What is poetry? This is a challenging question. Poets of every generation offer different perspectives about poetry. Some poets directly state their concept of poetry. For others, you need to realize their definition of poetry by yourself. Prepare a section in your poetry journal and regularly update your definition of poetry each time you discover a new perspective. Observe how your concept of poetry gradually develops as you gain greater understanding of the world and of poetry.
Poet |
Perspective of Poetry |
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) |
A Midsummer Night’s Dream: As imagination bodies forth / The forms of things unknown, the poet’s pen / Turns them to shape and gives to airy nothing / A local habitation and a name |
William Blake
(1757-1827)
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One power alone makes a poet: Imagination, divine vision. |
William Wordsworth (1770-1850)
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Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings. |
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John Keats (1795-1821) |
Ode on a Grecian Urn: “Beauty is truth, truth beauty,” that is all / Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. |
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Wallace Stevens (1879-1955) |
Of Modern Poetry: It has to be living, to learn the speech of the place… / It has to construct a new stage… / Sounds passing through sudden rightnesses, wholly / Containing the mind. |
William Carlos Williams (1883-1963)
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Poetry presents ideas only through things. |
Ezra Pound (1885-1972)
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Make it new! |
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Marianne Moore (1887-1972) |
Poetry: …the poets among us can be / literalists of the imagination… / and can present for inspection “imaginary gardens with real toads in them” |
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Archibald MacLeish (1892-1982) |
Ars Poetica: A poem should be palpable and mute…/ A poem should not mean / but be. |
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Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) |
In my craft or sullen art / Exercised in the still night / When only the moon rages / And the lovers lie abed / With all their griefs in their arms… / I write but for the lovers… |
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Czeslaw Milosz (1911-2004) |
A Poetic State: “… I have entered a permanent poetic state… Every minute the world astonishes me” |
John Ashberry
(1927-)
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Paradoxes: The poem is concerned with language on a very plain level… / … the poem has set me softly down beside you. The poem is you. |
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Anne Stevenson (1933-) |
Making Poetry: You have to inhabit poetry if you want to make it… / to wear words… / to be and to become words’ passing weather… |
Your Definition of Poetry
What is your own concept of poetry? Each poem that you write redefines your poetic values. Consider the following samples. Keep notes in your poetry journal and see how your ideas evolve over the years.
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Date |
What is poetry to me? |
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October 2002 |
To be alive in words |
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August 2003 |
Poetry silences the rest of the world |
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December 2004 |
Poetry evolves like a beautiful species |
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Holding on to a single definition of poetry is very difficult. In conclusion, consider this poem from my book, Fire Dreams, and see if you agree.
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Defiance of Poetry To define poetry is futile
For its very nature is to leap beyond
The grasp of what it is supposed to be Poetry evolves like a beautiful species Changing more quickly than reason can subject to law Poetry defies its definition Expanding limits
Or returning to rules at will to prove a point Each poem, like a true wilderness explorer Seeks a deeply hypnotic moment to itself To fashion new language in unknown colours Like a flower seeking to remain Untrampled by name |