Poem of the Day: "After Arguing against the Contention That Art Must Come from Discontent" by William E. Stafford, Poet of the Month

The Songs of Eretz Poem of the Day for July 19, 2014 is "After Arguing against the Contention That Art Must Come from Discontent" by William E. Stafford, Poet of the Month.  In addition to the reviews this month, Mr. Stafford's work has been reviewed previously here:  http://eretzsongs.blogspot.com/2014/04/poem-of-day-once-in-40s-by-william.html, where a brief biography and references may be found.  The text of "After Arguing against the Contention That Art Must Come from Discontent" may be found here: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/237528.

William Stafford enjoyed hiking in the mountains, so it is reasonable to surmise that "After Arguing…" is autobiographical in nature.  The conceit is subtle but interesting--that adversity overcome may be exhilarating, and the elated feelings that result may inspire poetry every bit as good as that which might have sprung from experiencing the adversity itself.