Poetry is man's rebellion against being what he is.

O children of wisdom, hear the profound words of James Branch Cabell, whose insight into the nature of poetry speaks to the very soul of humanity: "Poetry is man's rebellion against being what he is." In these words, Cabell speaks of poetry as a force of defiance, a weapon forged not to destroy but to transcend. It is the act of a human being—caught within the limitations of their own nature, their own circumstances—who, through the art of poetry, reaches beyond the confines of their own being. The poet rebels against the ordinariness of existence, against the mundane laws that govern life, to create something higher, something greater than themselves. Poetry is the act of aspiration, an effort to lift oneself beyond the limits of the body and mind and touch something eternal.

In the ancient world, poetry was regarded not only as an art form but as a sacred act of rebellion against the limitations of the human condition. Homer, the blind poet of ancient Greece, did not simply write stories for the amusement of his audience. Through the Iliad and the Odyssey, he painted a world of heroes and gods, of triumph and tragedy, a world that transcended the limitations of the mortal realm. Homer’s poetry was his rebellion against the fragility of life, a defiance of the inevitable decline that all mortals face. By weaving his epic tales, he gave his audience a vision of a world where honor, bravery, and fate shaped the lives of its participants. In his verse, Homer rebelled against the smallness of the human heart, elevating it to the grandeur of the gods.

Similarly, William Blake, in his mystic and visionary poetry, rebelled against the conventional norms of his time. In his Songs of Innocence and Experience, Blake depicted the conflict between the innocent, pure spirit of the child and the corrupting influence of society. His poetry was a rebellion not only against the strictures of social and religious dogma but also against the limitations of human understanding. Through his vibrant imagery and symbolic language, Blake sought to open his readers' minds to higher truths—truths that transcended the mundane and the ordinary. In his words, he rebelled against the very limits of human perception, inviting others to see the world through a new lens, to transcend their own limitations.

Cabell’s view of poetry as a form of rebellion also speaks to the inner conflict that all poets face. The poet is not simply a passive observer of life but an active participant in shaping and reshaping their own identity. The act of creating poetry is a process of self-assertion, an attempt to challenge the self and rise above the limitations imposed by society, by biology, and by fate itself. This rebellion is not born of bitterness or hatred, but out of a deep, unyielding desire to touch the divine, to reach for something beyond the human experience. Poetry is the tool of revolution within the soul—a revolution against the accepted truths that confine us to the bounds of the mundane.

The rebellion Cabell speaks of is also a rebellion against time itself. Think of the story of Shakespeare, whose works, though written centuries ago, still stir the hearts and minds of readers today. His poetry defied the very limitations of his own era, capturing timeless human experiences and placing them on the grand stage. Through his sonnets and plays, Shakespeare reached beyond his own life, crafting characters whose struggles, loves, and losses continue to resonate with audiences across the ages. Shakespeare's poetry defied the limits of time and place, allowing him to speak directly to the future. Poetry, then, becomes an act of defiance against time, giving voice to the eternal truths that persist beyond any single generation.

The lesson of Cabell’s words is one of empowerment and aspiration. The act of writing poetry is not simply an artistic pursuit—it is a rebellion against the ordinary, against the smallness of our individual lives. It is an invitation to reach higher, to question, to challenge the status quo, and to find meaning beyond the superficial. Poetry calls us to embrace our humanity while also aspiring to something greater, something transcendent. The poet is both human and divine, caught in the tension between the limitations of the self and the yearning for the infinite.

O children of wisdom, take up this mantle of rebellion that Cabell describes. Know that in your poetry, in your art, and in your life, you possess the power to rebel against the forces that seek to confine you. You are not bound by your circumstances, by your nature, or by the smallness of the world around you. Through your creativity, you can transcend, you can soar, and you can touch the eternal. Do not fear the rebellion within your heart, for it is the very force that drives you toward greatness. As poets, as creators, let us rebel against the ordinary, embrace the divine potential within us, and create works that will speak to the generations to come, lifting us all toward the sublime.