Definitions HQ

A Poet (n.) cannot ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠be questioned about what he meant, so every argument over his meaning goes on forever.

The Poet (n.) was, ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠to Socrates, a soothsayer of beauty: gifted, inspired, and ignorant of what his own lines mean.

A Poet (n.) skilled ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠in tragedy should also be a comic poet — Socrates' argument at dawn, which put both his poets to sleep.

A Poet (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠an airy thing, winged and holy, who cannot make poetry until he is inspired, out of his mind, his intellect gone.

A Poet (n.) ranks ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠sixth in the order of souls — below the doctor and the prophet, just above the farmer, with only the sophist and the tyrant beneath.

The Poet (n.) who ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠can become anything and imitate anything should be bowed to as holy and wonderful, anointed with myrrh, crowned — and sent away to another city.

A Poet (n.) paints ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠colored pictures of every craft in words, knowing nothing of them, so that others as ignorant as he, who judge by words, think he speaks superbly.

The Poet (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠only the god's spokesman: the god takes away his intellect, as with prophets, so we know it is not the poet speaking but the god through him.