To answer the question of who the poet is, it is not enough to look into the dictionary. Translated from the Greek language - this is a poet. But not every rhyme we call poetry, and not every master of the word owns it. Often people who are able to elegantly and figuratively convey the beauty of the world, are considered to be poets, regardless of the way they are presented.
A bit of history
Several millennia ago, Celtic tribes who did not know the written language lived on European territory. They did not leave textual sources, but the heroes born of their imagination were reflected in the legends of the Middle Ages: the wizard Merlin, Prince Eisenherz, Tristan and Isolde. Thanks to the bard poets, who clothe the surrounding events in a poetic form, the stories reached the modern readers and found a response in their hearts.
A creator who has an extraordinary gift bordering on the supernatural is a poet. The meaning of the word was interpreted in such a way by the ancient Celts, therefore, all novice Druid priests practiced rhyming. Legends were accompanied by playing the harps, which literally bewitched the ordinary inhabitants.
Despite the primacy of the poetic exposition, the traditions were transmitted by prose. Until the 19th century, all fiction was called poetry. Today we use the term only in the narrow meaning of the word.
Features of poetry
The work of poets is poetry: poems, poems, ballads. Having ancient roots, she:
- mesmerizing by the beauty of sound;
- transmits amazing word music;
- expresses the feelings of the author, opening the door to the caches of his soul;
- helps to better understand other people, to sympathize with them;
- Delivers aesthetic pleasure
- personifies a certain element that allows you to feel the unity with nature.
This is achieved by introducing new dimensions into it that are not required in everyday speech: meter, rhyme, rhythm. The unusual organization of speech distinguishes poetry in a special kind of literary creation, distinguishing it from prose.
Poet and poet: differences
Today, a computer is able to pick up the maximum number of rhymes and create real “masterpieces” written by a chorea or iamba. But such works are easy to distinguish from copyright lines. It is difficult to call art and advertising slogans or anonymous personalized congratulatory poems. Who is a poet and what is his difference from any poet?
The opinion of readers and true professionals is always important to a novice author. Their assessment in the form of the words: “You are a true poet” is the highest degree of praise and recognition of mastery. What conditions for this should satisfy his work?
- The feelings of the author should be understandable and affect the strings of the soul of the reader.
- He must have a rich imagination, thinking non-standard images.
- To be able to see the unusual in everyday life, finding interesting metaphors and epithets.
- To be an emotional and open person, able to write with his heart, not his mind.
- Possess musicality and sense of rhythm.
Prose and Poetry: Differences
In a metaphorical sense, poets are often called all those who are able to gracefully express thoughts, conveying the beauty of the depicted phenomenon. But in the literature, nevertheless, the types of art created by writers and poets are clearly separated. The difference concerns the form of presentation of thought and speech, which can be presented in the form of a table:
Comparison criteria | Poetry | Prose |
Rhyme | Exists, with the exception of white verses. | Is absent. |
Rhythm | The rhythmic pattern is observed. | Is absent. |
Visual perception | Perceived as a column, noting the horizontal and vertical arrangement of rows. | It is perceived only horizontally. |
Statement | Has intonational specificity. | It makes a general sense. |
Segmentation | Dividing into short segments, commensurable and interrelated. | It has an arbitrary division defined by syntax rules. |
The meaning of the term | Translated from Greek - "a constant return to the origins (beginning of the row)." | Translated from Latin - "moving the logic of storytelling forward." |
Writers compose prose (short stories, novels, novels), and poets compose poetry. But the true masters of the word are universal.
The best representatives
Among the world classics of poetry are the names of Pushkin and Lermontov, Pasternak and Voznesensky, Dante and Goethe, Petrarch and Byron. Turning to their personality, one can find the answer to the question of who the poet is. All of them are bright creative natures, endowed with a rich imagination and emanating them from the crowd. If they love, then truly, experiencing a storm of passions, tormented by jealousy, lack of reciprocity or the inability to unite their destinies. Their sense of rhythm and melody permeate every line. It is no coincidence that many of their works easily fit into music, turning poetry into romances and songs.
Geniuses of the word, they are absolutely universal. So, A. Pushkin is the author of one of the best poems in the poems "Eugene Onegin." He penned a play that has not left the stage since 1870 - Boris Godunov. Put to music by M. Mussorgsky, the opera of the same name adorns the stage of the best musical theaters in the world. "Dubrovsky", "Blizzard", "Captain's Daughter" - examples of the best works of art in prose. Many consider M. Lermontov’s novel “A Hero of Our Time” to be unsurpassed. But at the same time, at the age of 27, he left a rich poetic heritage, according to which he is ranked among the most brilliant lyrical authors in the history of world literature.
The meaning of the word "poet" in the ancient world
Already in antiquity, the authors thought what their work should bring to the reader. Horace (Ancient Rome) spoke of the need to cultivate virtue and a delicate taste. It was to the poets that he attributed the merit to the fact that they softened the morals of the primitive system. The form of the poem is important, and it should be liked, but it must be filled with instructive content. For this, the authors need to study philosophy and human nature. A poet cannot be mediocrity. His task is to strive for excellence, not content with small achievements.
Poet's appointment
The thought of Horace was developed by the best representatives of the literature of the 18th-19th centuries. A. Pushkin in his early works set the task of being the inspirer of the “holy freemen”, glorifying the freedom of thoughts and creativity. In more mature years, the theme of the poet and poetry became one of the determining ones in his work - poems “Prophet”, “Poet”, “Monument” appeared, in which he revised his views. In his opinion, the poet is superior to other people, but, awakened by the voice of God, he should not seek to correct them. Turning to the soul, and not to reason, the author is called upon to awaken in man the best that makes him a man.
M. Lermontov developed Pushkin’s understanding of the poet as a citizen, obliged to meet the crowd. But for him it is obvious that in this mass he will remain alone. The problem can only be solved through rapprochement, therefore N. Gogol expressed the idea that the poet must see the pain and the people's aspirations.
Afterword
One cannot learn to be a poet, like a writer. This is not a profession that can be mastered by acquiring certain skills. A poet must be born, because this is a special way of perceiving life, artistic and human talent, the inevitability of fate, which cannot be avoided. How to answer the question, who is a poet, taking into account today?
E. Yevtushenko in the poem “Beginners” calls for overcoming “spinelessness” and “facelessness” and not be afraid of “mastery of ineptitude”. One can become a real poet not through metaphors, but through life's ordeals. An author will take place as an author only when his experiences resonate with readers, and for this you need to be honest with yourself.
And only time will tell how valuable his poetry is for people in general, and not just for the generation to which it belongs.