What is Poetry?
Though many have tried to define poetry, no one has come to a satisfactory definition of it. Poetry seems to have cunningly escape all attempts to describe it. Yet as humans we have a pet-peeve of defining everything. So, the best we can do is to point out the beauty and some essential characteristics of poetry..

Let's try to understand the connection between poetry and verse.

VERSE is a form of poetry, poets generally ( NOT ALWAYS! ) write their poems in verse-form. But there are lot of verse written which is not poetry. You can see it this way, verse is the body, and the poetry is the soul ; and body without a soul is just as lifeless as a teens' social skills.

Verse is usually printed is a systematic way, so that you can tell it from prose at one glance. But it's the ear not the eye which holds the truth this time, because there is more to this than meets the eye.

Let's give you some examples:

  1. " The untrodden snow lay all bloodless on Linden, when the sun was low ; and the flow of Iser, rolling rapidly, was dark as winter"

  2. "On Linden, when the sun was low/ All bloodless lay the untodden snow ; / And dark as winter was the flow/ Of Iser, rolling rapidly."

The two passages are exactly the same in meaning, heck they even have the same words. But when read aloud you realise how different they sound. Num 2 contains the first four lines of Campbell's poem called "Hohenlinden" whereas Num 1 contains the same lines but differently arranged.

Poems have a special essence to it which is hard to find in a verse, but you know what? Arranging words in such a manner that it appeals to your heart is for sure an art, an art which the poets have mastered.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep/ but I have promises to keep/ and miles to go before I sleep. - Robert Frost

Peace

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Profile of Riya
Riya   •  4y  •  Reply
A different but important topic! :D