浅谈诗歌的定义

精品文档-下载后可编辑浅谈诗歌的定义【摘要】诗歌是一种语词凝练、结构跳跃、富有节奏和韵律、高度集中地反映生活和表达思想感情的文学体裁。本文着重语词、内涵等方面分析诗歌的特点，使读者对诗歌的概念和基本特征有一个宏观认识。

【关键词】诗歌；定义

definitionofpoetry

robertpinskyoncesaid:“poetry...isanancientartortechnology:olderthanthecomputer,olderthanprint,olderthanwritingandindeed,thoughsomemayfindthissurprising,mucholderthanprose.ipresumethatthetechnologyofpoetry,usingthehumanbodyasitsmedium,evolvedforspecificuses;toholdthingsinmemory,bothwithinandbeyondtheindividuallifespan;toachieveintensityandsensuousappeal;toexpressfeelingsandideasrapidlyandmemorably;tosharethosefeelingsandideaswithcompanions,andalsowiththedeadandwiththosetocomeafterus.”

poetryisoneofthemostancientliteraryforms.itappearedthousandsofyearsagointheworldasaformofliterature.inchina,thereisbookofpoetry;ingreek,thereishomerepic.poetryisoneoftheearliestliteraryformsinancientindia,egyptandrome.inbritain,theearliestepicisbeowulfwritteninanglo-saxonperiod.eversincethen,peopleinallworksoflife,especiallythoseeducated,sensitivemen,careaboutpoems.simplepoemsevencaninterestchildren,becausepoetrycanbringpleasantsensationtothem.peopleregardthepoetryasthemainthingofindividuallife.poetryalsohasitsspecialvaluetoourspirituallife.itplaysaveryimportantroleinourlife.itcaresallkindsofexperiences;nomatterthisexperienceishappyorunhappy,specialorordinary,nobleorhumble,realisticorimaginative.inpoetry,thiskindofexperiences,eventheunfortunateones,canbecomeobjectsforpeople’sappreciation.althoughsuchexperiencescannotbringpleasantsensationinreallife,theycanenjoythereaderswiththeformofpoetry.thus,poetrygivesusvitalityandenjoyment.justaswilliamwordsworthoncesaid:"poetryisthespontaneousoverflowofpowerfulfeelings:ittakesitsoriginfromemotionrecollectedintranquility:theemotioniscontemplatedtill,byaspeciesofreaction,thetranquilitygraduallydisappears,andanemotion,kindredtothatwhichwasthesubjectofcontemplation,isgraduallyproduced,anddoesitselfactuallyexistinthemind."(fromprefacetolyricalballads).throughreadingpoetry,wemayunderstandmoredeeplyabouthuman’sfeelingsandfurthermoreaboutlifeitself.

poetryusesakindofcondensedlanguagetoshowlifeorfeelings,orsomeotherthings.inthispoint,poetryisquitedifferentfromproseandnovels,sounderstandingpoetryismuchmoredifficultthanunderstandingproseandnovels.icansaypoetryistheartofliterature,usingfewestwordstoexpressutmostmeanings.poetryisthemirrorofourlife.nomatterwhichnationitis,onceopeningitspoems,wemayfindpoemsrecordedeveryrisinganddecliningofhistoricalperiodofeachnation.readingpoetry,wecanknowhistory,politics,economy,reformetcofdifferentcountriesinvariousperiods.thepoetichistoryisalsothenation’sdevelopmentprocess.whileexpressingideasorfeelingsorsomeothermeanings,poetsoftendependonsomeliterarytechniques,suchasmeter,naturalcadences,rhymeormetaphoretc.thus,poetrycanexpressprofoundmeaningsinadisguisedway.

poetryisalsothephilosophyoflife.manysentencesofpoemsbecomemottos,whichleavelastingreputationinthewholeworld.ithasevenbecomethelegacyofallhumanbeings.forexample,inshelley’sodetothewest,thereisafamoussentence:“…oh,wind,ifwintercomes,canspringbefarbehind?”thisfamoussayinghasencouragedmanypeopleintheworld.whentheyfacedifficulties,ortheyareinmiserabletime,theywillthinkofitasencouragementtolightentheirforwardway.inthisway,wecansaythatthepoemistheimportantlegacyofallhumanbeings.

thefollowingpartisanexampletoseewhattherealpoemis.afteranalyzingthispoem,wemayhaveaclearunderstandingaboutthedefinitionofthepoem.hereisapoem:

thefaithfulswallow

——bythomashardy

whensummershone

itssweeteston

anaugustday,

“hereevermore,”

isaid,“i’llstay;

notgoaway

toanothershore

asficklethey!”

decembercame:

“twasnotthesame!”

ididnotknow

fidelity

wouldservemeso.

frost,hunger,snow

andnow,ahme,

toolatetogo!

thispoemcontainsonlyafewwords.itisaboutaswallowwhichdidnotmigratewiththeotherbirds,andisnowsufferingindespairinthecoldwinter.someofthewords,suchas“faithful”,“fickle”and“fidelity”,mayremindyouofthewaywetalkaboutloveandmarriage.infact,thepoemisaboutpeopleinlove,andusestheswallowasanimage.thepoemhastwostanzas,andthereisagapbetweenthem.thefirstsectionshowsthatthesummerfidelityseemsrightandgood,andthesecondsectionshowsthatfidelityhasbroughtsufferinganddespairwhenwintercomes.herewecanseethatthedifferentsectionsofapoemalwaysrelatetoeachother.inthispoem,thefirstsectionisaboutsummerandhope;thesecondsectionisaboutwinteranddespair.sothetwosectionsofthispoemcontrastwitheachother.theyaresetinoppositeseasons,andexpressoppositefeelingsaboutfidelity.throughrereadingthepoem,ifoundmoredetailsfitintothecontraststructure:ontheonesidesummer“shone”its“sweetest”in“august”;ontheotherside,“december”was“frost,hunger,snow”.contemptforotherswallowsinsummerchangestoenvytheminwinter.theseason,emotionsandopinionsareallpartofthebasiccontrastwhichgivesshapetothepoem.

basedonwhatwehavetalkedabove,wemayfindthethemeofthispoem,whichisalsothewriter’spurpose.“thefaithfulswallow”isaboutpeople’shopesanddisappointments,andexpressesthecontrastbetweenthem.hardycontraststhebrightidealistichopespeoplehavewhentheyareyoungwiththemiseryanddespairtheycometointheend.thesuddenoppositionbetweenthetwostanzasaddstotheeffectofthepoem,becauseitexpresseshowhopeiscrushedbycruelexperience,verystarklyandsuddenly.inreallifehardymayhavelearnedthemiseryofdisappointmentovermanyyearsofslowchangeashegrewolder.inthepoemthesharpcontrastbetweenthetwostanzasheightensthepainfulnessofdisappointmentbymakingitseemtohappeninamoment.

usuallyspeaking,theswallowisquiteanordinarybirdinourmind.butinthispoemtheauthorendowstheswallowsomeothermeanings.wecanseeitclearlyevenfromthetitle“thefaithfulswallow”.thenafterreadingandanalyzingthispoem,thereadermaythinkcarefullywhethertobefaithfulisonearthgoodornot.“tobefaithful”leadsthepoorswallowintothemisery.thesamethingsoftenhappeninourreallife.sometimeswedosomethingfaithfullyandmeettrouble.thuswecanseethatpoetrycangenerateourimagination.wemaythinkmoreaboutwhatthelifeis,andwhatkindofattitudeweshouldhavetowardlife.thisisthebasicfunctionofpoetrytoeducatepeople,andenrichtheirlifeexperience.

understandingpoetryreliesontreatingpoemsascrisesfromunwrittenstories,sowemayfindtheelementswhichtogethermakeuptheexperiencethepoemconveys.however,insomepoetry,thevitalelementsareexpressedinimagesratherthandirectlanguage.thenwemustrereadingthepoemandfindwhattheimagerepresents.remember:poetsdonotmaketheirexperiencesliveincharactersorastory;poetryexplainsitsmeaninginanypatternofwordswhichevokesafeelingandcommunicatesthepoet’scomplexidea.itisnecessarytobeflexible,therefore,inapproachingpoems.

fromwhatwehavediscussedabove,wecanseethateveryword,everysentenceofpoem,mustreachitsutmostintensity.thatistosay,itmustbedifferentfromcommonlanguageinexpressingideas.poetsshouldusesourcematerialsasmuchaspossibleofferedbythelanguageitself,andthenbasedonsomeliterarytechniquessuchasassociation,imagination,simile,metaphor,contrast,comparison,rhyme,sarcastic,etcaswellassomelifeexperiencetoexpresstheunderlyingmeanings.thesuccessfulpoemshavenoextraword.thegoodpoemisjustlikeatree,whichformsitsownstructureandorganizesbyitself.thegoodpoemisalsoanorganism,inwhicheverypartmustserveausefulpurposeande