For Aristotle the poet is at the same time an imitator and a creator. Discuss?

For Aristotle as well as most classical writers, mimesis
was a central concept, meaning "to copy" or "to imitate."  The Classicists saw the world
as a reflection.  While Plato disapproved of poets because they imitated the imitation
(the ideal world and the physical world) and further corrupted reality, Aristotle saw
the poets as providing a valuable imitation because they could make works that provided
pleasure, such as a great poem (the Iliad and the Odyssey) or a wonderful drama.  So to
Ari the poet starts by imitating, but produces interest and pleasure by creating great
characters and story lines (as in Oedipus).