Literary discourse is usually distinguished from conventional expressions of speech and writing. Whether poetry is intuitive or not is a debatable issue. However, there’s no doubt that when poets are in that specific ecstatic mood or flow they get attuned to somewhat stream-like spontaneity, often leaving the readers wondering. Every poet has his own distinguished style and can be understood by following his or her natural flow of thoughts.

Whether you are that born poetic wizard, to compose and interpret poetry naturally or not, certain tips can be helpful for all those who want to appreciate and admire poetry. After all who doesn’t want to sound poetic? Be it a teacher of literature, a self-motivated student or even a simple lover of nature. By and large the nature of poetry is to be ambiguous which often makes it hard to understand. The most beautiful quality of any poetic literary piece is that for which you can have various equally amazing interpretations. No one interpretation can claim to be “the” definite and “only” interpretation.

Margaret Atwood, a known Canadian poet, was once asked to comment on her poem. She said she avoids commenting as that would become one final and definite interpretation whereas she welcomed readers to interpret her poems in their own distinct shades of experiences. Here are some helpful tips on undertaking that poetic venture.

Poetry is actually for recitation. Ever heard of that bardic tradition in England before Norman Conquest? No interest in history? All right! Ever attended any poetry recitation competition? The better a person recites the more relishing it becomes. So, if you want to start with Tennyson, Blake, Wordsworth or even Milton or Pope, read slowly but aloud so that you are audible to yourself at least. Follow the punctuation marks very properly while reciting. Especially, watch out when there is a run-on line.

Diction (in simple words—choice of words) of any poem is of considerable importance. Note and observe the type of language that is being used. Diction always complements the theme of the poem. If the language is embellished, archaic and sublime then probably it will complement the theme of an epic. If the diction is plain, simple or colloquial then the topic would probably have universal appeal.

Underline the difficult words. Read them again and again and then look up for meanings in the dictionary. Knowing the meanings, you would be exposed to an amazing level of interpretation when you would read the poem again.

Read the title again and again and ponder over it. The title usually suggests volumes about the poem but is usually taken for granted even, often by the teachers. I am quoting a title of a poem here; analyse what comes to your mind when you read it.

Interpreting Theodore Roethke’s “Child on top of a greenhouse”, H.G. Widdowson suggests: “This title, with its lack of an article in the noun phrase (Child, not ‘a’ child or ‘the’ child) takes the form which is customarily associated with paintings.”

Widdowson goes on to say that expressions like “women on the beach” and “girls under trees” would appropriately function as  titles for paintings.

Now we come to examining the rhyme scheme of the poem.   Observe how rhythmic the lines in  Robert Frost’s “Dust of snow” are. The poem’s rhyme scheme “abab” makes it really rhythmic. Enjoy its rise and fall:

The way a crow (a)

Shook down on me (b)

The dust of snow (a)

From a hemlock tree (b)

Just in case, you are all set to appreciate Milton then obviously, you cannot find such rhyme scheme in “Paradise lost”. In that case observe the deviations as they complement the theme.

One has to have some know-how of literary figures of speech such as metaphors, similes, personification, allusions, etc., in order to enjoy the real flavour of poetry. A background in literature can help you appreciate the modern poets or the romanticists with little effort.

By romanticism, I am referring to the Romantic Movement in which poetry was taken away from the classical norms and was all about flight of imagination, simple language and mundane realities. For a beginner, trying his hands on Shakespeare, Milton, Spenser or Dryden can really thrust him back. So beware, don’t start with them right away. Understanding the classics require an understanding of the contemporary language, the literary movements of the time and even some references of Greek mythology and that too, under the patronage of an outstanding poetry teacher.

Some knowledge of the poet is always helpful. You can easily search a little bit about the poet you are interested in reading, through net surfing. If you are interested in reading Wordsworth then you must know a little bit about his nostalgia and pantheism.

Visualise the poem. I fell in love with poetry for the first time in my life when I heard an Australian teacher recite a beautiful romantic poem for us in a SPELT conference class. She asked her students to visualise the poem. It was an amazing experience that is even an absolute pleasure to recall. We could literally see through our mind’s eyes; the daffodils, the serene picturesque lush green valley and the two love birds.