn't speak,' etc. This one sang to me, as musically as any good poem I've had the pleasure of reading.

On second thought, I'd have to give it a 3.5...it so strongly contradicts itself in the last 2 lines, "A poem should not mean, but be." (IMHO)

rhymegirl · Dec 10, 2005

Now this poem I remember studying in college. I didn't like it then and I still don't like it now.

Angela · Dec 10, 2005

I've always loved this poem!! C'est magnifique!!

When I was in high school, we were given a project to design an alphabet book of poetry. We had to find poems that used each letter of the alphabet as the first letter of their title......or at least somewhere in the title, if it was an "odd" letter, like "Q" or "X". However, we had to also include our reasons for choosing that particular poem, or tell what the poem expressed and meant to us.

Guess which poem I picked for the letter "A"??

kdnxdr · Dec 10, 2005

the paradoxical effect of the poem is, to me, the strong point of the poem. And the main point, that a poem exists, really, for itself. a poem is a free creature, it's power independent of another's cognizance of it. a poem exists to exist, like some animal we don't care to acknowledge but in some "queer" way, it comes into view. Our acceptance or rejection of the poem in no way affects it's existence.

Ralyks · Dec 28, 2005

Beautiful, even if I think a poem should mean as well as be.

Rate-a-Poem: Ars Poetica

Rate it below, or expand if no choice applies to you:

5 Stars: A masterpiece

4 Stars: A strong poem, but some elements didn't appeal to me

3 Stars: A good poem, but it didn't move me to any great extent

2 Stars: A flawed or uninspiring piece of work

1 Star: Does absolutely nothing for me

William Haskins

poet

Perks

delicate #!&@*#! flower

Paint

Warrior of Truth

A. Hamilton

here for a minute...catch me?

mkcbunny

Bufflehead

Pat~

Luftmensch Emeritus, A.D.D.

rhymegirl

It's a New Year!

Angela

Named For a Song...

kdnxdr

One of the most important people in the world

Ralyks

Untold stories inside