Ars Poetica
BY ARCHIBALD MACLEISH
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.
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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.
A poem that explains the “art of poetry.” The Roman lyric poet Horace’s Ars Poetica is an early
example, and the foundation for the tradition. In his work Horace discusses the function of poetry, which, according to him should delight and instruct audiences.
Simile is used to compare poetry to «a globed fruit» - we can feel a fruit since we can hold it in our hands. But the fruit has a hard outer surface which makes it difficult to get inside. in a globe,
According to the speaker, that's how a poem should read as well.
Poetry should be silent, that is to say, it should not make a point explicitly, but it should convey an effect similar to that of old medallions giving a sense of eternal quality of arts. The "old medallions"
remind us of our history. Poetry does not need to say much to convey a thought or a feeling. The use of the word moss refers to the long history of poetry and its resistance to time.
The flight of birds refer to the way poetry is unrestrained conveying a sense of limitless expressions.
