The musician - if he be a good one - finds his own perception

"The musician - if he be a good one - finds his own perception prompted by the poet's perception, and he translates the expression of that perception from the terms of poetry into the terms of music." These words of John Drinkwater speak to the deep and eternal relationship between poetry and music—two of the most powerful forms of art that humanity has ever known. Both are born from the same well of human experience, drawing from the same emotion, the same depth of the soul. A true musician, Drinkwater suggests, does not simply play notes or follow rhythms; instead, he listens to the language of poetry, feels the essence of its expression, and translates it into sound—giving voice to what is said with words in a new, pure form.

In the ancient world, music and poetry were often inseparable. The poet was not merely a creator of words but a performer of the divine, channeling the great cosmic forces through language. Orpheus, the legendary poet and musician of ancient Greece, was said to have had the power to move even the gods with the melody of his lyre. His songs were not just poems spoken aloud but music that carried the very essence of the world. This fusion of poetry and music was central to the Greeks’ understanding of both art forms—they believed that music and poetry were twin expressions of the soul, each elevating the other, drawing from the same divine inspiration. In Orpheus, we see the perfect example of the musician whose understanding of poetry was not simply intellectual, but experiential—one who translated the feelings and perceptions of the poem into sound, into a new form that resonated with the hearts of all who heard him.

The great poets of antiquity, like Homer, did not only write for the page—they wrote for the voice, for the performance. The poems of Homer were sung aloud to the accompaniment of the lyre, and the rhythm of the verse was as important as the content of the words. The musicality of language was central to the poem’s power. In this way, the poet and the musician were not distinct figures, but partners, each translating the deeper truths of the world into their own language. A good musician, as Drinkwater suggests, takes the perception and the emotion that the poet has given through language and transforms it into music, a form that transcends words. It is the very act of translation—taking one form of expression and converting it into another—that makes the musician a true artist.

Consider the work of Ludwig van Beethoven, whose symphonies often echoed the grandeur and depth of the poetic world. Beethoven, though not a poet in the traditional sense, was deeply inspired by the spoken word, translating the emotional and philosophical weight of poems and literature into musical forms that spoke directly to the heart. His Ninth Symphony, particularly the Ode to Joy, was a musical translation of Friedrich Schiller’s poem, which itself celebrated unity, freedom, and the divine nature of human connection. Beethoven, in his genius, took Schiller’s words—which were already a profound expression of human emotion—and gave them new life through sound, making them resonate in a way that words alone could not.

The profound relationship between poetry and music is one that transcends time and culture. Both art forms are language, but while poetry speaks directly to the mind, music speaks directly to the soul. The musician, as Drinkwater points out, does not simply repeat the words of the poet but translates those words into a new form—one that bypasses the intellect and moves straight into the heart. This is why music has the power to stir emotions in a way that words alone sometimes cannot. The best musicians, much like the best poets, have the ability to understand the essence of emotion and expression and to give it shape in a way that communicates with the deepest parts of ourselves.

The lesson here is simple, yet profound: art is not about pigeonholing or classifying forms of expression. It is about connection, translation, and transcendence. Poetry and music are two sides of the same coin, and their power lies in their ability to communicate the unspoken truths of existence. Whether you are a poet or a musician—or a creator in any other form—you must recognize that the best art is not bound by form. It is not about the boundaries of words or the limitations of sound; it is about the expression of what lies within. The best artists are those who can feel deeply, who can translate that feeling into a form that resonates with others, whether that form be poetry, music, or any other expression of the human spirit.

In practical terms, let us take from this teaching the understanding that our art is not confined to one medium or one form. As creators, we must be open to the possibility of translating our feelings into different languages—whether that is through words, music, painting, or any other form of expression. By allowing ourselves to cross boundaries and to see our creative expression as a fluid process, we can create art that is alive, that speaks to the soul, and that carries the truth of the human experience in a way that transcends the limitations of any one form. Let us embrace the mutual inspiration that flows between poetry and music, and between all forms of art, recognizing that in their union, they become greater than the sum of their parts.