Why do poets write? A thought.

[snowynight]

In Tang Dynasty (618-907), a famous Chinese writer Han Yu wrote an article when saying goodbye to his friend, Mang Jao to express his sympathy of his friend's fate and his thought about literature. According to the article, one voices when agitated. When someone feels injustice in life, they sing with their words. Different famous people expressed themselves under different situation but their words were all relevant to their time. And Han Yu did live out his theory by writing frankly about his career, his life, his feelings and his friends. His theory has impact in the later Chinese literary criticism.

Question: Have you ever been inspired to write poetry by current events? What do you think about these poems?

谁的声音？ 李俊峰 声音的距离越来越近， 渴望相握的双手却隔着越来越多的门。 鲜血无名的悄悄流失， 心跳显得愈加重、且沉。 如海的一片鲜花掩盖的伤口有多深？ 不知道，无可名状的疼痛之后， 夜色是否象今天的一样有些阴森？ 时间依旧勤勤恳恳，明亮之后又是黄昏。 诗人们最为惬意， 他们把思想涂上颜色糊满窗棂， 把酒瓶踢碎、扬起高傲的头颅， 品味着伤感的天空。 树枝下，微风吹过， 除了哑巴，所有的生命都发出了声音！ 可惜的是， 上帝的上了年纪的耳朵已经不是那么的灵……

Whose voice? by Junfeng Li  (ETA: also the translator) Sounds are getting closer, Eager to clasp hands but more and more doors separate. Quietly blood lost Heartbeats increasingly heavy, sink. Like a sea of flowers covering a wound, how deep? I do not know, after indescribable pain, Whether the evening’s color resembles same today's gloom. Time is still diligent, bright again after dusk. Poets are pleased, Pasting colorful thoughts on window curtains, They kick the bottle and raise their heads, Tasting the sad sky. Under the branches, a gentle breeze, Besides the mute one, all life sounds! Unfortunately, God's old ears have lost their sensitivity ... ...

http://www.poetrysky.com/quarterly/28/lijunfeng.html
 

Comments

[ariestess]

I think I've done that in the past... It's been a couple decades though. *g*

[snowynight]

Sounds interesting. Would you like to share more about it?

[ariestess]

I did more of the "inspired by current events" poetry when I was a teenager and cranking out a bunch of poetry. It was a form of therapy for me, even if the vast majority of it was crappy poetry. LOL!

[finch]

I've certainly written politically-motivated poetry, though not as much as I write about other things. I tend to worry, when I come back to them later, that they're too "dated" compared to poems about more timeless subjects. I think that says more about my writing than the subject in general, though.

[snowynight]

Thanks for sharing. I guess it'll be a valid concern, but they are as important as other poems.

Well...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I tend to worry, when I come back to them later, that they're too "dated" compared to poems about more timeless subjects. <<

That's actually one the key reasons why I write current events into poetry. It's like a literary snapshot of that moment in time. I can take it out years later and remember the occasion.

Think about some historic poetry you have read, how it pulls you into a particular point of time. Timeless poetry doesn't do that as well. Then again, there is an overlap, where truly great poetry uses a singular incident to illustrate an enduring truth. Consider "The Charge of the Light Brigade" on the stupidity of war and dogmatic obedience, as demonstrated by a suicidal battle in the Crimean War.

[jjhunter]

Yes -- I've written poetry (truly horrible poetry) in response to 9/11. It was a way to distance myself from my emotion, distill it into something manageable. As finch mentioned above, it's tricky to write such poetry in a way that ages well, since they tend to be so rooted in the context of the event.

Like a sea of flowers covering a wound

This is such a haunting image. I'm interested in the contrast between the poets putting their thoughts, like just such flowers, on window curtains (for everyone to see?) and the mute one.

Also, just a technical note, it's good practice to indicate who the translator is - you? the poet? someone else? given how much can be lost/added in translation.

[snowynight]

I'm glad you like the poem, and re: translator: thanks for reminding me and I edit the post to reflect that the poem's translated by the poet himself.

[bookblather]

I also wrote poetry about 9/11, trying to understand my own feelings and to some extent move on. It wasn't entirely successful, but it was helpful.

The poetry I write about real life I tend to keep private, though. Fictional works are easier to share.

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I often write about current events, or weave hints of them into poems that are primarily about something else.

One of my most popular series, Monster House, began with a poem partly inspired by the housing crisis, "Eviction, Noticed," back in 2008.