Poetry is the oldest literary genre accompanied by labor. In Europe, as early as the 9th century BC, there was a great poet Homer in ancient Greece. His Iliad and Odyssey are the earliest outstanding epics in the history of European literature. In China, 305 works in The Book of Songs, the first collection of poems, are roughly works from the early Zhou Dynasty to the mid-Spring and Autumn Period, which is the glorious starting point of China literature and has a far-reaching influence on later literature.
Paying attention to the harmony of phonology, full of rich imagination and warm feelings are the most basic characteristics of poetry. Emotion is the direct object and soul of poetry. Imagination is the wing of poetry. Without imagination, the feelings of poetry cannot be well expressed.
Poetry is different from novels and dramas. It does not describe life comprehensively, meticulously and concretely, but only concentrates and summarizes it through a life segment with the most characteristic significance. For example, Bai Juyi's Song of Eternal Sorrow reflects the fact that Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty attached great importance to the country. From Yang Guifei's indulgence in court life to the turbulent years of war. From the king's unparalleled love for her to a bad end; From the emperor's lofty authority to the fact that Emperor Xuanzong could not save Yang Guifei, these complicated contents are highly summarized in Song of Eternal Sorrow in only a few pages.
The language of poetry is more refined than other styles, and even every word has to be scrutinized repeatedly in order to express thoughts, feelings and life content most appropriately and fully. Some people say that poetry must extract enough words from thousands of tons of language deposits to express its content, which is why. Poetry should not only express strong feelings, but also have distinct rhythm and harmonious rhythm.
If poems are classified by rhyme, there are generally rhyming poems and blank poems; From the perspective of language format, there are differences between metrical poetry and free verse; According to the way of expressing content, it can be divided into two categories: lyric and narrative. Some poems can also be called prose poems if they have the characteristics of prose.