Commentary and Philosophy Non-Fiction posted February 19, 2021 |
Superfluous. Punctuation. In. Poetry. (Just sayin')
Why Not Just Go With the Flow?
by Elizabeth Emerald
Capitalizing the first letter of each line in ... "old-timey" ... poetry is so standard that it’s almost seen as a rule ... But it isn’t. It’s a tool like any other.*
I agree; arbitrary capitalization sounds forced.
Why capitalize those
Words? Surely you wouldn't
If this (dreadful) poem were prose
Instead. You shouldn't!
Albeit just as dreadful when cast as poetry, at least this version is readable:
Why capitalize those
words? Surely you wouldn't
if this (dreadful) poem were prose
instead. You shouldn't!
This said, I think that punctuation, unless needed for clarity mid-line, such as in the pair of sentences above, is largely superfluous in poetry. Whenever a break occurs naturally at the end-of-line, why clog it up with a comma or period per the rules of prose? I feel that poetry's elegance is enhanced when punctuation is used sparingly. I'm puzzled as to why many who abide by this approach feel obliged to defend it in their notes.
I hasten to make clear that as regards poetry, I aspire to amateur status; I'm a stalwart ABBA fan. As such, it would be a gross exaggeration to refer to this opinion piece as my "two cents' worth" on the subject.
Capitalizing the first letter of each line in ... "old-timey" ... poetry is so standard that it’s almost seen as a rule ... But it isn’t. It’s a tool like any other.*
I agree; arbitrary capitalization sounds forced.
Why capitalize those
Words? Surely you wouldn't
If this (dreadful) poem were prose
Instead. You shouldn't!
Albeit just as dreadful when cast as poetry, at least this version is readable:
Why capitalize those
words? Surely you wouldn't
if this (dreadful) poem were prose
instead. You shouldn't!
This said, I think that punctuation, unless needed for clarity mid-line, such as in the pair of sentences above, is largely superfluous in poetry. Whenever a break occurs naturally at the end-of-line, why clog it up with a comma or period per the rules of prose? I feel that poetry's elegance is enhanced when punctuation is used sparingly. I'm puzzled as to why many who abide by this approach feel obliged to defend it in their notes.
I hasten to make clear that as regards poetry, I aspire to amateur status; I'm a stalwart ABBA fan. As such, it would be a gross exaggeration to refer to this opinion piece as my "two cents' worth" on the subject.
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* https://zachjpayne.medium.com/how-to-punctuate-poetry-217a6043fc8c
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. * https://zachjpayne.medium.com/how-to-punctuate-poetry-217a6043fc8c
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