What is Poetry?

Poetry is not merely the opposite of prose. Sheer arrangement of words in an order or maintaining a particular number of lines for a specific lenght is not poetry.  It is not even expression of thoughts or feelings by observing some rules by reason of which a pictorial appearance is brought out or similar sounds are produced.  No doubt poetry presupposes selection of words and arranging them in an order to produce sounds that are sweet to hear.  So also maintaining a definite number of feet for each line with accented and unaccented syllables that are capable of proceeding at a regular beat.  It may contain rhyme.  The rhyme may be internal rhyme or end rhyme or both.  But is it enough to call something as poetry that possesses the aforesaid characteristics?  Certainly not.  Then what is poetry?  Primarily poetry is an intense feeling expressed in a rhythmic manner.  Rhythm brings out music.  Music will be sweet and pleasant.

            Poetry moves, inspires and elevates the spirits in man.  It activates the mind and animates the slumbering thoughts.  In such a state imagination becomes highly logical and vibrates the heart.  It shakes, thrills and excites the entire organism.  Poetry, in fact is the bliss of thought and the song of the heart. We may say that what is sweet to the ear and pleasant to the heart is poetry.

Dr. Karl G. Jung, a great psychologist has crisply said, “A poem is a dream audible”.  If a dream is a bundle of wishes, desires and longings fulfilled in sleep, then a poem is a fulfilment of such wishes, desires and longings in wakeful state. Thought expanding itself in imagination and manifesting itself in a concrete form, namely, dream is emphasised by Dr. Jung.

Shakespeare has his own views on poetry.  He expresses his views most typically through poetry itself. According to him a poet, a lover and a lunatic are basically equal in their imagination.  In his own words:

The lunatic, the lover and the poet
Are of imagination all compact
The poet's eye, in a fine frenzy rolling,
Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven.
And as imagination bodies forth,
The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen
Turns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothing.
A local habitation and a name.

Though Shakespeare has said this in a particular context, one aspect is clear that poetry comes out of high imagination in different ways but in many other poets expressed their views on poetry essence they convey the same meaning.  William Wordsworth's view on poetry is well known.  Wordsworth says, “Poetry is the spontanious outflow of powerful feelings, it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility”. The poet, Shelley, observes, “A poet is a nightingale who sits in darkness and sings to cheer its own solitude with sweet sounds”.  An equally beautiful expression of his on poetry is : “Our sweetest songs are those that tell our saddest thought”.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a contemporary of William Wordsworth, distinguishes prose from poetry and tells as follows :

“Prose, words in their best order,
Poetry, the best words in the best order”

But the angle in which John Keats views poetry is somewhat different. In his words, “If poetry comes not as naturally as leaves to a tree it had better not come at all”. That is to say that spontainiety and naturalness are the essential characteristics of poetry. Poetry is essentially an expression of thought which is natural, sweet and beautiful.  If prose appeals to the mind, poetry appeals to the heart. Perhaps that is the reason why deeds of great men are often set to song and are sung. Poetry has definitely a greater impact than prose on the mind of man. The musical element in poetry captivates the mind and sublimates the thought. The poetic thought coupled with music leads to ecstasy of the past. Recollection of the moments of ecstacy produces the same effect. That is the reason why Keats says that ‘a thing of beauty is a joy for ever’.

Poetry possesses two more qualities.  First, it is fit to be sung and enjoyed.  Second, it relieves the burden of the mind.  The poet who expreses his feelings through poetry feels as if he is relieved from a prison of thoughts hanging heavily in his mind. The heart that the has been burning all the time feels its pain removed. The intense feelings of happiness or sorrow find their way out through poetry.  The stormy mind becomes calm. The poet sings out again and again till all the heaviness of heart disappears.  In fact the entire burden of thought is shifted to the poem and the poet feels happy.  Beethoven, the great symphonist adds another dimension to the element of music in poetry. He says, “Music becomes a higher revelation than philosophy”.

Poetry is a powerful media to convey one’s views or message to the external world.  Above all, all things said in the form of poetry can be easily remembered. Poetry can be used as a powerful weapon to change the minds of people from one direction to another.

Poetry is a song melodiously sung in concordance with the universal song of man.  Lastly it can be said that what that moves the heart is truth.  Poetry moves the heart.  Hence poetry is truth. Truth is beauty. That is why Keats sings,

“Truth is beauty, beauty is truth,
That is all ye know on earth
And all ye need to know”.

Is it not a great revelation?
Is it not the highest of all philosophy?