The King rules over the land.
The Prophet rules over the Sacred Words.
The Priest intercedes between the heavens and the earth.
The Poet lives within all three inhabiting them simultaneously.
Dr. SkipMoen quotes James L. Perotti when stating”“The poet is a mortal, claimed by the gods to reveal them in words; poetry is at once his response to that claim and, at the same time, it is the speaking of Being (holy) coming into language. The poet is claimed specifically for the naming of what is holy, for putting into words the sign of the divine.”[1] Because the poet occupies a special place in the communication between God and men, he is able to bend ordinary language to fit divine purposes. His words push us to the edge of our common understanding in order that we may perceive the divine horizon.
[1] James L. Perotti, Heidegger on the Divine: The Thinker, The Poet and God (Ohio University Press, 1974), p. 106.
copyright wmp may 8 2018-revised 3.14.2022 moen quote added.
works of words 