My favorite subject of study is poetry By true poetry I mean poetry that touches my mind, that stirs me and sends me to another world of bliss. I am not satisfied with jingling rhymes or musical languages. Poetry must not only please it must inspire and eves enlighten and widen the mental horizon. I love the poems of Rabindranath. I admire those of Madhusudan, I read with pleasure the Odes of Keats and the lyrics of Shelley. Occasionally a modern poem, like one by Jibanananda, fills my mind with intense joy. I have no prejudices. Classical poetry and modern poetry are alike welcome if only they brace me up.
If I am asked why poetry pleases me, I may not be able to define precisely as it is always difficult to rationalize or account for love. There are some lines that seem to open up new vistas of beauty they haunt my memory and I like to read them again and yet again, to respect them mentally as in vibration. These are poems that thrill and inspire they appeal to my higher nature, to my idealism. They fill me with noble thoughts. I find also that those poems please me best in which the beauty of the theme and the music of the verse go together. A moral is better understood, a heroic tale is better told,' a beautiful scenery is better appreciated, if presented in poetical language.
The joys of reading poetry are endless. When we are tired after a hard day's labour, to read a few lines of memorable verse refreshes us and restores and stimulates our mental strength, ennobles our morality. In our trials and sorrows, poetry brings us comfort and consolation. When we are moved by some experience that stirs our deepest feelings, we profit by reading poetry. It is a joy to us when they are in congenial company of poetic literature, it is a friend in our solitude. Poetry can be easily committed to memory and the memorable lines vibrate in our mind.
To derive the fullest happiness out of poetry one must know to read it well, with good discretion, proper caesura and accent. For poetry is an art and appreciation of art requires special training by mastering condense and rhythm with modulation of voice. Poetry should be read as much as possible, and should be read aloud. The music of it must sink into the soul. At the same time its meaning should be properly understood, for in good poetry, the sound echoes the sense.
But to be too much absorbed in poetry may not always be desirable. It should never be indulged in as a luxury. Young poet Sukanta Bhattacharya once said —"The kingdom of hunger is full of prose". Poetry is an aid to life, not a substitute for it. Poetry might be a good walking stick in the real path of life but is only a bad crutch to lean against when one has to tread the ground realities of life. Escaping the struggle for existence on the wings of poetry is not wanted. To me poetry is food and drink, not an intoxicating wine.
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