introductions . . .

This book was undertaken in the belief that poetry is best discovered through the careful reading of a few good poems. Poetry is seldom read with the attention it requires. It requires a concentrated mind, a generous imagination, and a listening ear. The self-respecting poet is no waster of words; he moves as swiftly and directly as he can toward the end, whatever it may be, that he has in view. But this end is with him from the first. It is not the last sentence he will write; it is the whole purpose and effect of the words he puts together as he thinks and feels his way along, and as he considers the sound his syllables make. He also has a concentrated mind, a generous imagination, and a listening ear. A poem exists only when its writer and its reader meet inside of it and conspire to ignore everything save what it says.

This is from Mark Van Doren's preface to his 1951 Introduction to Poetry, an early and most wonderful discovery as I first delved into poetry and was trying to grasp hold of an understanding of "self-respecting" poets. I suppose it is no longer in print, but, if you come across a copy, buy it or borrow it, as the case may be.