Of how poetry ‘happens’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT a reiteration of a universal truth by somebody who was considered a born poet -- from whose inner being poetry sprang to life! ‘Dadda’, as he was known fondly in the literary world, Maithili Sharan Gupt was also known as an ocean of knowledge. But his special trait was that his deep and vast knowledge of countless subjects did not allow the poet in him take a back seat. Poetry was a ‘moment’, he often said. It happened. It happens -- beyond any artificiality, beyond norms of grammar, beyond limitations of language. True, language may be only a tool, but as emotions swirl up in the mind and assume form of words, poetry is born -- ‘Dadda’ felt. So, spontaneity was an essential attribute of poetry, according to that school of thought. So, poetry happens. By that standard, the Vedas, too, are poetry. Of course, Vedas are poetry -- expressed in fine verse -- and also fine verve.

 

That is how poetry often happens. By that standard, then, any spontaneous communication -- including a ‘Hmmm’ -- can be called poetry, so to say! Possibly, that may not be the case. For, every expression cannot be termed as poetry. Nevertheless, poetry can be sensed in any communion, all right. And of course, ‘communion’ is not just any communication -- since it has certain intensity that rises above the normal. To that extent, an intense expression does have a poetic touch, so to say. Probably, ‘Dadda’ refers only to such intense expression when he talks of emotions assuming word-form in a spontaneous manner. But then, aren’t there emotions that do not get captured in words, but do get expressed in a wordless manner? That also is poetry -- as one can assert from one’s own experience, of life and literature and poetry. Such an expression, then, is poetry expressed in silences, steeped in a domain beyond mere words. It is still very much poetry.

 

This is a universal experience, of course. Each one of us has such intensely emotional encounters that refuse to allow themselves to be trapped in words. On such moments, what matters is not words, but a wordless communication that traverses distances between persons and gets itself lodged in other person’s head and heart. That also is poetry. In fact, in human conversation, such moments of silence play a greater role when words are not needed at all. Yet, when ‘Dadda’ describes expression of the language of the mind through words as poetry, he is trying to bring the concept down to a practical level. Personally for him, however, poetry was something that just happened -- something that just happens! Yet, we must remind ourselves that poetry is not just a happenstance. It is an altogether different emotional swirl that throws up certain expressions that at times assume word-form and at times get carried forward through ether.