n write in isolation. The poet should fit into the long tradition of past writers and add something new to the ongoing tradition. For Eliot, both the past and the present work together to keep literature alive.

Respect for the Past: In his essay, Eliot says that the first duty of a poet is to respect the past. A poet must have a “historical sense.” It means a poet should feel that the past is not gone but still lives in the present. According to Eliot, the great poets like Homer, Dante, and Shakespeare form a “living whole.” When a new poet writes, his work joins that living order. He writes:

“The historical sense involves a perception, not only of the pastness of the past, but of its presence.”

This means that when a poet writes, he must be aware of all that has been written before him. His new poem should not destroy the past but should fit into that old order and add something new to it. Without the knowledge of the past (literary tradition), a poet cannot truly create something great.

The Role of the Present: Eliot also believes that the present has its own importance. Every new poem brings a fresh change to the world of literature. When a poet writes something new, his poem becomes part of the living tradition. This new work also slightly changes how we understand old works. For example, when a modern poet writes about love, his words may make readers see Shakespeare’s Sonnets or Donne’s poems in a new way. Eliot says that the past and the present keep influencing each other. The harmony between tradition and the individual talent of a poet makes great poetry.

The Making of a Poem: In the process of creating poetry, the poet uses both his personal experience and the knowledge of past writers. Eliot compares the poet’s mind to a catalyst in a chemical reaction. A catalyst helps to create a new substance but does not change itself. Just like this, the poet’s mind combines old and new ideas to form something fresh. The past gives form and order to the poet’s creativity, while the present gives life and new meaning to the tradition.

Judging a Poem: Eliot argues that both the making and judging of poetry depend on this relationship between past and present. To judge a poem fairly, we must see how well it fits into the whole tradition of literature. Eliot writes:

“No poet, no artist of any art, has his complete meaning alone.”

This means that no poet can be fully understood by himself or by his own work only. A poet’s writing becomes meaningful only when we see it as part of a long tradition of literature. For Eliot, the evaluation of poetry should be historical as well as artistic. We should compare new works with old ones, not to find faults, but to see how they enrich one another. Thus, the standard of judgment for any poem comes from the combination of the past and present.

To sum up, Eliot shows that the past and present always work together in poetry. The past gives depth and guidance, while the present adds new life and meaning. The true poet honors tradition and gives it a new voice in his own time.