From a prosaic to a poetic life: poetry as a contemplative engagement

• In Event: Contemplative practices in K12 and higher educational settings: Indigenous sports, poetry, and storytelling

Proposal

Introduction

In this paper, I discuss the power of poetry in inspiring a contemplative temperament. I introduce poetics in its transcendental dimension and dwell on the concept of poetic life. I thus take poetics beyond the conventional framework of aesthetics. Though aesthetics is still a part of the contemplative journey, it acquires a deeper meaning here. A poetic life has more to do with spiritual entrenchment than poetry per se.

A nuanced understanding of poetry will help unpack the mysterious dynamics of a poetic life that Thoreau references in his book Walden. In exploring the subtle beauty of poetry and poetic life, I chiefly draw from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s classic essay ‘The Poet.’ I thereby attempt to map the progress from a soulless (prosaic) life to a divine (poetic) one. In doing so, I highlight Emerson’s differentiation between poets of genius and poets of talent. Poetry should hence be discerned from mere versification or creative outpouring of the heart.

Emerson reasons that the Universe has three offspring-the Knower, the Doer, and the Sayer- representing the love of truth, the love of good, and the love of beauty. He clarifies that all three are equal and exhibit one predominant characteristic, although the other two are latent within one. The poet represents beauty, which is their patent, while conveying truth, which may be latent. They have an astute imagination, which is a higher form of seeing called insight and is beyond the grasp of all study. He poetically conveys his understanding of the poet--

A moody child and wildly wise
Pursued the game with joyful eyes,
Which chose, like meteors, their way,
And rived the dark with private ray:

They overleapt the horizon's edge,
Searched with Apollo's privilege;

Poetry is therapeutic resistance against a mechanistic and superficial expression of life. Korobov (2022) cites from the book The Wounded Researcher that a researcher is a ‘failed poet.’ It is thereby rare to find scholarly papers that richly engage with poetry or even come close to being poetic. However, as an authentic expression of my being, I profusely interject my discussion with apropos poetry excerpts in line with the topic's spirit. I quote Classical and contemporary poets extensively and include translations from other languages. Besides disrupting the dominant academic style, it provides readers with ample illustrations of my major arguments.

Methodology and Literature Review

Using The Poet (Emerson) as my frame of reference, my paper attempts to answer four major questions: 1. What is true poetry? 2. How is poetry a contemplative engagement? 3. What is Poetic Life? 4. What are the pedagogical implications of poetic inquiry? To illuminate the subject, I also situate my philosophical inquiry in the theoretical insights from The Contemplative Practitioner (Miller) and Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry (Zajonc). I then cite scholars researching, referencing, or employing poetry as a contemplative engagement.

I take a phenomenological approach to exploring the dynamics of poetics in contemplation. Korobov (2022) argues that poetry is the perfect expression for understanding the phenomenology of existence because it accommodates subjectivities. He adds that the range of intellectual language is less deep and expansive than a poetic landscape. Accordingly, I quote from eminent and less-known (creative) poets throughout to drive home my point.

Findings

The poetic life is one of abundance that lives in sync with the pace and rhythms of nature. The flowering of poetic life demands that we develop the ability to observe ourselves and everything around us objectively and yet stay exclusively subjective in our awareness. Every epiphany dawned in such paradoxical moments of attention. True poetry can arouse us to this level of perception.

On their way to a poetic life and being, a seeker sees the world as a poet and delves into dark spaces or abysses to extract gems of truth. Poetry facilitates this search and self-transformation. It empowers the reader and the writer to accept the incomprehensible. The key word in this poetic contemplation is awakening. It is a process of elevating consciousness. The divine spark can be ignited in one moment through one poem, even a verse, or a slow and steady course of inculcating poetic consciousness over a long span. Eventually, it is the ability to listen to one’s silent self.

Significance of the Study

Research on the scope of poetry in contemplative inquiry is minimal. After an intensive search, I found articles devoted to a specific poet(s) or theme(s) or ones that provide rich insights about using poetry in classrooms. I could not find any work that detailed the value of form to the content of creative expression or holistically addressed poetics in its contemplative aspect. Besides, they are primarily geared toward reading poetry as a meditative act.

I am still looking for work examining a poet or writing poetry phenomenologically. I fill in some of these gaps in my paper. Above all, I clarify that my critique has a universal value. It is not confined to a specific language, region, or religion. The transformative potential of a text lies not in the content but in the reader. If they are willing to accommodate the spiritual and the transcendental, they will benefit from any source or mode of poetic life. In fact, poetry is the most accessible source of contemplative insight (Suhor, 2002). It makes our lives musical (Reek, 2015, p.190).

To my knowledge, this is the only paper that recounts poetic life and its relation to poetry. Therefore, my study builds on previous scholars' work and adds another layer to their idea of imparting a poetic orientation to pedagogy or awakening a poetic consciousness. Thus, the paper substantially contributes to the slender volume of scholarship on poetics in contemplative inquiry. On the other hand, it can inspire readers to delve into poetry to traverse from the immanent to the transcendent. I also hope educators will use this as a guide to organically integrate poetic sensibilities into their personal lives, research, or pedagogies.

Author

• Harpreet Kaur, University of Maryland, College Park