Robert Fitzgerald

I think it was lucky that during most of the work on the Odyssey I lived on Homer's sea in houses that were, in one case, shaken by the impact of the Mediterranean winter storms on the rocks below. ↗

— Robert Fitzgerald

#case #during #homer #houses #i

I think that everyone who took part has always been grateful for it. ↗

— Robert Fitzgerald

#been #everyone #grateful #i #i think

I think there are perhaps two ways in which one can begin. ↗

— Robert Fitzgerald

#i #i think #perhaps #think #two

I would then go on to say that Homer, as we now know, was working in what they call an oral tradition. ↗

— Robert Fitzgerald

#go #homer #i #know #now

In a way you can feel that the poet actually is looking over your shoulder, and you say to yourself, now, how would this go for him? Would this do or not? ↗

— Robert Fitzgerald

#feel #go #him #how #looking

In fact, eloquence in English will inevitably make use of the Latin element in our vocabulary. ↗

— Robert Fitzgerald

#eloquence #english #fact #in fact #inevitably

Is encouragement what the poet needs? Open question. Maybe he needs discouragement. In fact, quite a few of them need more discouragement, the most discouragement possible. ↗

— Robert Fitzgerald

#encouragement #fact #few #in fact #maybe

Of course the other and more serious way in which it all happens is that one finds in poems and language some quality one appropriates for oneself and wishes to reproduce. ↗

— Robert Fitzgerald

#finds #happens #language #more #oneself

One should indeed read Pope with his notes available, in the Twickenham edition possibly, to see what a vast amount he did understand about Homer. ↗

— Robert Fitzgerald

#amount #available #did #edition #his

Poetry is at least an elegance and at most a revelation. ↗

— Robert Fitzgerald

#least #most #poetry #revelation