Respuesta :
A poet could not but be gay" ---> "the poet couldn't help but feel happy or overjoyed"
"gay" back then was used to mean "happy" and didn't really refer to homosexuality
"gay" back then was used to mean "happy" and didn't really refer to homosexuality
Answer: A poet could not but be gay. It means that a poet could not avoid being gay.
Explanation: Gay means happy.