Poets steal ideas all the time. We steal fabulous lines to use in our own poems or prose. We steal words, forms, style, rhythm, etc. to suit our purposes. It is because nothing is very new under the sun. We constantly regurgitate and recycle. Recognizing that there is something worthy to steal is a compliment to the author. The point of stealing is to give the stolen materials new lives, making them thrive in a different dimension.
I’m always impressed by Ray Charles’ version of The Beatles’ The Long and Winding Road.
Rudyard Kipling says it well in his poem, When ‘Omer Smote ‘is Bloomin’ Lyre (‘Omer refers to Homer):
When ‘Omer Smote ‘is Bloomin’ Lyre
When ‘Omer smote ‘s bloomin’ lyre,
He’d ‘eard men sing by land an’ sea;
An’ what ‘e thought ‘e might require,
‘E went an’ took—the same as me!
The market-girls an’ fishermen,
The shepherds an’ the sailors, too,
They ‘eard old songs turn up again,
But kep’ it quiet—same as you!
They knew ‘e stole; ‘e knew they knowed,
They didn’t tell, nor make a fuss,
But winked at ‘Omer down the road,
An’ ‘e winked back—the same as us!
