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The Prospect of Contemporary Poetry

From ancient Greece to modern times, the poets have always been associated with having divine inspirations and were held in high esteem. Have a look at poetic tradition of any culture, you will be amazed with what the poets have been able to produce.

June 19, 2021 | Mir Imtiyaz Aafreen

Poetry is the rhythmic expression of thoughts and feelings through the medium of language. Great poets from diverse cultures, having an outstanding command on language, gave an artistic expression to human thoughts and feelings through their eternal lines. A poet is the mirror of his age, he not only represents it but also strives to reform it. Though a poet usually responds to his personal perceptions but at the same time he cannot remain unaffected by his socio-cultural background. There is something mysterious about the poets, they find themselves in a strange ecstasy when they write. Sometimes they cannot believe what is in front of them is actually their own composition and they associate their works to divine interventions. Ghalib one of the greatest poets of all times remarks,

"These thoughts that I commit to words come straight from the unknown.
The susurrus that my quill doth make is in fact the angel who spake."
(Trans. by T P Issar)
From ancient Greece to modern times, the poets have always been associated with having divine inspirations and were held in high esteem. Have a look at poetic tradition of any culture, you will be amazed with what the poets have been able to produce. The world classics like Iliad and Odyssey, Oedipus Rex, Divine Comedy, Shakespearean tragedies, Paradise Lost, The Wasteland, Mathnavi of Rumi etc. are the finest pieces of literature that still baffle the human mind with their class. The great poets like Homer, Sophocles, Shakespeare, Milton, Wordsworth, Keats, Eliot, Rumi, Hafiz, Saadi, Ghalib, Iqbal, and Faiz are all important links in this golden chain of great poets. They have set the values that seem quite impossible to surpass and it is a Herculean task to get closer to their artistic magnificence. They composed poetry of the highest quality and addressed the problems of the living.
Centuries have passed but human souls are still moved and inspired by their works. Nizami rightly points out, " Under the poet's tongue lies the key of the treasury. "
The poet's tongue is fascinating and full of wisdom and at the same time it is as sharp as a sword in calling a spade a spade. A poet's job is not only to mirror his age but also to clear its follies. The poets in almost all leading cultures enjoyed a prestige that even nobles envied. The poets in all ages maintained high standards of versification and thus earned a great respect and reverence.
However lately it has been observed that the standard of great poetry is sharply heading towards decline and the new generation due to some reasons has not been able to carry forward the legacy of great poetry. The society no longer respects and patronizes the poets as it used to do in the past. Moreover, materialism and objectification of man have marred and killed the emotional and aesthetic aspect of man to such an extent that he has lost the power of appreciation of truth and beauty which is essential for creating the poetry of the highest order. Thus, it is not surprising that today we see a huge number of literary critics but rarely find a poetic genius who is able to establish his place in the galaxy of the great poets. One gets a feeling that what was to be said has already been put forth so beautifully by the great poets and there is nothing left today except imitations and repetitions. Literary critics earn their bread and butter by analyzing the works of great writers but they themselves lack the basic creative talents as a result academic activity have got reduced to artificial verbalism. Now it is considered a great literary service when some scholar is able to build a castle of words around some fine work of art, originality and creativity have long since been abandoned. The classical writers firstly formulated the rules of versification and then proved their mettle by putting them in practice. Most of the poets of today have not been able to continue the tradition, the recent liberal trends in poetry can be taken as a perfect example. Post-modernism broke all the boundaries and liberated art from formal structures and a strict adherence to the rules was not considered necessary. Thus, all kinds of people finding the field open jumped the gun and put all kinds of stuff together. Today in each and every street, no matter whether it's a city, town or a village, you find an infinite number of poets participating in offline and online Mushayiras but devoid of spontaneity and wisdom. A recent survey has come up with an observation that poetry is a dying art and there has been a considerable decline in poetry readership. There can be many reasons behind this like the lack of spontanety and ingenuity.
According to Wordsworth, " Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility."
Keats says, “If poetry comes not as naturally as the leaves to a tree it had better not come at all.” According to him, poetry should not be used to unravel philosophical intricacies, but it should be used for the incarnation of beauty. It should be aimed at providing the both, aesthetic delight as well as enlightenment. Edgar Allan Poe rightly says that poetry is the name of the creation of beauty because it is beauty that charges up hearts of men and adds sweetness to our stressful lives. According to Shelley, a poet is like a nightingale that sings in the dark corner of loneliness to delight itself with sweet melodies. Loneliness is a great asset of the poet as it enables him to ponder over things and as a result he comes up with the words of wisdom. Mostly a poet describes his subjective experiences in his poetry and responding to this some people raise questions regarding its relevance to general human condition. We must always remember that all of us in one way or the other are players on the stage of life, we as human individuals have common emotions, concerns and predicaments. Thus, nothing is personal or subjective in poetry, the voice of the poet becomes the voice of the reader. A genuine poet cannot not lose his mind in futile pursuits but always stands up for upholding the truth.
A poet cannot shirk away from social responsibilities. While celebrating the bright side of life in poetry, the dark side cannot be brushed under the carpet. At times the poetry of ecstasy should turn into the poetry of protest to voice the problems of the exploited classes of the human society. Poets should also speak up for freedom, democracy and human rights in the parts of the world where there is oppression, lawlessness and exploitation. As Allama Iqbal points out,
"Poetry for me is not mere singing but a pleasant subterfuge
To drive back the unbridled dromedary into the ranks."
Thus poetry should not just end in delight but it should also perform as a guide and lead the mankind towards perfection.


Email:--imtiyazaafreen@gmail.com

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The Prospect of Contemporary Poetry

From ancient Greece to modern times, the poets have always been associated with having divine inspirations and were held in high esteem. Have a look at poetic tradition of any culture, you will be amazed with what the poets have been able to produce.

June 19, 2021 | Mir Imtiyaz Aafreen

Poetry is the rhythmic expression of thoughts and feelings through the medium of language. Great poets from diverse cultures, having an outstanding command on language, gave an artistic expression to human thoughts and feelings through their eternal lines. A poet is the mirror of his age, he not only represents it but also strives to reform it. Though a poet usually responds to his personal perceptions but at the same time he cannot remain unaffected by his socio-cultural background. There is something mysterious about the poets, they find themselves in a strange ecstasy when they write. Sometimes they cannot believe what is in front of them is actually their own composition and they associate their works to divine interventions. Ghalib one of the greatest poets of all times remarks,

"These thoughts that I commit to words come straight from the unknown.
The susurrus that my quill doth make is in fact the angel who spake."
(Trans. by T P Issar)
From ancient Greece to modern times, the poets have always been associated with having divine inspirations and were held in high esteem. Have a look at poetic tradition of any culture, you will be amazed with what the poets have been able to produce. The world classics like Iliad and Odyssey, Oedipus Rex, Divine Comedy, Shakespearean tragedies, Paradise Lost, The Wasteland, Mathnavi of Rumi etc. are the finest pieces of literature that still baffle the human mind with their class. The great poets like Homer, Sophocles, Shakespeare, Milton, Wordsworth, Keats, Eliot, Rumi, Hafiz, Saadi, Ghalib, Iqbal, and Faiz are all important links in this golden chain of great poets. They have set the values that seem quite impossible to surpass and it is a Herculean task to get closer to their artistic magnificence. They composed poetry of the highest quality and addressed the problems of the living.
Centuries have passed but human souls are still moved and inspired by their works. Nizami rightly points out, " Under the poet's tongue lies the key of the treasury. "
The poet's tongue is fascinating and full of wisdom and at the same time it is as sharp as a sword in calling a spade a spade. A poet's job is not only to mirror his age but also to clear its follies. The poets in almost all leading cultures enjoyed a prestige that even nobles envied. The poets in all ages maintained high standards of versification and thus earned a great respect and reverence.
However lately it has been observed that the standard of great poetry is sharply heading towards decline and the new generation due to some reasons has not been able to carry forward the legacy of great poetry. The society no longer respects and patronizes the poets as it used to do in the past. Moreover, materialism and objectification of man have marred and killed the emotional and aesthetic aspect of man to such an extent that he has lost the power of appreciation of truth and beauty which is essential for creating the poetry of the highest order. Thus, it is not surprising that today we see a huge number of literary critics but rarely find a poetic genius who is able to establish his place in the galaxy of the great poets. One gets a feeling that what was to be said has already been put forth so beautifully by the great poets and there is nothing left today except imitations and repetitions. Literary critics earn their bread and butter by analyzing the works of great writers but they themselves lack the basic creative talents as a result academic activity have got reduced to artificial verbalism. Now it is considered a great literary service when some scholar is able to build a castle of words around some fine work of art, originality and creativity have long since been abandoned. The classical writers firstly formulated the rules of versification and then proved their mettle by putting them in practice. Most of the poets of today have not been able to continue the tradition, the recent liberal trends in poetry can be taken as a perfect example. Post-modernism broke all the boundaries and liberated art from formal structures and a strict adherence to the rules was not considered necessary. Thus, all kinds of people finding the field open jumped the gun and put all kinds of stuff together. Today in each and every street, no matter whether it's a city, town or a village, you find an infinite number of poets participating in offline and online Mushayiras but devoid of spontaneity and wisdom. A recent survey has come up with an observation that poetry is a dying art and there has been a considerable decline in poetry readership. There can be many reasons behind this like the lack of spontanety and ingenuity.
According to Wordsworth, " Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility."
Keats says, “If poetry comes not as naturally as the leaves to a tree it had better not come at all.” According to him, poetry should not be used to unravel philosophical intricacies, but it should be used for the incarnation of beauty. It should be aimed at providing the both, aesthetic delight as well as enlightenment. Edgar Allan Poe rightly says that poetry is the name of the creation of beauty because it is beauty that charges up hearts of men and adds sweetness to our stressful lives. According to Shelley, a poet is like a nightingale that sings in the dark corner of loneliness to delight itself with sweet melodies. Loneliness is a great asset of the poet as it enables him to ponder over things and as a result he comes up with the words of wisdom. Mostly a poet describes his subjective experiences in his poetry and responding to this some people raise questions regarding its relevance to general human condition. We must always remember that all of us in one way or the other are players on the stage of life, we as human individuals have common emotions, concerns and predicaments. Thus, nothing is personal or subjective in poetry, the voice of the poet becomes the voice of the reader. A genuine poet cannot not lose his mind in futile pursuits but always stands up for upholding the truth.
A poet cannot shirk away from social responsibilities. While celebrating the bright side of life in poetry, the dark side cannot be brushed under the carpet. At times the poetry of ecstasy should turn into the poetry of protest to voice the problems of the exploited classes of the human society. Poets should also speak up for freedom, democracy and human rights in the parts of the world where there is oppression, lawlessness and exploitation. As Allama Iqbal points out,
"Poetry for me is not mere singing but a pleasant subterfuge
To drive back the unbridled dromedary into the ranks."
Thus poetry should not just end in delight but it should also perform as a guide and lead the mankind towards perfection.


Email:--imtiyazaafreen@gmail.com


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