📘 ❞ شعر القرن السادس عشر في انجلترا ❝ كتاب ــ المؤلف

عن كتاب شعر القرن السادس عشر في انجلترا:
مدخل أساسي للشعر الأنجليزي وعصر النهضة

تأليف: أستاذ / رضا السعيد


Preface
A large number of students face great difficulty in understanding, analyzing, and appreciating poetry. The fault is usually not theirs, but rather that of their teachers who face the same difficulty .

English Poetry is not difficult to understand, once we grasp the quintessential characteristics of poetry, its special diction, and its grammatical peculiarities . Once we achieve that , we will find it easy to understand , analyze , and appreciate a poem .For instance , images depend mainly , apart from the poet's imagination , on figures of speech . Also, music is usually a matter of versification , which is tackled simply with a short and simple section on scansion.

In the part which discusses history of poetry , I tried to give representative and carefully chosen poems of the different phases and schools of poetry . They are well-known poems which I liked and enjoyed , I hope that you will enjoy them too , and that they will instill in you a love of English Poetry.

Best of Luck ,
Reda El Said Abdel Baset .

English Language Instructor
A specialist in AUC & British Council
and Armed Forces Institute Courses.
A specialist in English Literature & Linguistics.
P. G. S. in English Literature and Educational Studies.
Cairo University.


"All poets are mad"– Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy.
"I begin to suspect the young man of a terrible taint – poetry" –
Ben Johnson , Bartholomew Fair.
The Definition of Poetry :
None has managed to produce a satisfactory definition of poetry. Yet , there have been several attempts to give one. For example , Matthew Arnold named it "a criticism of life". Another definition was by W.H. Auden , "memorable speech". As to the language of romanticism , William Wordsworth defined poetry as "the spontaneous overflow of powerful. As well , Coleridge said that poetry is "the best words in the best order" whereas Shelley defined poetry as "the expression of the imagination". But , all the previous definitions give individually a clear biased prospect of poetry , and simultaneously might be contributed to several objects other than poetry. That is to say , it is said that Samuel Johnson has replied to the question : "What is poetry?", by : "Why , sir , it is much easier to say what it is not. We all know what light is , but it is not easy to tell what it is. "In other words , it is better to mention only the obvious bases through which poetry is differentiated from other arts. That is , it is an art of which the chief material is language ; that it requires all rules of form , music , symbol , allegory , and imagery. Therefore , the true nature of poetry as an art is recognized than defined , and it is not right to define poetry by its opposite , i.e., prose. It is not poetry but verse and a piece of writing may or may not be poetry.
Schools of English Poetry
(From 500 –1965)
The Anglo–Saxon Period (500–1066) :
The Anglo–Saxons invaders arrived Britain near the end of the fifth century A.C. they were the founders of what is called English literature. The heroic poetry is of surviving Anglo–Saxons Literature which still bears traces , not only of the pre–Christian heroic society , but also aspects of English community. It is not facile to place a specific date for the commencement of Anglo–Saxon heroic poetry , but what had survived belongs to the seventh and eighth centuries. Te most prominent poetic work , which had survived from this age is Beowulf. This epic has a special position in English Literature since it is the sole complete extant epic of its genre. It deals with the heroic deeds of Beowulf , the nephew of king Hygelac of northern Sweden. As a poem , Beowulf is technically impressive , especially in its handling narrative verse in revealing heroic idealism. In other words , the scenes of the poem are laid in Denmark and Sweden , and it tells the deeds of the brave hero Beowulf , who crossed from Sweden to Denmark to help his nephew, king Hrothgar.

The main theme of "Beowulf" :
Hrothgar's royal palace , Heorot , was permanently visited by a cruel monster , Grendel , who seized and devoured one of his countries every night. Beowulf was able to slay that monster and also his mother , who had come to take revenge upon her son's death. After that , Beowulf returned to his country , and , now an aged king , slayed a dragon , but died as a direct consequence of his wounds. Therefore , it tackles the struggle between good and evil , a theme that is discussed in many literary subjects.
Notice :
In the lines quoted below , there is no rhyme , but there is rhythm by four main stresses in a line and frequent alliteration. These verses were sung to the accompaniment of a harp.
From : Beowulf.
Grendel seizes and devours one of Beowulf's men who are left in charge of Hrothgar's hall. Beowulf fights Grendel , who after losing an arm , flies and dies in the fens. The next night Grendel's mother avenges her son by carrying of Aeschere:
Beowulf mapelode , bearn Ecgpeowes :
'Ne sorga , snotor guma ! selre bis aeghwaem paet he his freond wrece ponne he fela murne ;
ure aeghwylc sceal ende gebidan worolde lifes ; wyrce se pe mote domes aer deape ! paet bi dryhtguman unlifgendum aefter selest Aris, rices weard ; uton rape feran , Grendles magan gang sceawigan!
Which means in Modern English :
Beowulf spoke , son of Ecgtheow.
Sorrow not , wise warrior ! it is better for each to avenge his friend than greatly to mourn ; Each of us must needs a wait the end of life in the world ; let him who can achieve fame ere death ! that is best for a noble warrior ,
When life is over ,
Rise up , guardian of the realm ; let us go quickly Hence to behold the track of Grendel's Kinswoman.
The Middle English Period. (1066–1500) :
In the medieval Age , after embracing the Anglo – Saxons Christianity , The trend of poetry shifted to glorifying Christian heroes and Jesus Christ. In this age , the church was dominating everything in English people's life. Even art was domineered by the church in the form of religious plays as well as heroic poetry. Those plays were performed by monks in the church and heroic poetry was also written by them.