A Personal Guide to Poetry
como eu abordo um poema quando quero fazer uma leitura profunda | how I approach a poem when I want to do a close reading
scroll down to read the English version
How should all the apparatus of heaven and earth, from the farthest firmament to the tender bosom of the mother who nourished us, make poetry for a mind that has no movements of awe and tenderness, no sense of fellowship which thrills from the near to the distant, and back again from the distant to the near? - George Eliot, Daniel Deronda (p. 171)
Se você me perguntasse há uns sete anos atrás qual meu poeta favorito eu responderia, com certo desdém, que odeio poesia. Nesse caso em particular eu preciso, com toda a honestidade, culpar a escola. Todo contato que tive com poesia crescendo foi através do estudo frugal e genérico de Gregório de Matos, do poema “Vaso Chinês” de Alberto de Oliveira, e algumas coisas do modernismo que obviamente não faziam sentido para mim (até porque os professores já começavam dizendo que não fazia sentido). É um projeto meu (sem data prevista) revisitar esses autores e quem sabe fazer as pazes com eles – será possível que Gregório de Matos é tão terrível assim? Nem lembro mais.
Hoje, se você me fizer a mesma pergunta eu responderei “W. B. Yeats” e uma dezena de menções honrosas. Essa mudança radical se deve a três pessoas: Yeats, Richard Siken, e Dylan Thomas. Por volta de 2019 eu me deparei na internet com o famoso poema de Yeats, The Second Coming (“Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold… And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?”) erroneamente atribuído à Dylan Thomas. Instantaneamente eu me apaixonei pelo poema, de uma forma inédita. Nunca tinha sentido algo parecido (meio hipnótico? Não sei descrever) e fui investigar outros trabalhos de Dylan Thomas. O erro na autoria foi uma coincidência incrível pois, jogando o nome de Thomas no Poetry Foundation eu acabei adorando tudo que li. Só quando assisti o documentário da Joan Didion na Netflix (chamado Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold) foi que eu descobri quem era o verdadeiro autor – e assim repeti o processo de investigação.
Eu lembrava do nome Richard Siken da idade dourada do Tumblr, mas nunca tinha adentrado muito no trabalho dele. Até que, na mesma época que descobri os dois poetas acima, eu vi alguém postando essa estrofe, e pela terceira vez eu fiquei obsessivamente pesquisando a obra de um poeta:
“We have not touched the stars,
nor are we forgiven, which brings us back
to the hero’s shoulders and the gentleness that comes,
not from the absence of violence, but despite
the abundance of it.”
Esse breve testemunho é só para mostrar que nunca é tarde para gostar de algo novo, ou para aprender a olhar as coisas de um jeito diferente; você não precisa ser um grande entendido e intelectual de nascença para apreciar poesia. Por isso, escrevi esse guia juntando o que aprendi por experiência própria e alguns ensinamentos de autores que admiro, e assim espero incentivar vocês a ler mais poesia esse ano :) (no final tenho uma lista de recomendações!)
I. Introdução
In writing about a poem, the most important thing to remember is that a poem is not an essay or a “message,” it is a thing imagined, an artwork like a piece of music or a painting or a dance - Helen Vendler.
Quando se pretende fazer uma leitura atenta de um poema, quanto menos pressa melhor. Como poemas normalmente são curtos, é muito fácil efetuar diversas releituras — no geral eu leio um poema no mínimo duas vezes seguidas, para só então abordá-lo em partes, da forma que veremos a seguir. Acho que o primeiro erro que podemos cometer ao ler um poema, é ter como primeiro objetivo entender o que o poema significa. Para cada gênero literário ou meio artístico é necessário um olhar específico. Poesia não é um meio de acesso à informação; o significado de um poema se revela gradualmente — quando ele existe de forma única e objetiva. Helen Vendler diria que não (frase acima).
Gostar ou se sentir movido por um poema não implica necessariamente entendê-lo. Muitas vezes eu me atraio primeiro por sons, imagens e escolha de palavras — frases bonitas causam mais impacto num poema do que frases intelectualmente robustas (mas esse é o meu gosto). Depois se eu reler algumas vezes e com a intenção de experienciar aquilo profundamente — e descobrir não só o que o poema me transmite mas o que o poeta sentiu ao escrevê-lo — talvez eu entenda… e se não entender, o que de tão ruim pode acontecer? O poema que mencionei no começo, The Second Coming, ainda é um grande mistério para mim, mesmo sendo um dos meus favoritos. Quem sabe um dia a iluminação virá.
Dito isso, tentar compreender poemas profundamente pode ser um exercício interessante, transformador, e divertido. Para mim pelo menos é, e você só vai descobrir se funciona quando testar.
A great poem is for ages and ages in common and for all degrees and complexions and all departments and sects and for a woman as much as a man and a man as much as a woman. A great poet is no finish to a man or woman but rather a beginning. - Walt Whitman, 1855 Preface to Leaves of Grass
II. A Primeira Leitura
Numa primeira leitura – que deve ser feita do começo ao fim e considerando o título – veja como o tema da obra foi trabalhado (como o poeta faz uso da imaginação? ele trabalha um tema conhecido de um jeito novo? de que forma?); por exemplo, observe quão literal é a expressão do sentimento do poeta; observe a linguagem:
1. quem está falando? (sujeito)
2. qual a “ação” ou estado? (verbos)
3. a quem o poema se dirige? (se é que se dirige a alguém)
4. qual a métrica usada? (encontre a entonação)
5. qual o tom? (lamento? elogio?)
Once you have studied the symbolic imagination, the words, the syntax of the sentences, the poem’s division into parts, and the rhyme and rhythm, you are prepared to make a sketch of the “drama” of the poem — that is, to see its beginning, middle, and end as elements in an unfolding of human emotion - Helen Vendler
III. Em seguida ver o poema como objeto “físico”/visual:
Como as estrofes estão dispostas? Como e quando ocorre a quebra do verso – e qual efeito essa disposição dá? Que palavras são enfatizadas por isso?
IV. Leia em voz alta (recomendo fazer isso na segunda leitura)
Algo muito importante, porém normalmente desconsiderado, é a importância de ler poemas em voz alta. Isso porque a poesia é uma experiência sonora tanto quanto literária, e muitas vezes o ritmo, a cadência e as rimas são imprescindíveis para entender o poema. Na minha experiência, só ler em silêncio nunca é o suficiente e sempre absorvo melhor o poema quando o verbalizo – aconselho procurar um local em que você possa ler em voz alta na tranquilidade da falta de uma audiência, pois sei que pode ser meio vergonhoso ser pego recitando para as paredes.
Speak the poem as if it were you who had been compelled into speech by something that had upset your equilibrium — otherwise, you would have had no reason to break into words - Helen Vendler
V. Notar o desenvolvimento do poema:
Um poema pode começar triste e terminar esperançoso; pode começar falando sobre um indivíduo e terminar falando no geral, etc. Uma pergunta a fazer a si próprio é: como o lugar em que o poema começa difere do lugar em que ele termina?
try to imagine the “backstory” behind your utterance. What was happening to you before the poem began that makes you speak in this way? This is where you must use your imagination - Helen Vendler
VI. Depois de experienciar o poema, se houver interesse, pode-se explorar o poema:
Quais as imagens evocadas pelo poema? (algum elemento repetido? alguma cena é descrita? uma estação do ano em particular? qual a ambientação?)
Se houver rimas, quais as palavras rimadas? porque especificamente essas palavras? existem palavras que “combinam”/pertencem a uma mesma família? (num poema, nenhuma escolha de palavras é em vão – ou não deveria ser – e por isso sempre pesquisar o significado de qualquer palavra mesmo que você esteja só um pouco na dúvida)
Note as pausas – a cadência e o ritmo, como dito antes, muitas vezes define o tom emocional do poema, e é uma grande chave para se aprofundar no texto
Quais símbolos foram usados pelo poeta e que efeito eles dão? (por ex. flores têm significados específicos na literatura)
Identificar jogos de palavras, figuras de linguagem como símiles, metáforas, etc. e refletir sobre como elas atuam no poema (serve para analisar o poder criativo e a imaginação do poeta também)
Buscar os significados das referências: bíblica, mitológica, histórica, natural, outras obras do poeta, ou até da vida pessoal dele; depois você pode interpretar o poema novamente à luz das referências recém descobertas e ver se algo mudou.
The rhyme and uniformity of perfect poems show the free growth of metrical laws and bud from them as unerringly and loosely as lilacs or roses on a bush, and take shapes as compact as the shapes of chestnuts and oranges and melons and pears, and shed the perfume impalpable to form. The fluency and ornaments of the finest poems or music or orations or recitations are not independent but dependent. All beauty comes from beautiful blood and a beautiful brain. - Walt Whitman, 1855 Preface to Leaves of Grass
VII. Indo além do texto em si, pode ser interessante contextualizar o poema:
ano de publicação, movimento artístico a que pertence, em que condições foi publicado, quais as repercussões críticas, como o poema foi recebido pelo público, se existe mais de uma versão do poema…
VIII. Impressões Pessoais
Depois de tudo isso, podemos chegar a algumas conclusões quanto ao tema (ponto II) do poema, e principalmente refletir como ele nos afeta. Lembrar de separar sempre o sucesso na execução do nosso apreço pelo poema – gostar e ser bem feito podem ser coisas diferentes. Algumas perguntas para fazer a si mesmo:
Gostei do poema? Porque? (por ex. por ser bonito, emotivo, forte… eu lembro de algum professor dizendo que um poema devia ter o impacto de um insulto mordaz)
Quais foram os versos/passagens/metáforas/palavras que mais me chamaram a atenção? Porque?
Que sentimentos, sensações ou memórias o poema desperta em mim? No que ele me fez pensar sobre? (tem um poema de Siken que me lembra Kendall Roy - não vou elaborar)
IX. Mantendo um Hobby
Desde 2021 que eu tenho um caderno para guardar poesias, letras de músicas, frases etc. que gosto. Objetos assim são como uma materialização do indivíduo – ao longo dos anos você pode abrir o caderno e conectar palavras à certos momentos da vida, é uma forma interessante de preservar a memória de si mesmo. Além disso, o exercício de transcrever é ótimo para memorizar o poema, além de oferecer uma perspectiva ativa sobre ele.
If you'd asked me seven years ago who my favourite poet was, I'd have said, with a hint of disdain, that I hate poetry. In this particular case, I must, in all honesty, blame the school. All the contact I had with poetry growing up was through the frugal and generic study of Gregório de Matos, Alberto de Oliveira's poem ‘Vaso Chinês’ (Chinese Vase), and some modernist stuff that obviously didn't make sense to me (not least because the teachers introduced them saying that it didn't make sense). It's a project of mine (with no set date) to revisit these authors and perhaps make peace with them – is it possible that Gregório de Matos is that terrible? I don't even remember anymore.
Today, if you ask me the same question, I'll answer ‘W. B. Yeats’ and a dozen honourable mentions. This radical change is due to three people: Yeats, Richard Siken, and Dylan Thomas. Around 2019 I came across Yeats' famous poem The Second Coming (‘Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold... And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?’) wrongly attributed to Dylan Thomas. Instantly I fell in love with the poem, in a way I never had before. I'd never felt anything like it (kind of hypnotic? I don't know how to describe it) and went on to investigate other works by Dylan Thomas. The error in authorship was a wonderful coincidence because, by throwing Thomas's name on Poetry Foundation’s website, I ended up loving everything I read. It wasn't until I watched Joan Didion's documentary on Netflix (called Joan Didion: The Centre Will Not Hold) that I discovered who the real author was – and so I repeated the research process.
I remembered the name Richard Siken from the golden age of Tumblr but had never really delved into his work. Then, around the same time I discovered the two poets above, I saw someone post this stanza, and for the third time I was obsessed with researching a poet's work:
‘We have not touched the stars,
nor are we forgiven, which brings us back
to the hero's shoulders and the gentleness that comes,
not from the absence of violence, but despite
the abundance of it.’
This brief testimony just goes to show that it's never too late to like something new, or to learn to look at things differently; you don't need to be a born intellectual to appreciate poetry. That's why I've written this guide, bringing together what I've learnt from my own experience and some teachings from authors I admire, and in this way, I hope to encourage you to read more poetry this year :) (I have a list of recommendations at the end!)
I. Introduction
In writing about a poem, the most important thing to remember is that a poem is not an essay or a ‘message,’ it is a thing imagined, an artwork like a piece of music or a painting or a dance - Helen Vendler
When you want to do a close reading of a poem, the less haste the better. As poems are usually short, it's very easy to do several re-readings – in general, I read a poem at least twice (back to back) and only then approach it in parts, as we'll see below. I think the first mistake we can make when reading a poem is to aim first to understand what the poem means. Each literary genre or artistic medium requires a specific outlook. Poetry is not a means of accessing information; the meaning of a poem reveals itself gradually – when it exists uniquely and objectively. Helen Vendler would say there is no such meaning (quote above).
Enjoying or being moved by a poem doesn't necessarily mean understanding it. I'm often first attracted by the sounds, imagery and choice of words – beautiful phrases have more impact on a poem than intellectually robust ones (but that's my taste). Then, if I re-read it a few times intending to experience it deeply – and discovering not only what the poem conveys to me but also what the poet felt when writing it – maybe I'll understand... and if I don't, it is not the end of the world. The poem I mentioned at the beginning, The Second Coming, is still a great mystery to me, even though it's one of my favourites. Who knows, one day enlightenment might come.
That said, trying to understand poems deeply can be an interesting, transformative and fun exercise. For me at least, it is, and you'll only find out if it works for you once you try it.
A great poem is for ages and ages in common and for all degrees and complexions and all departments and sects and for a woman as much as a man and a man as much as a woman. A great poet is no finish to a man or woman but rather a beginning. - Walt Whitman, 1855 Preface to Leaves of Grass
II. The First Reading
In a first reading – which should be done from beginning to end and taking into account the title – look at how the theme of the poem has been worked out (how does the poet use imagination? Does he work on a known theme in a new way? in what way?); for example, observe how literal the poet's expression of feeling is; observe the language:
1. who is speaking (subject)
2. what is the ‘action’ or state of being? (verbs)
3. to whom is the poem addressed (if at all)?
4. what metre is used? (find the intonation)
5. what is the tone? (lament? eulogy?)
Once you have studied the symbolic imagination, the words, the syntax of the sentences, the poem's division into parts, and the rhyme and rhythm, you are prepared to make a sketch of the ‘drama’ of the poem – that is, to see its beginning, middle, and end as elements in an unfolding of human emotion - Helen Vendler
III. Then see the poem as a ‘physical’/visual object:
How are the stanzas arranged? How and when does the verse break occur – and what effect does this have? Which words are emphasised by this?
IV. Read aloud (I prefer to do this on the second reading)
Something very important, but often overlooked, is the importance of reading poems aloud. This is because poetry is a musical experience as much as a literary one, and often the rhythm, cadence and rhymes are essential to understanding the poem. In my experience, just reading silently is never enough and I always absorb the poem better when I verbalize it – I recommend looking for a place where you can read aloud in the tranquillity of the absence of an audience, as I know it can be a bit embarrassing to be caught reciting to the walls.
Speak the poem as if it were you who had been compelled into speech by something that had upset your equilibrium — otherwise, you would have had no reason to break into words. - Helen Vendler
V. Note the development of the poem:
A poem can start sad and end hopeful; it can start talking about an individual and end up talking in general, etc. One question to ask yourself is: how does the place where the poem begins differ from the place where it ends?
try to imagine the “backstory” behind your utterance. What was happening to you before the poem began that makes you speak in this way? This is where you must use your imagination - Helen Vendler
VI. After experiencing the poem, if you're interested, you can explore the poem:
What imagery does the poem evoke? (are any elements repeated? is a scene described? a particular season? what is the setting?)
If there are rhymes, which words rhyme? why specifically those words? Are there words that ‘go together’/belong to the same family? (in a poem, no choice of words is in vain – or shouldn't be – and so always research the meaning of any word even if you're just a little unsure)
Note the pauses – the cadence and rhythm, as said before, often sets the emotional tone of the poem, and is a great key to delving deeper into the text.
What symbols have been used by the poet and what effect do they give? (e.g. flowers have specific meanings in literature)
Identify wordplay, and figures of speech such as similes, metaphors, etc. and reflect on how they play out in the poem (this also helps to analyse the poet's creative power and imagination).
Search for the meanings of the references: biblical, mythological, historical, natural, other works by the poet, or even his personal life; then you can interpret the poem again in the light of the newly discovered references and see if anything has changed.
The rhyme and uniformity of perfect poems show the free growth of metrical laws and bud from them as unerringly and loosely as lilacs or roses on a bush, and take shapes as compact as the shapes of chestnuts and oranges and melons and pears, and shed the perfume impalpable to form. The fluency and ornaments of the finest poems or music or orations or recitations are not independent but dependent. All beauty comes from beautiful blood and a beautiful brain. - Walt Whitman, 1855 Preface to Leaves of Grass
VII. Going beyond the text itself, it can be interesting to contextualise the poem:
year of publication, artistic movement to which it belongs, under what conditions it was published, what the critical repercussions were, how the poem was received by the public, whether there is more than one version of the poem...
VIII. Personal Impressions
After all this, you can come to some conclusions about the theme (topic II) of the poem, and above all reflect on how it affects you. Remember to always separate the achievement in the execution from our appreciation of the poem – liking it and it being well done can be different things. Some questions to ask yourself:
Did I like the poem? Why? (e.g. because it's beautiful, emotional, strong... I remember some teacher saying that a poem should have the impact of a sharp insult)
Which verses/passages/metaphors/words caught my attention the most? Why?
What feelings, sensations or memories does the poem arouse in me? What did it make me think about? (There's a poem by Siken that reminds me of Kendall Roy – I won't elaborate)
IX. Keeping a Hobby
Since 2021 I've had a notebook to collect poetry, lyrics, quotes, etc. that I like. Objects like this are like a materialisation of the individual – over the years you can open the notebook and connect words to certain moments in your life, it's an interesting way of preserving the memory of yourself. Besides, the exercise of transcribing is great for memorising the poem, as well as giving you an active perspective on it.
Hey, Júlia. Great text, as always. I have a question: do you think that poems can talk to each other? I mean, imagine that we're reading some poems written by the same author, then we notice a word that is often used... Can this word carry meaning through different poems?! I've been thinking a lot about it recently. Like Drummond uses "noite" a lot, and many Brazilian and Portuguese poets love the word "espelho". What do you think?!