HISTORY OF POETRY

Poetry as an art form predates written text.[1] The earliest poetry is believed
to have been recited or sung, employed as a way of remembering oral history,
genealogy, and law. Poetry is often closely related to musical traditions,[2] and
the earliest poetry exists in the form of hymns (such as the work of Sumerian
priestess Enheduanna), and other types of song such as chants. As such poetry is a
verbal art. Many of the poems surviving from the ancient world are recorded
prayers, or stories about religious subject matter, but they also include historical
accounts, instructions for everyday activities, love songs,[3] and fiction. Many
scholars, particularly those researching the Homeric tradition and the oral epics of
the Balkans, suggest that early writing shows clear traces of older oral traditions,
including the use of repeated phrases as building blocks in larger poetic units. A
rhythmic and repetitious form would make a long story easier to remember and
retell, before writing was available as a reminder. Thus many ancient works, from
the Vedas (1500 - 1000 BC) to the Odyssey (800 - 675 BC), appear to have been
composed in poetic form to aid memorization and oral transmission, in
prehistoric and ancient societies.[4] Poetry appears among the earliest records of
most literate cultures, with poetic fragments found on early monoliths,
runestones and stelae.

FOREIGN POETRY ARTIST

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

William Shakespeare (bapt. 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616)[a] was an English

poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English
language and the world's greatest dramatist.[2][3][4] He is often called England's
national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard").[5][b] His extant
works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays,[c] 154 sonnets, two long
narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays
have been translated into every major living language and are performed more
often than those of any other playwright.
WALT WHITMAN

Walt Whitman (/ˈhwɪtmən/; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American
poet, essayist, and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between
transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is
among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father
of free verse.[1] His work was controversial in its time, particularly his poetry
collection Leaves of Grass, which was described as obscene for its overt
sensuality. Whitman's own life came under scrutiny for his presumed
homosexuality.

ROBERT FROST

Robert Lee Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963) was an American poet. His
work was initially published in England before it was published in America. Known
for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial
speech,[2] Frost frequently wrote about settings from rural life in New England in
the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and
philosophical themes.
WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

William Wordsworth (7 April 1770 – 23 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet
who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English
literature with their joint publication Lyrical Ballads (1798).

JAMES HUGHES

James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1902[1] – May 22, 1967) was an
American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin,
Missouri. He moved to New York City as a young man, where he made his career.
One of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form called jazz poetry,
Hughes is best known as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance. He famously wrote
about the period that "the negro was in vogue", which was later paraphrased as
"when Harlem was in vogue.
LOCAL POETRY ARTIST

JOSE RIZAL

José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda[7] (Spanish pronunciation: [xoˈse

riˈsal]; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist and
polymath during the tail end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He
is tagged as the national hero (pambansang bayani) of the Filipino people.[8] An
ophthalmologist by profession, Rizal became a writer and a key member of the
Filipino Propaganda Movement which advocated political reforms for the colony
under Spain.

JOSE VILLA

José Garcia Villa (August 5, 1908 – February 7, 1997) was a Filipino poet, literary
critic, short story writer, and painter. He was awarded the National Artist of the
Philippines title for literature in 1973,[1] as well as the Guggenheim Fellowship in
creative writing by Conrad Aiken.[2] He is known to have introduced the
"reversed consonance rhyme scheme" in writing poetry, as well as the extensive
use of punctuation marks—especially commas, which made him known as the
Comma Poet.[3] He used the pen name Doveglion (derived from "Dove, Eagle,
Lion"), based on the characters he derived from his own works. These animals
were also explored by another poet, E. E. Cummings, in "Doveglion, Adventures in
Value", a poem dedicated to Villa.

FRANCISCO BALAGTAS

Francisco Balagtas y de la Cruz (April 2, 1788 – February 20, 1862), commonly

known as Francisco Balagtas and also as Francisco Baltazar, was a prominent
Filipino poet during the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is widely
considered one of the greatest Filipino literary laureates for his impact on Filipino
literature. The famous epic Florante at Laura is regarded as his defining work.

AMADO HERNANDEZ
Amado Vera Hernandez, commonly known as Amado V. Hernandez (September
13, 1903 – March 24, 1970), was a Filipino writer and labor leader who was
known for his criticism of social injustices in the Philippines and was later
imprisoned for his involvement in the communist movement. He was the central
figure in a landmark legal case that took 13 years to settle.

LOPE SANTOS
Lope K. Santos (born Lope Santos y Canseco, September 25, 1879 – May 1,
1963) was a Filipino Tagalog language writer and former senator of the
Philippines. He is best known for his 1906 socialist novel, Banaag at Sikat and to
his contributions for the development of Filipino grammar and Tagalog
orthography.