What does "saving the poet’s own soul" mean?

Question:You'd have to ask the poet, really. The only place online that I found that was in an interview with Seamus Heaney. Here, I *think* it means that, at times, the poet wasn't allowed to write what was in his heart, but had to act as a sort of diplomat or historian. A politician, maybe. But not an artist. When a poet isn't permitted to be an artist and speak freely, his soul needs saving. Just guessing.

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The role of the poet was similarly affected by history, he claimed. When the struggle for independence was at its height, “the only role available to the poet -- and forced on the poet in a way -- was the bardic role of being a representative of the nation, the culture,” said Heaney, citing Yeats and Palamas as parallels. And he contrasted that to the notion of “saving the poet’s own soul.”
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Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: You'd have to ask the poet, really. The only place online that I found that was in an interview with Seamus Heaney. Here, I *think* it means that, at times, the poet wasn't allowed to write what was in his heart, but had to act as a sort of diplomat or historian. A politician, maybe. But not an artist. When a poet isn't permitted to be an artist and speak freely, his soul needs saving. Just guessing.

QUOTE
The role of the poet was similarly affected by history, he claimed. When the struggle for independence was at its height, “the only role available to the poet -- and forced on the poet in a way -- was the bardic role of being a representative of the nation, the culture,” said Heaney, citing Yeats and Palamas as parallels. And he contrasted that to the notion of “saving the poet’s own soul.”
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