World Poetry Day

Poetry can inspire, encourage, educate and it can also change the perspective of how we see the world. However, as we become more digital, we are to some extent losing touch with the art of poetry. Therefore, we would like to acknowledge the World Poetry Day. One of the most famous poems is begins “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”, which is the first sentence in William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”.

Which is your favourite poem? Which poem can you recite word for word? Maybe you are good at writing a haiku? Let us know in the comments below.


The fantastic image above was created by Karen Cropper and used under a Creative Commons license. Yes, we know it says 2014 but we still love it! The original is here. Thanks Karen for allowing us to use this image.

One Reply to “World Poetry Day”

  1. I’m not really an expert on poetry, but I love verses that capture those moments of quiet joy that you often find in the outdoors. Standing alone on a quiet peak, sitting with your toes in a bubbling stream, just you and the world around you. I’ve been enjoying some old Chinese poems that capture that really well with very simple, understated language. I know a lot of the rhythms and timbre are lost in translation but for me that can sometimes just make it more poignant. So here is one from Li Bai, a wandering Chinese poet of the 8th century, perhaps the Kerouac of his time.

    Why I live in the Green Mountains

    In the mountains, you asked, I answered, most popular answer

    Why do I live in the green mountains?
    I laugh and answer not, my soul serene
    I dwell in another paradise, where earth belongs to no man
    Where peach trees blossom forever, and the rivers flow on and on

    You ask, why I dwell on Green Mountain;
    I smile and make no reply for my heart is at peace.
    The peach-blossoms flow downstream and are gone forever,
    I live in a world apart from among men.

    I’m asked what the sense of living on Jade Mountain
    I laugh and answer not, my heart at peace
    I dwell in another heaven where no earthly man belongs
    Where peach trees blossom and spring waters flow forever.

    This translation comes from the 100 Tang Poems website, which is worth an explore if you enjoyed the poem above.

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