“lighght” – Aram Saroyan, 1965
No, there is no typo. No, there is no context. This word, “lighght,” is a poem in its entirety. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a poem is defined as “a piece of writing in which the words are carefully chosen for the images and ideas they suggest, and in which the sounds of the words when read aloud often follow a particular rhythmic pattern.” Keyword: “words.” So is this famous minimalist poem by Saroyan really a poem? This is a topic of major controversy, but this poetry style clearly has supporters, as evidenced by the fact that this poem was selected by George Plimpton to be featured in The American Literary Anthology and received a $750 cash award from the National Endowment for the Arts. So how has poetry evolved from the Shakespearean sonnets we learn about in English class to this? Let’s dive into a complete history of the evolution of poetry, from ancient poems in 2000 B.C. to the ones we see today.
Poetry’s roots lie in ancient love poems and epic tales. The oldest known love poem is “The Love Song for Shu-Sin,” created in 2000 B.C. in Mesopotamia. It was used annually as part of the sacred rites of fertility. The most ancient known epic poem is the “Epic of Gilgamesh,” which was part of the oral tradition of the Sumerians, dating back to 2000 B.C., before it was even written down in 1000 B.C. The story is about a part-human, part-god who is in pursuit of eternal life and overcomes challenges while doing so. It was told in poetic styling, likely to aid storytellers in remembering it. Epic poetry’s importance continued in the work of ancient Greeks and Romans between 1200 B.C. and A.D. 455. Homer, one of the most famous Greek poets, told the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey,” two great epic poems that were later written down by others. Poetry was a major form of entertainment at this time, and it held much cultural importance as it was a mainstream method of storytelling. Here is a snippet from the “Iliad”:
“King Priam and Queen Hecuba ruled the city of Troy. While she was pregnant,
Hecuba dreamed that her baby would cause the destruction of the royal family
and of Troy. So when the baby boy was born, Priam gave his son to a shepherd
and told the shepherd to abandon the baby on a mountain.”
In the medieval times, from around 455 to 1485, poetry began expanding in its forms. While poetry had been typically written in Latin, poets began writing in vernacular languages like Old English and Old French. Poets began playing around with different subjects like romance, social satire, and religious critique, too. Some notable poets from this period are Geoffrey Chaucer (author of The Canterbury Tales), Dante Alighieri (author of The Divine Comedy), and Christine de Pizan (a proto-feminist poet). Here’s an excerpt from “The Knight’s Tale” from The Canterbury Tales:
“Whilom, as olde stories tellen us,
Once, as old histories tell us,
Ther was a duc that highte Theseus;
There was a duke who was called Theseus”
The English Renaissance, which took place from around 1485 to 1660, gave rise to the form of poetry that we are all very familiar with, using innovative forms like sonnets and blank verse, with new forms of meter. These poets looked to the past, using Greek and Roman poetry as inspiration. Poems explored themes like humanism, love, time, beauty, morality, and the human condition. Some of the most recognizable works from this period are by famous poets William Shakespeare, Sir Philip Sidney, John Donne, Edmund Spenser, and Margaret Cavendish. Poetry was most often consumed in public theaters in the form of verse drama, as plays often had poetry incorporated into them, like in Shakespeare’s famous Romeo and Juliet. Here’s a snippet from Shakespeare’s poem, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”:
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.”
In the period of the Enlightenment, from around 1660 to 1790, there was a return to the formal styles and discipline in writing of the classical Greeks. Poetry explored philosophical and educational themes, and popular poets were Alexander Pope and John Milton. Pope used his satirical poetry to critique society, morality, and human folly, while Milton focused on grand religious and philosophical narratives, most famously exploring themes of humanity’s fall and God’s justice in his epic. As seen, poets realized the power of their poems and used them to influence society and promote their beliefs. This shift in poetry reflects the Enlightenment itself, with its emphasis on reason and science. Here’s an excerpt from Book VI of John Milton’s epic poem “Paradise Lost”:
“Stand still in bright array, ye Saints; here stand,
Ye Angels armed; this day from battle rest:
Faithful hath been your warfare, and of God
Accepted, fearless in his righteous cause.”
Romanticism, taking hold from 1790 to 1830, was a complete 180° from the Enlightenment Era poetry. At this time, the Romantics were focused on individuality, nature, imagination, and intuition. Popular poets from this period are John Keats, Lord Byron, and Percy B. Shelly. Poetry was written in the forms of odes and sonnets. Odes are lengthy, lyrical poems that celebrate a subject with elevated language, allowing Romantics to express profound emotion with imagination, and sonnets are strict fourteen-line poems that were adapted by Romantics to focus on intense personal feeling, contrasting sharply with the intellectual and formal restraint of the previous Enlightenment era. The transcendentalist movement broke out in the United States, bringing new poetic styles. Transcendentalist poetry, a subgenre of romantic poetry, focuses on the inherent goodness of humanity and nature, and the importance of self-reliance and intuition as paths to truth. Poets like Walt Whitman went as far as writing in free verse, entirely abandoning rhyme and meter. Whitman left a lasting impact on poetry, as free verse is very common today. This era also saw the rise of Gothism, another offshoot of Romanticism. Gothic poetry features dark settings, supernatural occurrences, and themes of mystery and fear. Romanticism and its subgenres were a backlash against the Enlightenment, favoring intuition over logic. Here is a snippet from a popular poem by John Keats, “Ode on a Grecian Urn”:
“More happy love! more happy, happy love!
For ever warm and still to be enjoy’d,
For ever panting, and for ever young;
All breathing human passion far above,
That leaves a heart high-sorrowful and cloy’d,
A burning forehead, and a parching tongue.”
Modernist poetry, which emerged in the early 20th century, marked a dramatic departure from the structured forms and themes of previous eras. The modernist movement fought against the old-fashioned idea that poetry must be beautiful, and modernism actively fought against strict poetic structures. Although some continued to use traditional forms, many poets began writing poems that were shorter and more concise. Some famous modernist poets include T.S. Eliot, Sylvia Plath, W.B. Yeats, Robert Frost, and W.H. Auden. They introduced various new forms of poetry, such as free verse and inverted syntax. Similarly, lyric poetry, which first emerged in the 19th century, grew in popularity during the 20th century as the rise of radio brought more attention to spoken and musical forms of expression. While not exactly songs, lyric poems had no regulations or limits; many of these poems had an unconventionally large number of stanzas. This type of poetry lives on in our songs today, remaining one of the most impactful and widespread forms of expression in the modern age. A great example of modernist poetry is “i carry your heart with me” by E.E. Cummings:
“i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)”
Following World War II, poetry began to shift once again, this time with the rise of the postmodern movement. Poets rejected traditional forms and embraced fragmentation, irony, and a sense of disillusionment with the world around them. Around this time, the Beat poets emerged, using poetry as a form of rebellion against mainstream values. Their work was raw, honest, and often performed aloud, setting the stage for the spoken word movement. Poetry became a tool for self-expression and social commentary, especially during the counterculture era, when voices that had long been silenced were finally being heard. This shift allowed poetry to move out of books and into public spaces like coffee shops, protests, and street corners. A few popular postmodern poets include Allen Ginsberg, Robert Creeley, Jerome Rothenberg, Amiri Baraka, and Susan Howe. An example of a postmodern poem is “Howl” by Allen Ginsberg; here’s a snippet;
“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked,
dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix.”
Today, poetry continues to evolve alongside technology and culture. Some well-known contemporary poets are Mary Oliver and Ada Limón. Poetry is seen everywhere today. Social media has made poetry more accessible than ever, giving rise to forms like “Insta-poetry,” where short poems are shared through platforms like Instagram. These poems often use simple language and minimal structure, but still aim to make an emotional impact. This aim is often not met, however, as seen with the infamous poem “she cried, he crew, we crode.” Spoken word and slam poetry have also become increasingly popular, bringing poetry back to its oral roots through live performance. Musicians like Bob Dylan, who even won the Nobel Prize in Literature, show how song lyrics can be deeply poetic. Rap music often mirrors the rhythm and rhyme found in traditional verse. Even artificial intelligence is entering the poetry space, raising new questions about what counts as poetry. Despite all these changes, poetry remains a powerful way to express human experience, and it’s far from fading away.
Poetry is an art form that has been around for ages. Its impact on our culture is tremendous, which is why we study it in school. This article focused on poetry with mainly Latin origins, but there are so many more forms of poetry from all over the world to explore. The journey through poetry is endless.
Sources:
“Poetry through the Ages: A Historical Journey.” Albert Resources, 16 Feb. 2024, www.albert.io/blog/poetry-through-the-ages-a-historical-journey/.
“The History of Poetry: From Ancient Verses to Modern Lines.” Baronfig, 2015, baronfig.com/blogs/blog/the-history-of-poetry-from-ancient-verses-to-modern-lines?pb=0&srsltid=AfmBOoqDRUUtVLLqaHWUuSbEYfMRtJL6PAee-1cuJYMWvDe7C6iRYqU2. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Uttley, Caitlin. “How Poetry Works.” HowStuffWorks, 23 Mar. 2010, entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/literature/poetry7.htm.
Wikipedia Contributors. “Aram Saroyan.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Feb. 2025.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aram_Saroyan
Wikipedia Contributors. “History of Poetry.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Aug. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_poetry.
Keats, John. “Ode on a Grecian Urn.” Poetry Foundation, 1819, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44477/ode-on-a-grecian-urn.
Fiction Excerpt 2: Excerpts from Homer’s Iliad.
Academy of American Poets. “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day? (Sonnet 18) by William Shakespeare – Poems | Poets.org.” Poets.org, 2019, poets.org/poem/shall-i-compare-thee-summers-day-sonnet-18.
Me, I. Carry Your Heart with. “I Carry Your Heart with Me by E.e. Cummings.” Allpoetry.com, allpoetry.com/i-carry-your-heart-with-me.
“Howl.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/49303/howl. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.