“Making order out of chaos.” Possibly said by every poet who describes poetry.
Language, in general, is characterized as being infinite. We can come up with countless ways to express ourselves using existing words and even make new ones. Poetry, to my mind, is the most challenging use of language. Having a myriad of words, the choice of the right one is crucial. Here it seems appropriate to quote Mark Twain: “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter – ’tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning.” The infinity becomes limited and eventually as tiny as one word or syllable, which carries that necessary and right connotation to convey so much and be so precise at the same time. It creates a certain mood, a sentiment, makes you slow down and sense the beauty of language.
On World Poetry Day, it is my duty to mention (again! this fact can never deserve too little attention) the first-ever poet – a woman named Enheduanna who lived in Mesopotamia (today Iraq) in about 2285-2250 BCE who wrote 42 hymns to the goddess Inanna. She was the first to write down her creative thoughts and personally identified herself. Enheduanna might have been quite privileged to do what she did and create what she created; she was, after all, the Mesopotamian priestess and the daughter of Sargon of Akkad, the first ruler of the Semitic-speaking Akkadian Empire. Nevertheless, it does not change the fact that her writings were a creative and poetic expression. Written language was already invented in Sumer, southern Mesopotamia, in her days.
Another poet necessary to mention also happens to be a woman. Saudi Arabian Hissa Hilal is the first woman to reach the finals of the biggest television contest in the Arab world called Million’s Poet with its 75 million viewers. Two German film directors have made a documentary, The Poetess, about this brave woman, the competition, and poetry as a tool to criticize society and extremism.
I use and encourage others to use poetry to practice a foreign language. Normally, I compare the original text with a translation, which may be less overwhelming than doing the same with reading prose (stories, articles). Sometimes, I dare to do a translation of my own. This way, I curiously test the knowledge of my native language. My last attempt was a collection of sentimental poems by Arseny Tarkovsky, already translated from Russian to English. After having done some serious work racking my brain to choose the word that rhymes, sounds and is relevant and appropriate, finally my messy scribble transformed into an interesting version of a poem. A blissful moment.
lyrics of a favorite rap or rock song can be a good start to try to translate it to your native or any other language you know. I am almost sure this would lead to some new experiences and understanding of the song next time you hear it.
“I wish our clever young poets would remember my definitions of prose and poetry; that is prose: words in their best order; – poetry: the best words in the best order.” Samuel Taylor Coleridge
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