Abstract: The poetry of Machado de Assis is usually seen as a secondary part of his work, the privileged portion of which continues to be his prose. In this essay it is argued that Machado de Assis’ poetry has been underestimated and that it needs an urgent critical reappraisal. It is also the author’s contention that Machado de Assis’ procedures regarding the tradition of poetry may enlighten his procedures in the realm of prose. In both cases, Machado was an author deeply concerned with a critical appropriation of tradition.