History of Poetry

History of Poetry
by victoria amabel, jedidah glory

From the Greek poesis, Poetry means ‘making’ or ‘creating’. In prehistoric poetry is used to tell stories and record special events that are happening. Poetry has been around for thousands of years, the oldest poem that is recorded is ‘Epic of Gilgamesh’, that was written around 300 B.C, on clay tablets.Other examples of early poems is ‘Mahabharata’ and the ‘Ramayana’ which has become an important narrative in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology throughout Asia. Even the poem written by William Shakespeare, is also included in the poetry’s history. When we talk about history, we can’t forget about sonnet. Sonnet is a fourteen line poem written in iambic pentameter.

Example :

Fairy Song

by William Shakespeare

Over hill, over dale,

Thorough bush, thorough brier,

Over park, over pale,

Thorough flood, thorough fire!

I do wander everywhere,

Swifter than the moon's sphere;

And I serve the Fairy Queen,

To dew her orbs upon the green;

The cowslips tall her pensioners be;

In their gold coats spots you see;

Those be rubies, fairy favours;

In those freckles live their savours;

I must go seek some dewdrops here,

And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear.

Analyze ( by Jedidiah Glory) :

This poem is an example of sonnet poem, because it consist of fourteen lines poem. To analyze poems, we need to find the elements in it. The probably easiest to analyze is the uses of figurative languages. There are many types of figurative language, but in this poem, there are only few, and it’s hyperbole (as seen in line 4&6), personification (as seen in line 14),  and simile (as seen in line 6). Why these three figure of speech? Example in line 4 “Thorough flood, thorough fire!” is hyperbole, because it’s exaggerated, on how the fairy is ready to go through anything! How can a little fairy go through flood and fire? And as for in line 6 “Swifter than the moon’s sphere”, it’s comparing 2 things. The second easiest elements to find is that this poem is rhyming! The form of the poem is an a-b-a-b-d-d-e-e poem! Maybe you don’t realize this, but try to read it again! You’ll find out that this poem is rhyming!! The third is the mood of this poem. The mood in this poem showed pleasure of helping others. What is the literary device in the poem? Simple! This poem used words that is repeating itself, such as ‘over’, and ‘thorough’. Sound devices in this poem is an iambic pentameter; ‘And hang/ a pearl /in e/very cow/slip's ear’. Iambic pentameter is a line of verse with 5 metrical feet, each consist of unstressed syllable that is followed by stressed syllable.

The writer’s trying to express that he will do anything for his loved ones, just like how this fairy will do anything to serve the fairy queen by spreading dew drops on flowers called cowlips. Cowlips is a type of flower that fairy usually spread dews on. The poem is all about a fairy serving a fairy queen. In reality, a lover serving a maiden.

Another example of a sonnet:

Sonet 116 by William Shakespeare

Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments. Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove. O no! it is an ever-fixed mark That looks on tempests and is never shaken; It is the star to every wand'ring bark, Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks Within his bending sickle's compass come; Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom. If this be error and upon me prov'd, I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd. Analysis (by Victoria Amabel) : Another sonnet creation by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets were published in 1609 and the poets that he wrote is focused on the nature of love and relationship.  The first four lines Shakespeare state his understanding about love. His point in the first four lines is that love will not change even when the person or the circumstances around them changes. Love will remain the same anytime and anywhere, love is an “it is an ever-fixed mark”. Unlike beauty, love is not effect by time, whereas beauty is bound to time. In line seven and eight claims that even when we felt that we could measure our love to someone at some point, we will never fully understand love because love is a beautiful mystery. The rest of the poetry which are line nine until line twelve, restate the perfect shape of love that is unshakable throughout the time “But bears it out even to the edge of doom”. Sonnet 116 also has fourteen lines because it is a sonnet and a rhyme scheme of A-B-A-b-C-D-C-D-E-F-E-F-G-G. Except line two and four , ten and twelve, thirteen and fourteen. We could also see that this poet uses a lot of metaphor from the first line till the last one. Metaphor is a figure of speech that that states that one thing is something else. As seen in line five Shakespeare , he stated ‘love is an ever-fixed mark’. Another poetic device used is alliteration in line one with the word me, marriage and mind. Assonance Is also used in line six and ten. As well as imagery, which is to describe something that could be seen, heard or touch for example in line nine ‘ rosy lips and cheeks’ Through this sonnet Shakespeare tries to tell readers the indestructible qualities of true love, a love that will never fail. It portray lovers who have come to each other freely, and enter into the relation which is based on trust and understanding.