Is there a poem that never reaches words And one that chaffers the time away? Is the poem both peculiar and general? There's a meditation there, in which there seems To be an evasion, a thing not apprehended or Not apprehended well. Does the poet Evade us, as in a senseless element?
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The poet questions whether some poems evade language entirely or remain half-understood.
- In plain terms
- It explores the tension between universal meaning and personal obscurity.
- What can you take from it?
- Meaning is sometimes intentionally ambiguous.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is clarity always the goal of art?
- What do you avoid understanding?
Another view
It assumes the poet intends to evade the reader.
More from Wallace Stevens
The poem goes form the poet's gibberish to The gibberish of the vulgate and back again.
Permalink to quote #143 He tries by a peculiar speech to speak The peculiar potency of the general
Permalink to quote #145 A fictive covering Weaves always glistening from the heart and mind.
Permalink to quote #142
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