What is poetry?
Poetry, also known as verse, is a type of literature that utilises sound and images to express ideas and feelings. There are various types of poetry, from haikus, limericks, riddles, sonnets and so on. The earliest form of poetry was called epic poems, and it dates backs to hundreds of centuries. Poems can paint a picture in our minds or make us feel a certain way. It was originally recited, or spoken aloud to an audience.
- One of the most popular forms of writing short poems is the haiku. “Haiku” is a traditional form of Japanese poetry. Haiku poems consist of three lines. The first and last lines of a Haiku have five syllables and the middle line has seven syllables. The lines rarely rhyme.
- Mahabharata is the longest poem in the world. It is an Indian epic poem which has around 1.8 million words.
- The Epic is one of the earliest types of poetry. It is a long, narrative poem that is usually about heroic deeds and events that are significant to the culture of the poet.
- The oldest written poem, believed to be 4,000 years old, is the Epic of Gilgamesh originating from Babylon. It tells the story of a king named Gilgamesh, who was half-god and half-man.
- Poet’s day, celebrated every 21st of August, is dedicated to the long history of poetry in the world, and most especially to those who fill our world with the passion and wonder that flows from the tip of their pens.
- Poetry is an outlet for our emotions, regardless of what kind of emotion it is.
- A 1852 edition of John Milton’s Poetical Works was bound in the skin of a murderer, George Cudmore.
- The word ‘unfriend’ was used as a noun dating back from around 1275, meaning ‘one who is not a friend’ in Layamon’s medieval epic poem, Brut.
- Gottlob Burmann, a German poet, despised the letter R so much that he avoided using it in his poems – and in everyday conversation.
- Poet Amy Lowell once bought a stash of 10,000 cigars, claiming she needed them to help her write.
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