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Poet

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A '''poet''' is some one who writes poetry. Poets exists within a cultural and intellectual tradition and usually writes in a specific language, but the qualities of good poetry are to some extent wikt:timeless timeless and address issues common to all humanity. In the English language, poets often considered to be some of the very best include Chaucer, Shakespeare, William Wordsworth Wordsworth, and T.S. Eliot. In the Western tradition, Homer, Virgil, Dante, and Goethe round out a basic list. In world poetry, Li Bai, Du Fu, Basho, and Omar KhayyÃ¡m complete one defensible wiktionary:canon canon. As the very definition of a canon is political and personal, so complete objectivity is impossible. The list of definitive poets would change over time as the notion of poetry itself cannot be strictly defined. Relying on numerous inclusionist lists is a possible, partial solution. Bad poets are sometimes called poetasters and what they write is sometimes termed doggerel.

Life of a poet
Certain similarities stand out in the biographies of the major poets. First, most poets come from a middle-class background. The middle-class background often provides better opportunities for education than a lower-class background, yet also sufficient connection to ordinary life so as to understand the basic feelings of the poor and alienated as well as the experiences of the common man. Perhaps no combination is more helpful to developing a broad, critical understanding of the 'human condition'. Poets' lives often contain some kind of personal alienation. Homer was reportedly blind and his appellation suggests that he was the son of captured prisoners-of-war, and thus ineligible for full participation in the political life of his state. Virgil was of non-Roman descent, and actively promoted (and perhaps subverted) the concept of a multicultural universal, mixed-blood Rome in his work. Currents of homosexuality and deviant sexualities are clearly evident in both the works and days of Walt Whitman Whitman, Baudelaire, Ginsberg, and many other poets. Deviant political ideologies tarnish the general reception of great poets such as Ezra Pound (who made propaganda broadcasts on behalf of fascist Italy) and T.S. Eliot (whose anti-Semitic inclinations are well-documented). Once they have established their name, poets may achieve a kind of alternative aristocracy, but the poets who manage to achieve real prosperity directly through the practice of their profession are certainly in the minority, hence poetry's continued association with Bohemianism. Today, there are few poets able to support themselves exclusively by writing poetry. Patrons and the state have long been the solution to this particular problem, including through such institutions as Arts Councils. In the last 3 decades, the role of patron has shifted to post secondary institutions such as Universities and Colleges. Most American Universities and Colleges have poets in residence, employed as instructors and professors. Ironically, this widespread source of support has had the effect of further isolating Poets from the mainstream as they are often viewed as elitist academics.

Poets and society
Perhaps no other profession occupation demands so much thought for so little output, epitomized in the Japanese haiku tradition, which involves production of seventeen syllable poems. Even in other traditions including thousand-line poems, a poet's total lifetime output might fill only two or three volumes. For this reason, poets occupy a peculiar position in society, even when compared to other artists. A painter might easily find work producing architectural drawings or caricatures. Other creative writers can work on industry trade journals or grant proposals. Musicians can busk, score sound for movies or videogames, perform at weddings, or otherwise earn a living in addition to their creative side projects. Poets, however, tend to be either on the fringes of or at the very center of their culture. Until they achieve prominence, they are stereotypically poor or low in prestige. Such a distinction even holds within the context of a specific institution: the "poet" of a given high school or college class is often a moody, introverted individual, disconnected from mainstream social life. However, poets who receive recognition from authority suddenly find themselves the very spokesperson of their generation or group. Because of this "most very low; a few very high" dynamic, the practice of poetry itself is oftentimes a hobby or side activity rather than the central focus on an individual's life. In the past, bards of remarkable skill might be maintained by a lord or by royalty as part of the artistic coterie at court. Away from the refinement of court, wandering troubadours would have brought their romantic, bawdy chansons from town to town, supporting themselves by passing the hat. In the east, poets were similarly maintained by royal patronage, and those of high birth were expected to develop this skill alongside many others. Within the tradition of Japanese chivalry, bushido, Japanese knights, known as samurai, were expected to become poets only once: right before death. Thus, the tradition of love poems does not exist in Japan, but the quantity and quality of death poems is renowned.

See also
*List of poets **List of poetry groups and movements **Apocalypse poets **Imagism Imagist poets **List of surrealist poets **Mystic poets **Symbolist poets **War poets **Georgian poets

Poets by language
*List of Albanian language poets *List of Afrikaans language poets *List of Arabic language poets *List of Bulgarian language poets *List of Catalan language poets *List of Chinese language poets *List of Dutch language poets *List of English language poets *List of French language poets *List of German language poets *List of Greek language poets *List of Hebrew language poets *List of Indian language poets *List of Indonesian language poets *List of Irish language poets *List of Italian language poets *List of Japanese language poets *List of Korean language poets *List of Latin language poets *List of Maltese language poets *List of Persian language poets *List of Polish language poets *List of Portuguese language poets *List of Russian language poets *Slovak poetry List of Slovak language poets *List of Slovene language poets *List of Spanish language poets *List of Swedish language poets *List of Turkish Languages poets *List of Urdu language poets *List of Welsh language poets

Poets by nationality
*List of Australian poets *List of Canadian poets *List of Bulgarian poets *List of English poets *List of Greek poets *List of Irish poets *List of Nigerian poets *List of South African poets *List of contemporary Turkish poets *List of Pakistani Poets *List of poets from the United States Category:Poets * bg:ÐŸÐ¾ÐµÑ‚ cy:Bardd da:Digter de:Poet fi:Runoilija fr:PoÃ¨te ilo:Mannaniw ja:è©©äºº nl:Dichter ru:ÐŸÐ¾Ñ?Ñ‚ sk:BÃ¡snik sv:Poet sl:pesnik zh:è¯—äºº

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