Poor little things

“The Muse (...) appreciates chivalry and good manners, but she despises those who will not stand up to her and takes a cruel delight in telling them nonsense and lies which the poor little things obediently write down as "inspired" truth.”

W. H. Auden, The Dyer's Hand & Other Essays

Linguagem

Se a poesia estivesse para desaparecer e eu só pudesse salvar um poema, hesitaria entre “Uma Carta no Inverno”, que tem dezanove páginas, e “Mattina”, que tem sete sílabas. E no fim salvaria o segundo, apesar de me encolher só de pensar em ver o primeiro desaparecer. É a melhor explicação que consigo para isto.

Sagrado

“The subject matter of a poem is comprised of a crowd of recollected occasions of feeling, among which the most important are recollections of encounters with sacred beings or events.” 

W. H. Auden, The Dyer's Hand and Other Essays