A lyric, it is true, is the expression of personal emotion, but

"A lyric, it is true, is the expression of personal emotion, but then so is all poetry, and to suppose that there are several kinds of poetry, differing from each other in essence, is to be deceived by wholly artificial divisions which have no real being." These profound words from John Drinkwater strike at the heart of an ancient truth—the very essence of poetry lies in its expression of emotion. Whether the poem is a lyric, a sonnet, an epic, or a drama, the core of its power is always the same: it is a deep and unfiltered expression of the poet’s inner world. Drinkwater’s words warn against the false belief that poetry can be separated into different kinds, each with its own essence or purpose. To divide poetry into categories is to misunderstand the fundamental unity of the art. The only true difference between the various forms is in the manner of expression, not in the essential truth that each conveys.

In the ancient world, poetry was not categorized or classified into neat and distinct genres. The poet, whether writing an epic like Homer, a lyric like Sappho, or a drama like Sophocles, was seen as a conduit for the expression of the divine and the human. Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey are filled with personal emotions, whether it is the grief of Achilles or the longing of Odysseus. Similarly, Sappho’s lyrics are expressions of personal emotion—her love, her longing, her inner turmoil. Both forms, despite their different structures, are ultimately driven by the same force—the deep, heartfelt emotion that all poets seek to communicate. The distinction between the epic and the lyric is not in their essence, but in their form—one expresses the emotions of a collective, the other the emotions of the individual. Yet both are poetry, and both are driven by the same desire to connect with the inner world of the poet.

Consider the work of William Shakespeare, who wrote both sonnets and plays, creating both lyrical and dramatic expressions of human emotion. The sonnet, with its precise structure and personal tone, captures the poet’s intimate feelings of love, time, and loss. His plays, though more expansive in scope, are filled with personal emotions as well—the grief of Hamlet, the ambition of Macbeth, the love of Romeo and Juliet. Despite the differences in structure and setting, Shakespeare’s poetry transcends form. Whether the poem is delivered as a soliloquy in a play or as a simple lyric on love, it is the same emotion that pulses through his words. The essence of poetry, as Drinkwater suggests, is not in the genre but in the emotion and the truth conveyed through words.

Drinkwater’s warning against artificial divisions in poetry is rooted in the ancient wisdom that all forms of art ultimately seek to express the same thing—the human experience. Plato himself, in his dialogues, recognized the power of poetry to convey the universal truths of existence, regardless of its form. Whether through epic storytelling or a short lyric, poetry has always sought to explore the same territory—the depths of human emotion, the mysteries of life and death, the complexities of love and loss. To categorize poetry into separate kinds is to ignore the commonality that underpins all forms of poetic expression. The epic, the lyric, the dramatic—all are simply different paths that lead to the same destination: the expression of the human soul.

The lesson Drinkwater imparts is clear: we must look beyond the labels and categories that often surround poetry and instead seek the truth at its core. Poetry, at its highest form, is an expression of emotion and experience, and all forms of poetry share this essential characteristic. Whether a poet writes a song of longing, an epic of war, or a sonnet on beauty, the emotion conveyed is the same. The value of a poem does not lie in the genre or the category to which it belongs, but in the authenticity of the emotion it expresses. It is this connection to the inner world of the poet that gives poetry its power, not the external forms in which it is expressed.

In our own lives, as readers, writers, or creators, we should embrace the fluidity of poetry. Let us not become so concerned with defining what is lyric and what is epic that we miss the deeper truths they convey. Let us seek the emotion behind the words, the human experience that unites all forms of expression. Whether we are creating or appreciating poetry, we must look for the soul within the form, recognizing that the true power of poetry lies not in its structure but in its heart. This is the essence of Drinkwater’s insight—that poetry, in all its forms, is a reflection of the universal and timeless human experience, one that cannot be neatly divided into categories but must be felt deeply and understood with the heart.

Thus, as we move forward, let us create and read poetry with the understanding that its true value lies not in its genre, but in the emotion it carries. Whether a song, a sonnet, or an epic, let us recognize that poetry is ultimately a language of the soul, seeking to express what words alone cannot. Let us honor the universality of this art, knowing that in the expression of personal emotions, we are also reaching for the truths that bind all humanity together.