Poetry should treat
Of lofty things
Soaring thoughts
And birds with wings.
The Muse of Poetry
Should not care
That earthly pain
Is everywhere.
Poetry!
Treats of lofty things
Soaring thoughts
Hughes wrote this poem in an ironic response to his criticizers who believed he was being too negative in his poetry. Hughes doesn’t mean what he says in this poem, he’s just responding to his criticizers with a short and ridiculous poem to prove that poetry isn’t all about the pretty things in life. From the OED, a definition of muse is the inspiration for a poem or song. Hughes believes that the inspiration for his works are the pains he feels and the things that anger/upset him in the world. By saying “earthly pain is everywhere,” he’s alluding the fact that pain can’t be ignored, especially not in poetry. Poetry comes from the heart and its best works represent the feelings of the author, not simple things like birds. 
 “Muse.” Home : Oxford English Dictionary. Web. 04 Dec. 2014.
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