Appreciation of poetry

Appreciation of poetry

Appreciation of Poetry
“Art is perfect only when it looks like nature and again nature hits the mark only when she conceals the art that is within her.”
Longinus
A poem is best read in the light of all other poems ever written. Progress is not the aim but circulation. The thing is to get among the poems where they hold each other apart in their places as stars do. When we talk of a work of literature or art (poetry included) what we say depends in large measure on certain conscious/unconscious assumptions that we make. The best way to appreciate any poem is to build up on those emotions.
‘ De gustibus nonestdisputandum’. There is no disputing taste and thus every person’s opinion may differ. They are almost distracting in their variety because they can be approached from many different points of view. Concurring with Aristotle’s viewpoint, poetry is individual and the raison d’être of its study is to understand through empathy. Prejudices and hatred sully its true essence. A poem contains the same elements as a prose composition; the difference therefore must consist in a different combination of them. It is possible, that, the object may be merely to facilitate the recollection of any given facts or observations by artificial arrangements.
“Thirty days hath September
April, June and November.”
Poetry is a particular kind of art; that it arises only when the poetic qualities of imagination and feelings are embodied in a certain form of expression, namely ‘metre’. It must be one the parts of which must support and explain each other; all in their proportion harmonizing with and supporting the purpose and known influences of metrical arrangement. A good reader must be able to analyze the metre and the satisfaction yielded to the senses by it. He must understand that metre is a part of its perfection. In his zest...

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