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THE WRITERS POST (ISSN: 1527-5467) VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 JUL 2002
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SONG HO Thoughts about Poetry
(translated
by the author) 1 Poetry could
possibly be one line having
Only One Word If that is true, it
requires another imaginary line above or another word to follow
that word. In such a case,
Poetry itself only expresses one word, one thing, one
thought for itself. It yet needs a
space to be understood.... 2 Poetry could
possibly be one line having Only
Two Words. If that is true,
they have more expression, more
clarity. Two words form one
line of Poetry, don't they? Two words show a
space between them. This space helps
realize what poetry expresses. This space bears
the meaning of understanding. Hence, two words
seem to bring a little more
of Poetry. 3 Poetry really comes
from Three Words (I love you – Je
t'aime – Anh yêu Em). Three words are
necessary to become Poetry. People can extend
verses longer, to Ten, to Hundreds, to Thousands of
words or to a countless amount of
words etc... This countlessness
is an immense space in which
poetry expands. 4 Poetry can be
created by everyone, so it is easy to
write Poetry. An innocent girl, a
boy falling in love, a forsaken person, a student,
a quite angry man, a medical doctor, a patient,
a King, a Queen, a Princess, a General, a soldier,
an inmate in death row, a widow, a butcher, a
worker, a monk, a priest, a beggar, a prostitute, a
dummy, a deaf man, a madman... all of them
can make verses. Poetry
appears in life and these people become Poets, their
original professions are no longer of importance. 5 Poems are not
usually good, so it is not easy to
make Poetry. People who would
like to make verses must have Ability. However, Ability is
not enough, Passion is also required. Again, Passion is
not enough, Courage is also necessary. 6 Poetry is Courage.
Standing in Front of Death. Courage is standing
on the edge of Life and Death. To bid farewell to
Reality, to welcome Reverie. To forsake Wealth,
to side with Poverty. To take Sorrow in
place of Joy. To accept Pain in
lieu of Happiness. To leave
Togetherness and enter Separation. To renounce the TO
BE for the NOT TO BE. To resist Temporary
and accept Eternity. Sometimes it is the
other way around. The Courage of
Poetry is its love for another person without being loved
back and its love for Life with Life
betraying it. And the Poet is a
man who lives in an
Upside-down World. 7 Poetry is
boundless. It steps out of Space and Time, over Obstacles
and Separations. It is an Equal
Union of People regardless of Classes and Countries. Poetry is to Give,
not to Take; a Devotion without
Conditions and Obligations. Poetry is also
Sacrifice, Forgetfulness and Remembrance. Poetry is
Wonderfulness and The Absolute Most. 8 Poetry is also
Hated by a few people because it is beloved
by many others Those who dislike
Poetry are uncultured Kings, untalented
Generals, powerful men who oppress others, rich but illiterate
people and ignorants. They hate Poetry
because it exposes bad characters. They are afraid of
Poetry because Poetry has no
Selfishness. 9 Poetry is
Faithfulness. It is the Beginning and also
the End. It is the Start and
also the Finish. Some begin to make
verses but later stop after
their failures. Others start to
write a novel, a play or draw a painting and then when old,
they want to write Poetry. Others make poetry from childhood until
old age. They only stop when
they leave this world. 10 Poetry is Selection
in a Long Race. Out of one hundred
people who step into Literature World about 50
people select to make Poetry, 30 to write Novel, 15
like to be Artists and Musicians and the rest Critics. But after two
decades, these number decrease tremendously. A few are still
making verses. Several stay
writers. But the number of
critics increases And the rest give
up. 11 Poetry is Absolute.
A poet who fails becomes Writers. A writer who fails
can hardly become a Poet. A Writer who
succeeds also tries to make verses, but a Poet succeeds
whenever wanting to write novels. Poetry contains
painting and music, and also architecture. Hence the Poet
doesn't like to be Painter or Musician, or Architect. In the real world,
one witness that some Kings want to become Poets but no
Poet likes to be King. It could be that
the path the Poet chooses for himself is the most ungrateful
one but it is bordered with flowers and is the Most
Wonderful One. 12 Poetry is Grandeur.
A Poet is a man who has friends, and lives
everywhere on the Earth, even in the Outer Space planets, such
as: Star, Sun, Moon... He is also a man
dealing with everything that happens in every moment and
all circumstances on the Earth and in the Solar System Poetry is
"Dream Comes True". Poetry is Reality
and speaks for the Truth. Poetry does not Lie
but exposes Lies. 13 Poetry is Quietness
in Activity. Writer, Painter, Musician, Architect... can
seat still to create their works but the Poet has to go
everywhere – even inside a room –
to get inspiration. He follows his
thinking and his mind flies high. 14 Poetry is Cover-up.
The young man hides his feelings and
thoughts in Poetry The old man finds
the calm land for retirement
and makes verses. He makes friend
with grass, flowers, birds, animals, streams, wind,
Stars, Moon, Sun... So Poetry is
Quietness. It is also Nature. 15 Poetry is Amulet.
The soldier holding his weapon reads poem and hides it
secretly in his shirt, then he throws himself into the
enemy line at the battlefield. Death runs away. He returns home to
meet his lover and family with
wounds on his body. Poetry is Rescuing.
Poetry is Resurrection. 16 Poetry is Calamity.
It opposes the depression of Politics, the opaque mind of
Religions and the decadence
of Culture. The Poet is
sentenced, imprisoned and killed. Sometimes his life
is a reward. His poetry has no
permission to be published, is seized and burn by the
powered men. Poetry declares war
to Evil. Evil wins, Poetry
is Suicide. 17 Poetry is
translation. From one language to another. From birds, animals
to Human Being From grass, tree,
flower to Human Being. From land, sand,
stone, rock, fire, water to Human Being From planets such
as Sun, Moon, Stars...
to Human Being. Poet thinks about
them and has to speak for them. So, Poetry is
Comprehension. Poet is both a
Representative and a Spokesman. 18 Poetry is Honey of
Life. It is a combination of Feeling
and Thought. It is also a Love
Philtre, a Forbidden Fruit, Knowledge and Prediction. Poetry by itself is
not valuable for a common person. But is more
precious than diamonds, gems, gold, silver... in the
mind of those who understand it and
become Soul Brothers. 19 Poetry is a Weapon.
It is able to dissolve Hostility, Hatred, Loneliness,
Separation, Sadness.
Even Fatal Destiny. 20 Poetry is a New
Born Infant. Everybody who comes into the world is
called a Baby. He grows up and loses his child instinct. So, Poetry is not
Guilt. Poetry is Innocent. 21 Poetry is Wordless.
It is no word at all. It speaks without
words. It is the thorough
understanding of all meanings. The space between
the lines, the words is Wordless. The space of the
line above is Distance. The space of the
following word is Time. Wordless Poetry
appears before the Bible. 21b In Poetry – its
Words and Meaning – as well as – in Short Story and
Novel – represent a bell and a stick. When the stick hits
the Bell, sound is produced. The bell and the
stick disappear. Only echo lingers. Wordlessness is the
Echo – after the reading. * Now, Wordlessness
Poetry is Unspoken Voices - echoing – from
Love, Spirituality and Eternity. SONG
HO
· THE
WRITERS POST
(ISSN: 1527-5467), Volume
4, Number 2 July 2002
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