William Watson Quotes

The muse, the beloved, and duende are three ways of thinking of what is the source of poetry, and all three seem to me different names or different ways to think about something that is not entirely reasonable, not entirely subject to the will, not entirely rational.

None merits the name of Creator but God and the poet.

Where art thou, Muse, that thou forget'st so long / To speak of that which gives thee all thy might?

For a poet is an airy thing, winged and holy, and he is not able to make poetry until he becomes inspired and goes out of his mind and his intellect is no longer in him.

Thus does the Muse herself move men divinely inspired, and through them thus inspired a Chain hangs together of others inspired divinely likewise.

but as God said, crossing his legs, I see where I have made plenty of poets but not so very much poetry.

The true poet has no choice of material. The material plainly chooses him, not he it.

The poets are nothing but interpreters of the gods, each one possessed by the divinity to whom he is in bondage.

Stop this day and night with me and you shall possess the origin of all poems

I shall state my thesis plain. The first poets were gods. Poetry began with the bicameral mind.

The poet is he who inspires, rather than he who is inspired.

The Bible is to religion what the Iliad is to poetry

Music springs from and is replenished by a hidden source which lies outside the world or reality. Music ever spoke to me of a mysterious world beyond, which moved my heart deeply and eloquently intimated its transcendental nature.

Mediocrity is not allowed to poets, either by the gods or men.

I know not that there is anything in nature more soothing to the mind than the contemplation of the moon, sailing, like some planetary bark, amidst a sea of bright azure. The subject is certainly hackneyed; the moon has been sung by poet and poetaster. Is there any marvel that it should be so?

It is clear that we do not exactly choose our poems; our poems choose us.

Emily Dickinson calls previous poets her kinsmen of the shelf. You can always be consoled by your kinsmen of the shelf and you can participate in poetry by going to them and by trying to make something worthy of them.

One day you will take me completely out of myself, I'll do what the angels cannot do. Your eyelash will write on my cheek the poem that hasn't been thought of.

There's nothing great Nor small, has said a poet of our day, Whose voice will ring beyond the curfew of eve And not be thrown out by the matin's bell.

Artists are nearest God. Into their souls he breathes his life, and from their hands it comes in fair, articulate forms to bless the world.

for a poet is a light and winged thing, and holy, and never able to compose until he has become inspired, and is beside himself, and reason is no longer in him.