It is not possible, for a poet, writing in any language, to protect himself from the tragic elements in human life.... [ellipsis in source] Illness, old age, and death--subjects as ancient as humanity--these are the subjects that the poet must speak of very nearly from the first moment that he begins to speak.

I don't like quintessential certitude.

Up from the bronze, I saw Water without a flaw Rush to its rest in air Reach to its rest, and fall.

I'll lie here and learn How, over their ground, Trees make a long shadow And a light sound.

True revolutions in art restore more than they destroy.

The art of one period cannot be approached through the attitudes (emotional or intellectual) of another.

The Initial Mystery that attends any journey is: how did the traveler reach his starting point in the first place?