Prose talks and poetry sings.
The spirit of poetry combines the profundity of the philosopher and the child's delight in bright pictures.
The way in which modern German poetry follows theories reminds me of pupils who, scolded by their teacher for their insubordination, justify themselves by saying that they invented new rules of propriety according to which they are quite well- behaved.
What raises great poetry above all else--it is the entire person and also the entire world.
Why must ancients, and provided the same talent, be better than modern authors? Free to exploit the vast realm of the simpleand the natural, they did not have to be artificial in order to be original (which every artist aspires to be).
The present is never poetic as it serves necessity, necessity, however, is prosaic.
A tailor can adapt to any medium, be it poetry, be it criticism. As a poet, he can mend, and with the scissors of criticism he candivide.
