It begins like this Listen My role in society Or any artist's or poet's role Is to try and express what we all feel Not to tell people how to feel Not as a preacher Not as a leader But as a reflection of us all The artist However faithful to his personal vision of reality Becomes the last champion Of the individual mind and sensibility Against an intrusive society And an officious state The great artist is thus a solitary figure He has a lover's quarrel with the world In pursuing his perceptions of reality He must often sail against the currents of his time This is not a popular role The men who create power Make an indispensable contribution To the Nation's greatness But the men who question power Make a contribution just as indispensable Especially when that questioning is disinterested For they determine whether we use power Or power uses us