The normal present connects the past and the future through limitation. Contiguity results, crystallization by means of solidification. There also exists, however, a spiritual present that identifies past and future through dissolution, and this mixture is the element, the atmosphere of the poet.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The normal present limits past and future; a spiritual present dissolves them, creating the poet's atmosphere.
- In plain terms
- Ordinary time limits past and future; spiritual time blends them for poets.
- What can you take from it?
- Poets dwell in a timeless spiritual present.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What is the poetic present?
- Can time be dissolved?
Another view
The distinction between time is abstract.
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