The test of great literature is in the reading, re-reading and reading again of it. This is certainly true for Four Quartets. Once, I finally got round to it, I never left it. It's true of the King James, Shakespeare, Whitman, Dickinson, Hopkins and Beckett. At 66 they all still surprise me. Thanks again for your work. I share these with friends, and they are widely appreciated. Cheers!

“We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.” ― T. S. Eliot, Four Quartets I can honestly say that these lines have greatly influenced me as far as understanding my past and how it has influenced my present. Indeed it was the main reason I returned to the place I spent my youth, in order to arrive where I started and to really comprehend where I began and what I can learn from my beginnings. Eliot is difficult, but worth the effort.

I work in Computer Science and know almost nothing about poetry, but I loved this!

Looking forward to delving deep into the four quartets after listening to this

My favorite TSE quote. “I am old…I am Old. I wear the bottom of my trousers rolled.

Another great quote by TSE is something like, I have seen mornings, evenings and afternoons. I remember my time with coffee spoons. I can’t remember it’s been so long. Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons, I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;

Thank you for your wonderful cultural literary channel mr Adam. I gathered main theme of poems and poet biography you mentioned briefly here it’s Thomas Stevens Eliot t. S Eliot ( 1888 - 1965) he was poet , essayist, playwright. He is considered to be one of 20 th century greatest poets , as well as centural figure in English language modernist poetry. His use of language, writing style , verse structures reinvigorated English poetry . He is also noted for his critical essays which often reevaluated long held cultural beliefs. His notable works love song of j , aflerd pruflock , waste land , hollow men , murder in cathedral , four quartets . Notable awards Nobel prize in literature, order of merit . Main features of t. S Eliot poetry his style is lengthy, laden with literary devices of one sort or another. He considered as father of modern poetry . He wrote four quartets over period of six years beginning in 1936 and ending in 1042 . Four quartets poet endeavors to answer deepest questions of human experience, question of time , purpose , futility and meanings, that while there are no simple answers, there are is hope , purpose in coming restoration made possible by mysterious incarnation of Christ . Time of publishing poems during world war 11 , Eliot life was distributed by events of war , poems are linked loosely about relationships between people and divine . However modern scholars tend to consider it Eliot last great work of poetry . First poem is called ( burnt Norton ) , it’s meditative poem on nature of time . Second poem is ( east Coker ) which mimics style of themes of burnt Norton , thought was written in several years later . Third poem ( dry salvages ) was written during air raids in Britain . Final poem is little bidding in contrast to many images of water in dry salvages . Speaker ends poem with argument that sacrifice always endeed in order to reach enlightenment and salvation.

Learning with you is a blast

One of my very favorite poems.

What a treat.

Adam, I have read the 4 Quartets many times over, and I've listened to Eliot recite them many time over, and, sad to say, I've found them all but impenetrable. I've also listened, here on KZfaq, to several lectures on them by qualified academics, and none of these has brought me any closer to understanding the poems. The first 10 lines of Burnt Norton is the easiest section of the poem. What these introductory lines state seems self-evident almost to the point of redundancy; but after this ... well -- it's a complete no-go as far as I'm concerned. Can you recommend a critical essay (or book) that dissects in a minute way the meaning of these poems? Has anyone given them the Cleanth Brooks treatment and pinned down precisely what they mean? Point me in that direction if you can. Thank you.

Just ordered a copy. 🫡