WORLD POETRY DAY
March, 21st
JOHN D.K FATORMA.
Poetry by its nature is a natural feeling that comes within the soul. It’s that genre of literature that portrays the custom, beliefs, emotions, nostalgia, and socio-cultural values of people with beautiful language, sound, rhythm, imagery, and verse; with a blend of unique techniques, and themes that aptly reflect the mood of the poet.
Poetry broadens a writer’s creative thinking with extraordinary emotions of the soul that swiftly draws the attention of the reader to meticulously understand the central message of the persona, analyze every diction, line, and stanza as a mirror reflecting society.
The Greek classical writer, Aristotle puts it this way: “Poetry is a kind of imitation that employs language, rhythm, and harmony.”
Though poetry is often pictured as a mixture of feelings that is adroitly expressed in a beautiful language with its style and structure, and further invokes nature inevitably, however, different English poets for over centuries ago described poetry in different forms. Some definitions put forward by these writers revolves around the nature, functions, and qualifications of a good poet in the preface.
The English Romantic poet, William Wordsworth in “Preface to Lyrical Ballad” (1802) paints it as “Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling, it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility”. Edward Estlin Cummings' “A Poet’s Advice to Students” (1955) says: “A poet is somebody who feels, and who expresses his feelings through words”. For Earle Birney in “The Cow Jumped over the Moon” (1972), “A poem is an art object, something begun in personal”. Seamus Heaney furthered paints it this way in “Feeling into words” (1974): “Poetry as divination; poetry as the revelation of the self to the self, as restoration of the culture to itself” and for T.S Eliot, “Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality. But, of course, only those who have personality and emotions know what it means to want to escape from these things". For Salvatore Quasimodo, “Poetry is the revelation of a feeling that the poet believes to be interior and personal which the reader recognizes as his own.”
Emily Dickson, writer of approximately one thousand and eight hundred (1,800) poems defines poetry this way: “If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire ever can warm me I know that is poetry. If I feel physical as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry. These are the only way I know it. Is there any other way?” Interestingly, Robert Frost (1964) encapsulates the definition of poetry this way: “Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.”
In the continent of Africa, some distinct poets have immensely popularized poetry in their community and also gave meaningful definitions about it. One among these great writers is Professor Wole Soyinka who states: “The progression of linked allusions towards an elucidation of the experience of reality is the language of all poets”.
In all the definitions for poetry by different writers and poets, what comes out sign is that poetry is a natural feeling that comes from the soul and it’s a powerful literary tool that reverences culture to sustain oral tradition.
Imperatively, poetry comes to life when it is read aloud with aesthetic intonation and mesmerizing body cues which beautifully captures the inalienable attention of the listeners as spoken word, like music that flavors its lyrics with bass and sound. But without imagery to engage the intellect of the readers or viewers with an adroit combination of metaphor, personification, simile, alliteration, assonance, allusion, irony and other figurative languages, the poet’s tone can sound prosaic and will complicate the artistic overflow and dexterity of the performer and reciprocate boring energy from the audience.
Poetry for far too long has played a crucial part in the development of oral tradition and linguistic diversity. Therefore, poetry should not be considered as an outdated form of art, but an artistic work that enables society to regain and maintain its identity.
On that note, The World Poetry Day was established by the United Nations through United Nation, Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on the 21st March 1999 in Paris during its 30th session to honor poets and recognize its role in upkeep the socio-cultural values in every part of the World. So, as we celebrate another World Poetry Day today, 21st March 2021 “Let poetry rise and be free” to regain its immense appreciation as it has been since the creation of man.
John D.K Fatorma
A SierraLeonean Poet.
©jdkf
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