No matter how good short poems are, and no matter how fond the modern mind is of them, they alone are incapable of the great poetic effect. The latter is only achieved when the mind reaches a degree of ecstasy that requires, firstly, complete absorption and, secondly, a certain number of verses. In other words: the mind needs to be immersed in the poetic atmosphere that will lead it on the upward movement. Then, verse by verse, concentration increases, the stimuli intensify and the great effect is already being built up. In short: for the peak to impress, it must be preceded by the climb.
A Near Reality
The awareness that death is never as far away as one would like, or rather that it is a near reality, instills in man a sense of responsibility and urgency that cannot otherwise be achieved. Such qualities are indispensable in great minds; without them, the scale of priorities is distorted, the act is postponed or, at the very least, not carried out with due seriousness. Great work is always preceded by the realization of its importance and the need for it.
Nothing Seems as Impressive…
Nothing seems as impressive as the series of coincidences which, in frequent cases, impel man to work. The impression we get is that there is a mission for each soul, so that if it is not found, if it is not voluntarily and consciously pursued, it is in no way hindered, since circumstances ultimately force its execution. From this we can see how natural it is to accept the hypothesis of predestination. There are cases in which we come across events that are so transformative and decisive that we get the feeling that, like it or not, man, in the course of his life, always ends up becoming what he was born to be.
Poetry Should Not Be Sung
We open the window and hear from the street the emphatic assertion that poetry should not be sung. And from the street they also say how it should be recited. So we reach for a random compendium of poems on the shelf. We opened it, thinking intensely that “poetry should not be sung”. To our misfortune, however, already in the table of contents we come across chants, ditties, hymns, songs, and we have to close it immediately before our brains collapse. That is so much rational thinking! From the street, we hear that someone who sings a poem sounds like a child. It is really impressive… It is only with a lot of effort that we manage to overcome this nonsense, when we finally realize the obvious: a child sings a poem because, reading naturally, he is driven to sing by the rhythmic structure of the verses. In short, he sings it because he has not yet been spoiled by any adult.