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Mankind's Story Is Told In Poems Of Emotion

By Harriett Crosby


Emotion underlies all poetry, and there are poems of emotion about almost every major event in human history. From origin stories to tales of great victories and idealized accounts of love and bravery, every human race seems compelled to celebrate and define themselves in song, story, and pictures. Poetry takes elements from all these forms of expression and elevates them to another art form.

Religions of the world have given us great poetry. From the Bible to Greek mythology, man's relation to the divine has been a part of his culture. The biblical Song of Moses, the Song of Solomon, and the psalms of David speak of awe, thanksgiving, petition, and praise for the God of Israel. Mythology told stories of the gods and their influence on and interaction with mankind.

Our literary heritage contains epic poems that were first delivered orally and later recorded. Undoubtedly many more existed but have been lost. Scholars are still trying to record ancient oral traditions from scattered races and tribes. The emotional content and people's connection to their past gives these tales great impact and meaning.

Poetry has an impact on those who hear or read it. Most of us know a few lines of poetry even if we are indifferent to it. 'No man is an island' needs no explanation. Neither does 'A rose by any other name...'. Hamlet's famous musing 'To be or not to be' is heard from center stage to the schoolyard everywhere English is spoken.

This is one reason that poetry is so educational. It helps us remember great events, like Paul Revere's ride to warn the American colonists of the British advance. 'One if by land or two if by sea' rings in our ears long after the dates of the event have faded from our memories. We relate to stirring events when our emotions are stirred by the skillful phrasing of a poet.

Love poems have special significance because almost everyone has his or her own love story. Poets have always known that new love, tragically unrequited love, enduring love, and even love between man and his best friend the dog make popular subjects. The best poetry brings love alive to its readers in a way that they may never have seen it before. The perfect expression of emotion is one of the poet's highest gifts to mankind.

For most of human history, man had leisure hours (maybe only because it was too dark or too inclement to work) and poetry helped to pass the time around the fire or on long journeys. Today much of that down time is occupied by television or the internet. Poetry is still being read and written, however, and hopefully it always will be. We need this affirmation and exposition of our emotional nature to be complete.

Human feelings give rise to poems of emotion, which in turn help people express and understand those feelings. Poetry stirs the heart, fires the imagination, and broadens the mind. It is an art form that requires inspiration, skill, and discipline, and the best examples of it attain immortality.




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