Poetry has been around for 5,000 years of recorded history. It’s amazing to look at where poetry has been and where it is going. The oldest poetry started out being sung and grew out of religious rituals. Poetry has a close connection with music. The Mesopotamian culture started it all with stories of gods and myths. The poetry was accompanied by harp or lyre, and was sung by bards or choirs, in the form of Epics or Ballads. The ancient Egyptians’ poetry spans 3 millennia and includes playful, flirtatious, personal poetry about attraction and courtship. There is also poetry from India, which includes religious hymns about deities and religious ideas from 2,000 years ago; that was the foundation of Hinduism and Buddhism. Here we see a strong tradition of female poets. India set the standards of literature and art. The Bible, written in 1,000 B.C., is made up of rich poetry and prose, and is still popular today. The Greek’s were known for the Epic poems; The Iliad and The Odyssey, which were ancient adventure texts written in poetry. Written in Latin, they set the standard for lyrics, creativity, and excellence for Western European countries. The Chinese poetic literature and culture in 1066 B.C. gave rise to Taoism. Confucius collected and edited ancient Chinese writings. The Dark Ages saw the Renaissance in which poetry, art, and music were a focus. It also saw a surge in creativity, and a fusion of Arabic, Japanese, and Chinese forms of verse and love poetry. Arabic poetry established sayings and idioms of Islamic law and life. Old English poetry is mostly written by “Anonymous”, and frequently has chivalrous tales as its base. Journals became popular to record poetry and prose in the 12^th century. In the 14^th century, arts and sciences, dramatic plays and lyrical epic poetry became popular. The Sonnet became the craze during the Renaissance. Finally, more recently, the age of Enlightenment in the 18^th century saw a quest for clarity and perfection in poetry by conforming to set forms. Today’s poetry is flexible, not so rigid in form, and has an easy and comfortable feel to it. And that in a nutshell is the history of poetry.

                When reading poetry, it is important to ask: Who was this poet? What time frame was the poet living in? When was the poem written and when was it published? What was happening in the world when the poem was written?

                Finding out about the poet is interesting; note the birth and death dates. Knowing something about the poet pays off, as it helps you understand the poem better. Introductions and biographies written in poetry books, offer information and historical backgrounds on each poet.

                Poetry sometimes uses unfamiliar terms. That is why it is useful to have a dictionary handy. Poets make references to things outside the poem all the time – things in the world, in history, in other literature, and in popular culture. They use metaphors and similes to allude to these references. Poets bend sentences to fit the thought of the poem. Poets create words and expressions all the time. When languages change, vocabulary changes.

                To help understand the poem: Read it silently once. Read it again. Then read it out loud.