Anthology: Is Poetry Important?, & Poems by Emily Dickinson, Shakespeare, Virgil, R. S. Thomas – Human Voices Wake Us
An episode from 1/1/22: What can we say when we’re told that poetry no longer matters, especially when it’s another poet who says it? The first eleven minutes of this episode are my best defense for what poetry is and can be, while the rest offers and handful of poems which suggest that poetry is as powerful as it ever was. My answer at least would be: live with and become enthralled with the poetry that has lasted the longest, and celebrate those contemporary poems that have the same spirit. The rest is not our business.
The poems are:
- “Affinity,” by R. S. Thomas (1913-2000)
- #1142, by Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)
- Sonnet #27, by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
- from The Aeneid, Book 6, by Virgil (70 BC – 19 BC) (translated by Allen Mandelbaum)
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Poetry is a synonym for being human. So is that critic saying compassion, kindness and awareness are unimportant? That being connected to the most basic reason s we are alive are unimportant? What happened to his humanity?
I can’t speak for the critic, but my guess is that their picture of poetry is something meant for only a few people to write, & only a few to enjoy. It can still be about compassion & kindness, but just for maybe five or so people, since the assumption also seems to be that everybody else is on Twitter anyway, & there’s no changing that. This is pretty limiting outlook to me, too!