When someone mentions poetry names such as William Shakespeare or Emily Dickinson come to mind. Poetry is a literary style where poets express their thoughts and feelings using a particular style which may involve a type of rhythm.
No matter when the poetry was written the best poets will be able to captivate an audience at any point in time.
1. William Shakespeare
Not only was he a poet, but also an actor and playwright. Considered to be one of the greatest writers in the world and is often referred to as England’s national poet or the “Bard of Avon”.
The works that we still have today include about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long poems and some other short poetry. His plays have stood the test of time and have been translated into almost every modern language. Shakespeare died in April 1616 at the age of 52.
2. William Butler Yeats
An Irish poet born in 1865, long before the time of online betting NZ, he became one of the most important literary figures of the 20th century. Educated in both Ireland and London Yeats spent his childhood holidays in County Sligo where he became captivated by Irish legends and the occult.
His earlier poetry was of a slower pace and later it became more physical and realistic. He also abandoned the beliefs of his youth, but was still fascinated by cyclical theories of life. Yeats was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923. Yeats died in January 1939.
3. Emily Dickinson
An American poet, Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts. She studied at the Amherst Academy and also attended the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary for a brief time. She was a recluse and spent much of her life isolated. She was thought of as eccentric and would wear only white clothing.
Dickinson did not marry and most of her interaction with others was done by written correspondence. She wrote over 1 800 poems but sadly only a dozen or so of them were published while she was living.
The poetry that was published was often changed, as it did not fit in with the conventional poetry of the day. Her writing at the time was unique and used slant rhyme and an uncommon use of capitals and punctuation. Her sister found the majority of her poetry after Dickinson had died in 1886 at the age of 55.
4. Percy Bysshe Shelley
A romantic English Poet, Shelley was born in 1792 and is considered as one of the best lyric poets of all time. His poetry expressed radical views that spilled over into his politics and social life. His poetry only became famous after his death in 1822 at the young age of 29.
He is best known for poems such as Ozymandias and To a Skylark. Much of his poetry was not published, as publishers were afraid of being arrested as his poetry contained blasphemy and sedition. Today his poetry is widely acclaimed and has had profound influences on Karl Marx and Leo Tolstoy.
