The philosophy sounds fascinating and worthy of study, Shah, but that apart
you seem to be suggesting that a poem is an act of personal meditation and
need carry no message of relevance to anyone else. I can see that is a point
of view but not mine. I have written in isolation most of my life and am now
only just discovering how shallow and uncrafted my earlier work was. Its
shallowness and lack of craft was simply because I wrote for myself and not
to be read and understood by others. I knew what it meant and that was all
that was important. I was blissfully unaware of how poor my poetry was. The
opportunity to share with others has made me a better poet, personally
happier with my work, how good I leave others to judge. For me poetry that
is born in isolation and that acknowledges no need to be wider understood is
an indulgence and a vanity. To say it is a non-issue whether what one tries
to communicate actually communicates is an avoidance of artistic
responsibility, in my opinion. I can think of many examples of Western poets
and artists who were 'true to their own lights' and still communicated to a
wide audience but that took time and the artist can be said to have educated
his audience.Which rather defuses the point I am making but I still think
Art is a form of communication and if it fails in that aspect it is the less
for that. Perhaps this divergence of understanding the nature and purpose of
art and poetry is a cultural one, I don't know., It is interesting and worth
thinking about. Regards Arthur.----- Original Message -----
From: "c s shah" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2003 3:47 PM
Subject: Arthur and C.


> C. and Arthur
>
> I feel, poetry is not science; it is intuitive expression of what one
> feels, thinks, or imagines about one of the myriad aspects of life.
> Moreover, such an expression is mainly subjective. Poetry does not try
> to convince others about its quality or usefulness. It is presented as a
> piece of art to others; whether it is appreciated or not is a different
> issue, a non-issue for the poet.
>
> The idea or theme or subject-matter of the poem, according to me, is the
> soul of poetry. Grammar and other minor problems of presentation
> (language, form etc.) are secondary issues, they can be corrected.
>
> "Repentance and Resolve" deals with a highly sensitive subject: of
> leaving this world in search of Final Truth - in India that is the
> fourth stage of life (sannyasa). One can take either wife or husband
> here who has come to the stage where the protagonist has developed
> strong sense of detachment and dispassion. He/She wants to leave
> her/him. The other partner sees, appreciates, and accepts, his/her
> point. The other person repents that he/she could not prepare himself or
> herself for that struggle for final Freedom. He or she also longs for
> and resolves to seek meditative isolation where a pearl of Wisdom would
> be born.
>
> bw
> css