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Quote#Poetry

The greatest poets never write poetry. The Homer|Homers and William…

Quote bySamuel Butler · 1835–1902

Commonly attributed — not confirmed in an authoritative edition. Cited on Wikiquote to: Part XII: The Enfant Terrible of Literature, Poetry.

English (original)

The greatest poets never write poetry. The Homer|Homers and William Shakespeare|Shakespeares are not the greatest — they are only the greatest that we can know. And so with George Frideric Handel|Handel among musicians. For the highest poetry, whether in music or literature, is ineffable — it must be felt from one person to another, it cannot be articulated.

— Samuel Butler

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