Introduction

Michel Deguy was an outstanding 20th-century French poet and philosopher, who served as the director of the International College of Philosophy at Paris VIII University and the president of the "House of Writers." He founded and edited the journal Po&sie. His poetry and theoretical works are prolific, earning him numerous literary awards. Deguy's ethical thought in poetry is complex and multi-layered, addressing time, space, existence, language, and identity, reflecting the instability and fluidity in his thinking, as well as his attempt to explore and express dynamic modes of existence through poetry. He focused on the relationship between the individual and the collective, the self and the other, examining issues of identity and the role of the poet in cultural contexts. Deguy's poetic philosophy incorporates profound philosophical reflection and linguistic introspection, granting his work significant status in contemporary French poetry. Poetry Is Not Alone, published in 1987, is his poetic treatise that explores the language, form, and meaning of poetry, as well as how poetry reflects human emotions, thoughts, and experiences through expression and communication, engaging closely with the world.

I. Critical Reflection on Poetry

This section examines Michel Deguy's critical reflection on poetry, emphasizing its importance in modern society and its relationship with thought, speech, and writing. Deguy argues that poetry is marginalized in mainstream media but still bears ethical responsibility in the digital revolution, resisting reality through "dislocating energy" to convey new meanings and protests. His writing demonstrates the close connection between poetry, thought, and resistance, with poetry becoming a battleground for linguistic experience, overcoming fragmentation through dynamism. Deguy emphasizes poetry's relationship with truth, change, and difference, asserting that poetry should not be isolated but must connect with music, authentic images, architecture, ethics, politics, and philosophy, making "and" the "is" of existence. Poetry is a product of its environment, a path of ecological meditation that embraces real life composed of place, time, and connections. Deguy's poetic reflection achieves a fusion of depth and breadth, transforming poetry into an infinite force of scrutiny that brings all things together, presents them figuratively, and reshapes them, tending toward unity with thought.

II. Poetry’s Reference to the World

This section explores Michel Deguy's ethical thought in poetry, particularly his co-founded journal Po&sie with Jacques Roubaud, which aimed to create space for separation and conjunction in poetic writing, emphasizing poetry's pluralistic relationship with the world. Deguy views poetry as a site actively open to things beyond itself, approaching the world and objects through analogy to create new relationships. He stresses poetry's referential nature, where poetry always stands in a relative position, juxtaposing things and words for contrast. Deguy also advocates for analogical logic as the essence of poetic speech, allowing art and the world to separate and reunite in the process of analogy. Drawing on Derrida's concept of différance, he emphasizes poetry's focus on the differences of being, making it non-identitarian. Poetry does not compare the comparable but the incomparable, observing the relationship and distinctions between one thing and another. Deguy terms the relationship between poetics and ethics "poetic ethics," arguing that they mutually validate in practice but may also twist and separate.

III. Poetry’s Focus on the "Between"

This section discusses the centrality of the concept of "between" in Michel Deguy's poetic ethics. Deguy considers "between" a fundamental preposition and methodological operator in poetics, determining the direction of thought through prepositions, arranging the relationship between things and thought, and preserving the meaning of things. He asserts that all things exist "between" and demonstrates the philosophy of "between" through French vocabulary. Deguy believes poetry and philosophy should transcend boundaries to achieve cross-cultural exchange. He practices the idea of "between" in poetry, emphasizing the "indecisiveness" of poetic thought and writing. Deguy strives to promote the sharing of perspectives and the embodiment of plurality through poetry, such as encouraging dialogue among poets in Po&sie and organizing face-to-face discussions. He also highlights the "margin" in poetry, viewing it as an unstable line of passage rather than a boundary. Deguy uses "surfing" as a metaphor for poetry's marginality, emphasizing its unfinished and uncertain movement. He notes that poetic movement lies in the indeterminacy and non-finality of the margin, achieving connection with the world through layered boundaries. Deguy's "between" poetics unfolds through reversal and overflow, allowing poetry to bridge past and present, inside and outside.

IV. Poetry’s Manifestation of "Hospitality"

This section explores Michel Deguy's understanding of "hospitality" in poetry. Deguy believes language is inherently hospitable, belonging to all who use and create it, including foreigners, as its fluidity allows it to be appropriated by anyone in any way. He demonstrates hospitality through poetry, likening it to a host whose door is always open, warmly welcoming guests. Deguy emphasizes that the meaning of poetry lies in hospitably receiving visitors, much like an inn. Starting from the French word comme, he explains the idea of hospitality, which combines the dual meanings of comparison and fiction, enabling poets to think through differences and establish commonality. The title of his poetry collection Commaison reflects how similarity draws people into a house, embodying hospitality and the accommodation of differences. He upholds the idea that "poetry can unite," considering poetry journals as belonging to "us" rather than "me," with the ideal of poetry being endless conversation, which reflects its hospitable nature. Through exchanges with poets from different countries, Deguy shows that even without a shared language, poetry can open doors to communication. He extends "hospitality" to the awareness of the "other" in translation, viewing it as a cultural experience that acknowledges the uniqueness and difference of the other. Deguy believes the translator's responsibility is dual—equally important to the text's language and to their own—and through translation, the original work is given new life. His journal Po&sie treats poetry as a mode of visitation, exchange, and transmission from afar to here, achieving a harmonious state where the distant remains present while inspiring creation nearby.

Conclusion

In issue 120 of Po&sie, Deguy argues that poetry should not be isolated but should redistribute poetic objects, emphasizing the poet's role in intellectual innovation. His poetic practice unfolds through the logic of différance, promoting cross-cultural exchange and dialogue. Poetry reveals differences and affinities between things through comparison and reference, enabling intercultural communication. Poetry translation facilitates dialogue and encounter in cross-linguistic exchange, connecting past and present, inside and outside, and fostering cultural plurality and the continuity of symbiotic relationships.