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Except he isn't defying grammar. It's correct to use loose that way.
by forensic 15y ago
Except he isn't defying grammar. It's correct to use loose that way.
- jmilloy 15y agoIt's just that being in a poem doesn't have anything to do with being correct or not, whether it is correct in this poem or not.
- defen 15y agoOP said "I don't think anyone would ever use loose in that manner without preceding it with 'let'". I provided a counterexample, so the OP's statement is refuted. Now, granted anyone could write a nonsense sentence to refute any rule of grammar. But this is a very important poem by a prominent poet.
- jmilloy 15y agoI think that my comment came across as an attack. Rather, I just find the ways in which poems can interact with and affect existing, seemingly fixed aspects of language are beautiful and interesting! And in particular, it means that poetry has a unique place in discussions about both proper grammar and common usage. You make a good point that you were furthering discussion about common usage and not necessarily grammar.
- ZoFreX 15y agoI agree with jmilloy, actually; regardless of whether or not that usage is correct, given that poems frequently flout grammar "rules" I don't think using a poem as evidence of a particular rule is a strong argument.