Ars Poetica Comments

I like the structure of this poem, it's a wonderful use of the Double Compound Metaphor that he speaks about in his book. Each stanza holds much.

Brilliant and profound.

'A poem should not mean/ But be'. I could not put it any better than that.

Impeccably brilliant.

...A poem should not mean But be... asks for other poet's ideology.

True following the lines of Formalism...a poem has its own soul...self...beginning..middle and end.....it has a life of its own laced with the qualities mentioned in this poem.....

The flow and style prolific and very creative, giving impact to each concept effortlessly. This poem was one of the many I kept in memory for its meaning and message.

He all-time best poem ever written. The epitome of Imagist verse. Contains seven vignettes unparalleled in succinctness of expression. The reader must, of course, 'flesh out' the bare bones MacLeish lays out, but what a pleasure to reread, from the opening lines!

I love this poem! It's one of my favourite ones that embodies the free spirit of poetry and how this freedom is ruined by scrupulous examination of its' verses.

'a poem should not mean, but be' :)

how many lines is the poem composed of?