By Gabriel Foster
You can find poetry today in every culture of the world’s peoples in every continent and country on the map. The art form has played an important part in the development of all ethnic cultures throughout history. The first poems according to anthropologist most likely predate written poetry as well as other forms of writing. Its history can be traced back to Africa, then the surrounding regions and on to the rest of the world. Early poetry is theorized to have been performed orally and handed down through the generations until written language was born.
Poetry of Old
Non modern English poems can sometimes be difficult to read according to modern people that are not poetry lovers of those historical pieces of art. That’s because the English language has changed throughout time, when the original poem was first written. Every literary piece was considered modern in its day, until it wasn’t anymore. Here is the meaning of some common very old words used in the way that would help you navigate the reading of those poems today:
Aye – means “yes”.
Dropt – means “dropped”.
Eftsoons – “at once”.
Foe – means “enemy”.
Hath – means “has”.
Hollo – means “call”.
Ken – means “see”.
Kirk – means “church”.
Look’st – means “looking”.
Loon – means “lunatic”.
May’st – means “can’t you”.
O – means “oh”.
Paced – means “entered”.
Plague – means “trouble”.
Quoth – means “said”.
Spake – means “spoke”.
Stopp’st – means “stopping”.
Stoppeth – means “stopped”.
Swound – means “fainting fit”.
Thou – means “you”.
Thy – means “your”.
Tis – means “it is”.
Wherefore – means “why”.
Non-English Language Poetry
A lot of poems from non-English speaking countries around the globe have been translated into modern English, making them easy to understand, read and ultimately enjoyed. If you come across a translated poem that appears to have old English translated words in it, go ahead and search for the poem/book that has a more modern translation. I guarantee it exists somewhere.
Because an English language poem maybe dated with old English in the poem, that doesn’t disqualify it from being good, enriching, and downright enjoyable. Still give it a try and remember the list of old English words above to help you translate. Don’t willingly rob yourself of discovering another piece of poetry, you might have fallen in love it.
GF Poetic Wisdom | Classic poetry with its flight worn wings, can take you to literary places of treasure, if you’ve learned to navigate its old English language. ~ Gabriel Foster
