André Breton, "A Great Black Poet," included as preface to 1947 edition of Cahier d'un retour au pays natal
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Poetry worthy of its name is measured by the degree of abstention, of refusal, it implies, and that negative component of its nature must be maintained as essential: it balks at tolerating anything already seen, heard, agreed upon, at using anything already used except when diverting it from its previous function.
— André Breton on Poetry
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Poetry worthy of its name is measured by the degree of abstention, of refusal, it implies, and that negative component of its nature must be maintained as essential: it balks at tolerating anything already seen, heard, agreed upon, at using anything already used except when diverting it from its previous function." in the context of "André Breton, "A Great Black Poet," included as preface to 1947 edition of Cahier d'un retour au pays natal" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Poetry" (B)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About André Breton
André Breton (19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer, poet and theorist of Surrealism. He is known best as the founder of the Surrealist art movement. He wrote the first Surrealist Manifesto: the 'Manifeste du Surréalisme' of 1924.
About André Breton
André Breton (19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer, poet and theorist of Surrealism. He is known best as the founder of the Surrealist art movement. He wrote the first Surrealist Manifesto: the 'Manifeste du Surréalisme' of 1924.
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