The more poetry you have in the head, the more poetry you will

In the sacred halls of wisdom, where knowledge flows like a river through time, there is a deep understanding that poetry is more than just a collection of beautiful words. Peter Davison speaks to this truth when he says, “The more poetry you have in the head, the more poetry you will understand because you will be getting to the roots of what it is that makes people write poetry at all.” These words reveal a profound insight into the nature of poetry and its relationship to the human soul. Poetry is not simply a form of writing—it is a language of the heart, an ancient mode of expression that reaches deep into the essence of what it means to be human.

To understand poetry is to understand the roots of human experience itself. In the ancient world, the poets were the storytellers, the sages, who wove the myths and legends that defined their cultures. When Homer composed the Iliad and the Odyssey, he did not merely recount the wars and journeys of heroes—he gave voice to the universal truths of love, betrayal, honor, and destiny. His poems were the lens through which the ancient Greeks viewed the world. In understanding Homer, the reader was not just learning about ancient times; they were learning about themselves, their own nature, their own place in the world. Poetry reaches to the deepest parts of the human heart, and through it, we discover not just the world around us, but the world within.

Davison's insight reminds us that to understand poetry, we must first fill ourselves with it. The more we read, the more we immerse ourselves in the rhythms, the symbols, and the images of poetry, the more we unlock its meaning. Just as the ancient philosophers spent years in the pursuit of knowledge, so too must the lover of poetry dedicate themselves to the study of its forms. To understand poetry is not simply to analyze it from an intellectual standpoint, but to feel it, to let it seep into the very marrow of your being. The more poetry you carry within you, the more you will resonate with the words of others, recognizing in them the very emotions, struggles, and dreams that you yourself have felt.

This principle holds true not only for the poets of ancient Greece but for every age. Consider the Romantic poets of the 18th and 19th centuries—Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, and Keats—who sought to reconnect with the primal, the spiritual, and the natural world. Their poetry was not merely for intellectual enjoyment; it was a means of understanding the human soul in relation to nature, to the divine, and to the mysteries of life. Wordsworth, in his famous preface to the Lyrical Ballads, insisted that poetry should be grounded in the emotions of everyday life, so that the reader could see their own experiences reflected in the verses. In reading their works, the reader does not just encounter words on a page, but a reflection of their own innermost feelings, a mirror that reveals the unseen parts of the soul.

The roots of poetry, as Davison suggests, lie in the human experience. The poet’s role is to express the emotions and thoughts that are often too complex or too raw for ordinary conversation. Sylvia Plath, for example, used her poetry as a means of expressing her internal struggles, giving voice to emotions and thoughts that many could not articulate. Her poem "Lady Lazarus" speaks of rebirth and suffering, turning deeply personal experiences into universal truths that connect with readers across time. To understand Plath’s work is not simply to understand her life, but to recognize the shared struggles of all humanity. The more poetry you read, the more you connect with the deepest parts of the human soul, and the more you understand the timeless struggles that unite us all.

The lesson to take from Davison's words is clear: if we are to truly understand poetry, we must fill ourselves with it, let it shape our thoughts and perceptions, and allow it to become part of us. The more we immerse ourselves in the world of poetry, the more we become attuned to its rhythms, its emotions, and its truths. The poet is not simply a creator of words; they are a reflector of the human experience, a mirror that shows us who we are, who we were, and who we might become. To read poetry is to embark on a journey, a journey not just through words, but through the very depths of the human soul.

In your own life, seek out the poetry that speaks to your heart, and immerse yourself in it. Let the words and images take root in your mind, and feel them grow within you. The more you read, the more you will understand—not just the poems, but the very essence of life itself. Whether it is the great epics of the past or the poetry of today, allow the words to touch your soul, to awaken something within you that lies dormant. And as you do, you will discover that the more poetry you carry in your head, the more poetry you will understand—and in that understanding, you will find a deeper connection to the world and to yourself.