--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A poem conveys not a message so much as…" description: "\"A poem conveys not a message so much as the provenance of a message, an advent of sense.\" — Thomas Harrison" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/thomas-harrison-35893_poetry_a-poem-conveys-not-a-message-so-much-as_1370097.jpg" --- # A poem conveys not a message so much as the provenance of… ![“A poem conveys not a message so much as the provenance of a message, an advent of sense.” quote by Thomas Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/thomas-harrison-35893_poetry_a-poem-conveys-not-a-message-so-much-as_1370097.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/thomas-harrison-35893_poetry_a-poem-conveys-not-a-message-so-much-as_1370097.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/thomas-harrison-35893_poetry_a-poem-conveys-not-a-message-so-much-as_1370097.jpg) > “A poem conveys not a message so much as the provenance of a message, an advent of sense.” [Thomas Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harrison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that a poem’s value lies more in its origin and the way it reveals meaning than in delivering a clear message. **In simple terms:** Poems show where ideas come from, not just what they say. Key Takeaway Focus on the source of meaning. Themes literature poetry meaning origin interpretation Mood reflective introspective Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - writing poetry - literary analysis - creative workshops Key Concepts provenance sense advent Questions to Reflect On - How does the origin of a poem shape its impact? - What does “advent of sense” mean to you? A Different Perspective The impact of a poem can be limited if readers seek only straightforward messages. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conveys Message](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conveys-message-486192/) [Message Provenance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/message-provenance-4715896/) [Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem/) [Poem Conveys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem-conveys-4715895/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Provenance Message](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/provenance-message-4715897/) ## Related quotes > [“A good story conveys a message that strengthens our values.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-r-cooke/a-good-story-conveys-a-message-that-strengthens-our-values/) [Ronald R. Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-r-cooke/) > [ “I do not know much about this man \[Jesus\], but I do know that his whole life conveys one message: 'anyone at any moment… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-garaudy/i-do-not-know-much-about-this-man-jesus-but-i-do-know-that-his-whole/) [Roger Garaudy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-garaudy/) > [I am a poem. There is no way out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-am-a-poem-there-is-no-way-out/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [Poetry is a lousy form of activism; it doesn't really change much. And maybe we can point to one or two historical times when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-gottlieb/poetry-is-a-lousy-form-of-activism-it-doesn-t-really-change-much-and/) [Daphne Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-gottlieb/) > [“Easter blessings All life’s sacrifices like autumn leaves awaken our senses and power to love and be whole Our Mother Earth, Our Father Sky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/easter-blessings-all-life-s-sacrifices-like-autumn-leaves-awaken-our/) [Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/) > [“To write a poem...to paint an image on canvass from the contemplation of nature and life...is to be present again in this world more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deeper-sense-of-presence-isabella-koldras/to-write-a-poem-to-paint-an-image-on-canvass-from-the-contemplation/) [Deeper sense of presence Isabella koldras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deeper-sense-of-presence-isabella-koldras/) > [“Memories of past. Heartaches of old. Courage of brass. Lessons of gold.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/memories-of-past-heartaches-of-old-courage-of-brass-lessons-of-gold/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [A day which passed without a poem from my pen I considered lost and misused.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/a-day-which-passed-without-a-poem-from-my-pen-i-considered-lost-and/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [“Good God, 'the elusive thing'. She had reached a turning point. She no longer believed that a situation could be made better by writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/good-god-the-elusive-thing-she-had-reached-a-turning-point-she-no/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“Sentinels of trees breathe life into bodies of earthly flesh As their mighty arms reach to the stars we join in their quest for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/sentinels-of-trees-breathe-life-into-bodies-of-earthly-flesh-as-their/) [Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/) > [Memory revises me. Even now a letter comes from a place I don’t know, from someone with my name and postmarked years ago, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/memory-revises-me-even-now-a-letter-comes-from-a-place-i-don-t-know/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [“The name does not deserve the poem, but the poem deserves the name.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/the-name-does-not-deserve-the-poem-but-the-poem-deserves-the-name/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [“sometimes when everything seems at its worst when all conspires and gnaws and the hours, days, weeks years seem wasted – stretched there upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/sometimes-when-everything-seems-at-its-worst-when-all-conspires-and/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“Whatever you want," he said. "Will you please come here now?" I slipped a piece of protective tissue over my drawing and flipped the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/whatever-you-want-he-said-will-you-please-come-here-now-i-slipped-a/) [Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/) > [You don’t read or overhear the voice in the poem, you are the voice in the poem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-vendler/you-don-t-read-or-overhear-the-voice-in-the-poem-you-are-the-voice-in/) [Helen Vendler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-vendler/) ## More by Thomas Harrison > [No art form points like poetry to this originality of language as to its essential and abiding concern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harrison/no-art-form-points-like-poetry-to-this-originality-of-language-as-to/) [Thomas Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harrison/) > [With the question of the effect of a poem, the topic of investigation shifts from that of textual autonomy to textual reception - to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harrison/with-the-question-of-the-effect-of-a-poem-the-topic-of-investigation/) [Thomas Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harrison/) > [A jacket commemorating the Germans as champions of the 1990 World Cup is out of date two weeks after the event has passed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harrison/a-jacket-commemorating-the-germans-as-champions-of-the-1990-world-cup/) [Thomas Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harrison/) > [Still the question remains of what actually speaks in a poem, if not subjectivity as historically constructed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harrison/still-the-question-remains-of-what-actually-speaks-in-a-poem-if-not/) [Thomas Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harrison/) > [Other, far fewer, directors are more like the composer - conceptualizing the piece, scoring it, distributing its musical lines among a range of registers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harrison/other-far-fewer-directors-are-more-like-the-composer-conceptualizing/) [Thomas Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harrison/) > [Unlike metaphor, metonymy does not try to fuse images together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harrison/unlike-metaphor-metonymy-does-not-try-to-fuse-images-together/) [Thomas Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harrison/) > [Most film directors do not come up with their own subjects or write their own screenplays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harrison/most-film-directors-do-not-come-up-with-their-own-subjects-or-write/) [Thomas Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harrison/) > [To liberate words means first to shatter their function as vehicles of idea, memory, hope, or regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harrison/to-liberate-words-means-first-to-shatter-their-function-as-vehicles/) [Thomas Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harrison/) > [In recent decades this symbolic or metaphorical lyric has given way to one which leans toward metonymy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harrison/in-recent-decades-this-symbolic-or-metaphorical-lyric-has-given-way/) [Thomas Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harrison/) > [In an age where history is recorded on T-shirts, the very notion of dwelling on the deep structure of an experience has come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harrison/in-an-age-where-history-is-recorded-on-t-shirts-the-very-notion-of/) [Thomas Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harrison/) > [As witnesses that the things were not done in a corner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harrison/as-witnesses-that-the-things-were-not-done-in-a-corner/) [Thomas Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harrison/) > [Experience has ceded to a series of happenings, about which the most we can expect is information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harrison/experience-has-ceded-to-a-series-of-happenings-about-which-the-most/) [Thomas Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harrison/) [Explore all 13 Thomas Harrison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harrison/) ## More Poem quotes > [You don’t read or overhear the voice in the poem, you are the voice in the poem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-vendler/you-don-t-read-or-overhear-the-voice-in-the-poem-you-are-the-voice-in/) [Helen Vendler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-vendler/) > [“Whatever you want," he said. "Will you please come here now?" I slipped a piece of protective tissue over my drawing and flipped the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/whatever-you-want-he-said-will-you-please-come-here-now-i-slipped-a/) [Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/) > [“sometimes when everything seems at its worst when all conspires and gnaws and the hours, days, weeks years seem wasted – stretched there upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/sometimes-when-everything-seems-at-its-worst-when-all-conspires-and/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“The name does not deserve the poem, but the poem deserves the name.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/the-name-does-not-deserve-the-poem-but-the-poem-deserves-the-name/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [Memory revises me. Even now a letter comes from a place I don’t know, from someone with my name and postmarked years ago, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/memory-revises-me-even-now-a-letter-comes-from-a-place-i-don-t-know/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [“Sentinels of trees breathe life into bodies of earthly flesh As their mighty arms reach to the stars we join in their quest for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/sentinels-of-trees-breathe-life-into-bodies-of-earthly-flesh-as-their/) [Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/) > [“I cannot go to school today" Said little Peggy Ann McKay. "I have the measles and the mumps, A gash, a rash and purple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shel-silverstein/i-cannot-go-to-school-today-said-little-peggy-ann-mckay-i-have-the/) [Shel Silverstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shel-silverstein/) > [“Good God, 'the elusive thing'. She had reached a turning point. She no longer believed that a situation could be made better by writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/good-god-the-elusive-thing-she-had-reached-a-turning-point-she-no/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [A day which passed without a poem from my pen I considered lost and misused.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/a-day-which-passed-without-a-poem-from-my-pen-i-considered-lost-and/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [“The gift of words, the source of enjoyment, the source of delight that comes within and the unfading beauty and energy of words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euginia-herlihy/the-gift-of-words-the-source-of-enjoyment-the-source-of-delight-that/) [Euginia Herlihy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euginia-herlihy/) > [“Memories of past. Heartaches of old. Courage of brass. Lessons of gold.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/memories-of-past-heartaches-of-old-courage-of-brass-lessons-of-gold/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“To write a poem...to paint an image on canvass from the contemplation of nature and life...is to be present again in this world more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deeper-sense-of-presence-isabella-koldras/to-write-a-poem-to-paint-an-image-on-canvass-from-the-contemplation/) [Deeper sense of presence Isabella koldras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deeper-sense-of-presence-isabella-koldras/) > [“Easter blessings All life’s sacrifices like autumn leaves awaken our senses and power to love and be whole Our Mother Earth, Our Father Sky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/easter-blessings-all-life-s-sacrifices-like-autumn-leaves-awaken-our/) [Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/) > [Poetry is a lousy form of activism; it doesn't really change much. And maybe we can point to one or two historical times when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-gottlieb/poetry-is-a-lousy-form-of-activism-it-doesn-t-really-change-much-and/) [Daphne Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-gottlieb/) > [I am a poem. There is no way out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-am-a-poem-there-is-no-way-out/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) [Browse all 2,111 Poem quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A poem conveys not a message so much as the provenance of a message, an advent of sense.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Harrison" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harrison/a-poem-conveys-not-a-message-so-much-as-the-provenance-of-a-message/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Poem" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harrison/a-poem-conveys-not-a-message-so-much-as-the-provenance-of-a-message/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/thomas-harrison-35893_poetry_a-poem-conveys-not-a-message-so-much-as_1370097.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/thomas-harrison-35893_poetry_a-poem-conveys-not-a-message-so-much-as_1370097.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/thomas-harrison-35893_poetry_a-poem-conveys-not-a-message-so-much-as_1370097.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A poem conveys not a message so much as the provenance of a message, an advent of sense.” — Thomas Harrison", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Thomas Harrison", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harrison/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A poem conveys not a message...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harrison/a-poem-conveys-not-a-message-so-much-as-the-provenance-of-a-message/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harrison/a-poem-conveys-not-a-message-so-much-as-the-provenance-of-a-message/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```