What is a Poet?
Poeta.--A poet is that which by the Greeks is called [Greek text], a
maker, or a feigner: his art, an art of imitation or feigning;
expressing the life of man in fit measure, numbers, and harmony,
according to Aristotle; from the word [Greek text], which signifies
to make or feign. Hence he is called a poet, not he which writeth
in measure only, but that feigneth and formeth a fable, and writes
things like the truth. For the fable and fiction is, as it were,
the form and soul of any poetical work or poem.
What mean, you by a Poem?
Poema.--A poem is not alone any work or composition of the poet's in
many or few verses; but even one verse alone sometimes makes a
perfect poem. As when AEneas hangs up and consecrates the arms of
Abas with this inscription:-
"AEneas haec de Danais victoribus arma." {136a}
And calls it a poem or carmen. Such are those in Martial:-
"Omnia, Castor, emis: sic fiet, ut omnia vendas." {136b}
And -
"Pauper videri Cinna vult, et est pauper." {136c}
Horatius.--Lucretius.--So were Horace's odes called Carmina, his
lyric songs.
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