Poetry helps us regain lost paradise

From time to time I have been writing on poetry reading in these columns with the sole view of generating some interest in this fascinating area of literature. Many people keep on writing poems thinking that they are assiduously devoured by readers.

However, what they write cannot be called poetry. They are simply verses or prose passages broken into several lines to give the appearance of poetry.

The problem with those who claim to write poems is that they do not care to read good poetry written by eminent poets. As Dame Edith Sitwell once said, "Poetry has the beauty of the lily."

Meanwhile, many people ask: What is the use of writing and reading poetry? They say poetry is of no use to modern society guided by technology. However, it is not prudent to ask: What is the use of poetry? This is because in the same breath you can ask: What is the use of religion or philosophy?

Poetry is useful to man in many ways. Poetry reminds man that he is living in a terrible age in which evil seems to have taken the upper hand. All religions and their promoters are fighting a losing battle to put man on the correct path while the evil forces are dragging him to his doom. Here the poet has an unenviable task to protect humanity by reminding man that he has a conscience and a duty to live by what is considered virtuous. If people are losing faith in religion or morality, poets have a duty to bring them to the correct path.

Whoever designed the world, it is a wonderful place to live in. The beauty of cascading waterfalls, soft-feathered singing birds, mist-covered hill tops and a visible pattern in everything we see in the world can only be grasped by imaginative poets.

They remind man that he should protect them and if possible improve on them.

Whether a poet writes in English, French, or Sinhala, he speaks to humanity. He reminds man to live and let live in a complex society.

The message is loud and clear and every poet from Shakespeare to Tagore believed that even the meanest thing that lives is worthy of the light of the sun.

If you are a good poet, you should be able to deify reality. William Wordsworth reminds us that God is in everything. When he walked through fields and valleys, he was one with God and was able to see the tremendous beauty of the world. He wrote:

"The earth and every common sight

To me did seem

Appareled in celestial light."

What is more, good poetry can lift your soul to a higher level. It makes your eyes to see the hidden beauty of nature. It helps you to rediscover the secret rays of the universe. In other words, poetry helps us to regain our lost paradise. To quote Walt Whitman, "All truths lie waiting in all things... They unfold themselves more fragrant than... roses from living buds, whenever you feted the spring sunshine moistened with summer rain. But it must be in yourself. It shall be love."

It is a tragedy of our times that most of us are unable to share the feelings of the poet. The poet's feelings can be compared to those of the saint. This simply means that if you can share the poetic feelings in a genuine way, you will develop a kind of luminous soul. You may have your share of human frailties. But poetry will add that extra glow to your soul.

If you believe that poetry is useless like butterflies one might ask the pertinent question: "Do you think butterflies are useless?" When somebody asked the 17th century naturalist, John Ray whether butterflies are of any use, he replied, "Butterflies adorn the world and delight the eyes of men, (they) brighten the countryside, serving like so many golden spangles to decorate the fields." The Creator who made the butterfly must have contemplated on its intrinsic beauty before giving it a touch of divinity. All those poets who have written on butterflies know that this is true.

Most people do not read poems because a great deal of rubbish has been written in the name of poetry.

What is tragic is that these substandard poems have been hailed by half-baked critics. As a result, those who have a genuine interest in poetry are frustrated because they have not been guided by competent teachers.

If you are really interested in poetry, do not be led by critics. They have their own ideas of poetry. Some hail John Milton; others condemn him. The well-known English literary critic F. R. Leavis once said, "Milton's verse affects me much as the sound of a motor bicycle affects my less sensitive nervous system."

The best course available to the uninitiated is to go out and find poetry for himself. Every poem may broaden your horizons. As you keep on reading poetry for a long time, you will be able to decide what is good and what is bad.

Poetry magnifies the beauty of a rose, an ordinary reaper, or a fish in a pond. Isn't it great to see them in all their beauty rather than pass them without paying any attention to God's or Nature's creations?