What is a modern poet's fate?  
 To write his thoughts upon a slate;  
 The critic spits on what is done,  
 Gives it a wipe—and all is gone.
'To the Reviewers', dedication of Whims and Oddities (1826)
What is a modern poet's fate?  
 To write his thoughts upon a slate;  
 The critic spits on what is done,  
 Gives it a wipe—and all is gone.
'To the Reviewers', dedication of Whims and Oddities (1826)