Deba Prasad Misra
Dr Arunav Barua
(arunav_barua@yahoo.com)
Poetry has been as old as human language has, whether it be the spoken
word or the written; examples of poetry have been replete in all human language since ancient times. If we count the existence of human language as a medium of expression, the earliest examples may be found in our epics. Even there, whether it be the 'Bhagavad Gita' of Ancient India or even the 'Iliad' and the 'Odyssey' of Homer, we witness the fact that they were but poems, originally written in verse. This fact, perhaps, reflects upon the universal human truth that poetry has been with mankind as long as the 'word' has. Now, if we even consider the religions that originated throughout time in different parts of the globe, we will witness that it was in verse that all the writers or prophets, if we may use the word, expressed their deepest religious expressions. It may be conclusively surmised that poetry is as old as human expression is. The fact that the human clan felt the need to express themselves was inherent in all language. What began as storytelling soon developed into celebrations where communities would meet and sing; these songs, usually sung by firesides, soon developed into lore and then into folk songs that can only be classified as verse, in other words, poems! It is believed that poetry likely came about even before the advent of writing, predating literacy. It evolved from oral traditions to remember history, law, etc. Even the Vedas, especially the Rig Veda, the Sama Veda and the Atharva Veda, are considered examples of poetry containing hymns, prayers and poems in poetic form.
Examples of ancient poetry would be oral traditions like hunting poems and court songs. While Greece was grappling with the Iliad and the Odyssey, Rome gave us Virgil's Aeneid and, as aforementioned, India, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The English epics, Beowulf and Cynewulf, would fall under examples of mediaeval poetry. During this period Latin poetry continued in importance, particularly for religious or scholarly work. Ballads and Romances emerged.
Renaissance poetry marked a definite shift towards individualism, with poets exploring themes like beauty, love and nature. William Shakespeare and Edmund Spenser are notable examples of Renaissance poets. The Enlightenment led to a shift in poetic dimensions, influencing poetry to focus on social and political themes. Concurrently, the Romantic era was a very important phase that was marked by emotion, imagination and the beauty of nature. Important Romantic poets were Wordsworth, Lord Byron, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Keats and P.B. Shelley. Wordsworth's Lucy Poems contain verses that incite romanticism, such as the following:
"A violet by a mossy stone,
Half-hidden from the eye,
Fair as a star when only one
Is shining in the sky."
With Wordsworth's grief for his Lucy, we are introduced to the era which marked openness in romantic expressions.
With the Victorian era of poetry immediately following the Romantic, this era was marked by significant social, cultural and technological changes. Poets now explored the complexities of Victorian society and individualism. One famous extract from Tennyson's 'The Charge of the Light Brigade ';
"Theirs not to make reply
Theirs not to reason why
Theirs but to do and die."
This glorification of the ideal human, based on a true event that transpired during the Crimean War of 1854, marked a significant change in the Victorian era.
The element of modern and postmodern poetry was characterised by the word 'experimentation'. This experimentation was done with form, language and subject matter. The modern era saw the rise of free verse.
"Oh, the East is East and the West is West,
And never the twain shall meet!"
Rudyard Kipling's 'Ballad of East and West' is perhaps the best example of what this poet is attempting here. Can the history of poetry be complete without a parallel look at the history of poetry in the East, for great poets and luminaries worthy of mention have graced this land, the land of the East, India?
Dating back to ancient times, as old as 1500 BC, as some historians agree, Indian poetry, or the poetry of the East, precedes most cultures and lands. As already mentioned, the Vedas were composed in hymns and verse. The epic poems 'The Ramayana' and 'The Mahabharata' flourished all over the land in slightly altered versions and translated editions.
The Mediaeval period, from the 12th to the 18th century, saw the emergence of various poetic traditions, including Bhakti and Sufi, which saw the emergence of stalwarts like Kabir, Kalidasa, Tulsidas and someone closer home, a poet-saint we know by the name Sankadeva, and many others I have failed to mention. The languages they wrote in include Pali, Hindi, Bengali, Punjabi, Urdu, and even Persian. They mostly wrote odes to God, and their relation with the divine was exemplified.
With the arrival of the British in the 18th century, Indian society began to imbibe Western influences, leading to the advent of modern Indian poetry. Poets like Sarojini Naidu, Rabindranath Tagore and A.K. Ramanujan have contributed to this tradition, writing in languages like English, Bengali and Hindi. Indian poetry is known for its rich symbolism, imagery and metaphor. Poets often write on the human condition, exemplifying man's search for meaning in a difficult society. Names like Tagore, Ghalib and Kabir are renowned throughout the world and need no introduction to any lover of poetry.
I take this opportunity to quote a few lines from each of these immortal poets:
From Tagore's Gitanjali:
"Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high,
Where knowledge is free,
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments,
By narrow domestic walls."
From Kabir's Doha:
"Dukh mein Sumiran sab kare,
Sukh mein kare na koi,
Jo sukh mein sumiran kare,
Toh dukh kahe na koi."
From Ghalib's Ghazal:
"Hazaron Khwaishe Aisi,
Ke Har Khwaish Pe Dum Nikle,
Bahut nikle mere armaan,
Lekin phir bhi kam nikle."
As we near the end of this discourse, I want to state some truths about why poetry is of epochal value. Poetry is the deepest expression that mankind has uttered on this planet. Poetry is a cry for help; poetry is a shout or a 'hurrah!' ...of celebration; poetry is the hidden tears that we cry when we fail to lament over our deepest losses and our greatest longings. Poetry is that smile of joy which we witness upon a newborn's face. Poetry is the expression of the gods, of everything humane and everything that is worth putting on that paper in front of you. There is no good poetry and bad poetry, because poetry just is, and in its being it is an expression of you. I would encourage you to try this eternal art and express yourself without questioning yourself, because the best expressions are the ones written from a true heart, from the depths of your very soul.