For the poet the credo or doctrine is not the point of arrival but is, on the contrary, the point of departure for the metaphysical journey.
Interpretation
The poet's understanding or belief is just the starting point for deeper exploration of meaning and existence.
In this quote, Joseph Brodsky emphasizes that for poets, their beliefs or doctrines are not final conclusions but rather initial insights that spark a deeper metaphysical exploration. This reflects the nature of poetry as a transformative and expansive art form that encourages continuous questioning and searching for deeper truths.
In practice
In a poetry workshop, you might inspire participants by saying, 'Remember, for a poet, the doctrine is merely a starting point for your metaphysical journey.'
Basically, it's hard for me to assess myself, a hardship not only prompted by the immodesty of the enterprise, but because one is not capable of assessing himself, let alone his work. However, if I were to summarize, my main interest is the nature of time. That's what interests me most of all. What time can do to a man.
One always pulls the trigger out of self-interest and quotes history to avoid responsibility or pangs of conscience.
On the whole, infinity is a fairly palpable aspect of this business of publishing, if only because it extends a dead author's existence beyond the limits he envisioned, or provides a living author with a future he cannot measure. In other words, this business deals with the future which we all prefer to regard as unending.
The invention of ethical and political doctrines, which blossomed into our own social sciences, is a product of times when things appeared manageable. The same goes for the criticism of those doctrines, though as a voice from the past, this criticism proved prophetic.
Try not to pay attention to those who will try to make life miserable for you. There will be a lot of those - in the official capacity as well as the self-appointed.
To put it in plain language, Russia is that country where the name of a writer appears not on the cover of his book, but on the door of his prison cell.
Imagination is the key to my lyrics. The rest is painted with a little science fiction.
As film makers or any artiste that put work out there, what you are doing on your level is that you are putting consciousness out into the world.
But you listen to Coltrane and that's something human, something that's about elevation. It's like making love to a woman. It's about something of value, it's not just loud. It doesn't have that violent connotation to it. I wanted to be a jazz musician so bad, but I really couldn't. There was no way I could figure out to learn how to play.
Has my tale turned you speechless? Come, curse me or kiss me or call me a liar. Something.
Taste is the common sense of genius.
Life is like music, it must be composed by ear, feeling and instinct, not by rule. Nevertheless one had better know the rules, for they sometimes guide in doubtful cases, though not often.
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