On Reading Poetry
The idea is so tired only because it is so true -- we are all so busy. Our lives are full to the brim, weighted down by responsibilities and with various entertainments crammed into every corner. The response to so many ideas, hopes and aspirations is the same: who has the time?
In such a world, reading prose makes sense. Reading prose is, for me, like a race (admittedly not the best technique for a student of literature). It is a race in which time is both the opponent and the prize -- I strive to win a few extra minutes for a few more pages.
What a contrast, then, is poetry! Reading poetry is like prayer (-- can a thing more unlike a race be imagined?). Our minds become accustomed to the modern world's breakneck pace and spin along like engine belts to keep up with the minutiae of life, yet when we come to God all that falls away. We look away from the mental clutter pressing from all sides, breathe, and give our eyes time to adjust to the big picture, that which is infinitely bigger and more beautiful than our humble distractions. To even consider one facet of the character of God is to momentarily leave it all behind, to slow down the frequency of our thoughts and broaden their wavelengths, bringing them into harmony with the Creator. It is good to pick up, say, God's beauty as manifested in his creation -- a tree, say -- to pick it up, turn it over and feel its weight.
As prayer, so poetry. Consider the first line of C.S. Lewis's poem "The Turn of the Tide:"
In such a world, reading prose makes sense. Reading prose is, for me, like a race (admittedly not the best technique for a student of literature). It is a race in which time is both the opponent and the prize -- I strive to win a few extra minutes for a few more pages.
What a contrast, then, is poetry! Reading poetry is like prayer (-- can a thing more unlike a race be imagined?). Our minds become accustomed to the modern world's breakneck pace and spin along like engine belts to keep up with the minutiae of life, yet when we come to God all that falls away. We look away from the mental clutter pressing from all sides, breathe, and give our eyes time to adjust to the big picture, that which is infinitely bigger and more beautiful than our humble distractions. To even consider one facet of the character of God is to momentarily leave it all behind, to slow down the frequency of our thoughts and broaden their wavelengths, bringing them into harmony with the Creator. It is good to pick up, say, God's beauty as manifested in his creation -- a tree, say -- to pick it up, turn it over and feel its weight.
As prayer, so poetry. Consider the first line of C.S. Lewis's poem "The Turn of the Tide:"
Breathless was the air over Bethlehem.Such a line begs to not be rushed over on the way to the next. Poetry, like everything else, demands our time to be appreciated. However, it asks not for time only, but that as long as we engage with it and desire to harvest its fruit, we must leave time behind.
Breathless was the air over Bethlehem.See it, hear it, taste, smell, touch it. Move on.
Black and bare / Were the fields;Is it another example of that great Mercy that this pleasure can be our training for a more fulfilling communion with Him?
posted by Matthew at 10:00 AM
5 Comments:
Having just been told I must "slow down" and reduce the stresses in my life, your observations are refreshing.
I always thought I was dumb when I didn't get much out of poetry. Yet there were times I found that I enjoyed it.
Now, after reading your post, I'm realizing when poetry appeared illusive, it was because I was trying to race as I did through prose. The times I enjoyed poetry were when I was in a situation which fostered savoring the multidimensional sensations.
Thanks! You've shed new light for me.
Your words are like poetry. It takes time to let it all sink in. When it does, I am overcome with the riches you just gave me.
Every time I read your journal, I feel like I learn something new.
Thank you. And call me. I'm serious.
A thoughtful challege to the daily run. Thank you
Matthew,
Excellent thoughts on poetry and prayer. I especially appreciate it because I have written so much poetry in the last year. I find that poetry demands so much time because there is so much meaning in every word. If the poetry I have been writing were prose, each line would probably be more like a paragraph in length. Thus I have had to choose my words much more carefully in writing poetry, and they are more meaningful.
As for the thought on prayer, I have not much thought about it that way. Perhaps it will prove helpful to me.
Post a Comment
<< Home