Where's this quote from?

July 3, 2009 5:26 AM

"The poet writes the history of his own body". Did Thoreau use this sentence, and if he did, where exactly?

I couldn't find the precise source via Google. Lots of people use it, all of them attribute it to Thoreau, but nobody says where it's from.

The earliest reference I found was in "A study of poetry", by Bliss Perry, 1930, full text here. (Again, no precise source given.)

Can you help, Mefites? Any Thoreau experts around?

posted by The Toad to writing & language (5 comments total)

The Journal of Henry D. Thoreau: Volumes I-VII (1837-October 1855)
Sept. 29, 1851: "The poet writes the history of his body."

(Someone around 1920 added "own" and screwed up the quote for the rest of time.)
posted by languagehat at 6:07 AM on July 3

Hmmm, I found this which is also from Bliss Perry.

Passage 12 here contains a similar sentiment and is dated 1867. And passage 46 here is also quite close.

I have gone through all the essays on this site and not found it in the essays, I was using a search term on each of the pages. It is still a rich site about his life and works and seemed worth linking to.

So, I give up for now, it's really strange how no-one attributes it, and I can't beat your Bliss Perry date or source. I wonder if it was adapted from the earlier passages I linked to...

I may well keep looking.

Good luck.
posted by multivalent at 6:20 AM on July 3

Well done languagehat!
posted by multivalent at 6:21 AM on July 3

Wow, that was fast... Thanks!
posted by The Toad at 6:24 AM on July 3

41 minutes? Languagehat, you're losing your touch!
posted by The Michael The at 9:12 AM on July 3