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To reveal man in relation to the universe the poet must show himself not only concerned with the immensities but with the trivialities of daily life, with a sense of the past continually interrupting the present.

— Louis Untermeyer

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More quotes by Louis Untermeyer

God, though this life is but a wraith,
Although we know not what we use,
Although we grope with little faith,
Give me the heart to fight—and lose.

From compromise and things half done,
Keep me with stern and stubborn pride;
And when, at last, the fight is won,
God, keep me still unsatisfied.

Laughter shall drown the raucous shout;
And, though these shelt’ring walls are thin,
May they be strong to keep hate out
And hold love in.

Come, drink the mystic wine of Night,
Brimming with silence and the stars;
While earth, bathed in this holy light,
Is seen without its scars.

The poet's dilemma..to create order in the midst of disorder

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Louis Untermeyer (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.