A poet no less for that. A fine poet. Not as interesting say as Derek Walcott is in Omeros. Which attempts to voice suffering in a broader more historical sense. But that is another story.
Words can change things.
Words by a poet read in isolation can be taken as the rallying call for a generation. No passeron' that famous great slogan of the Spanish Civil War. George Orwell fought in the Spanish Civil War. Good that he did for lots of reasons. He can tell us one part of what happened.