Precious Poetry

6.1 - Classics Class

Jalal ad-Din Rumí begins

Our classic tale of art.

This gifted Persian poet-prince

Is not in any chart.

Then Shakespeare shakes his feather spear.

To write or not to write.

Oh-tell-oh, tell about King Lear,

With drama, death and fight.

John Keats is next, how short his life,

But beautiful indeed.

Immortal are his fame and name

As long as people read.

Wordsworth gave value to the craft.

What's in a name, they say.

Now writing pays, when autographed,

Coins move the art astray.

Pablo Neruda spoke of love

For country, life and folks.

And Dr. Seuss took up the glove.

We laugh about his jokes.

Let's not forget Rupi Kaur,

A supernova star.

Her words are medicine and cure

Our souls of every scar.

Who will be next? How will this end?

Who rhymes with such a queue?

I recommend: contend, my friend.

That poet will be... you.

[Editor's Note:

Mohamed Jalal ad-Din Balkhi Rumi (1207–1273) was a Persian poet, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic. Rumi's spiritual legacy has been greatly appreciated for the past seven centuries. His Masnavi (Mathnawi) is considered one of the greatest poems of the Persian language. Jalal ad-Din is an Arabic name meaning "Glory of the Faith".

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. His plays are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

John Keats (1795–1821) was an English Romantic poet. His poems were in publication for only four years before he died of tuberculosis at the age of 25. His fame grew after his death. By the end of the century, he had become one of the best beloved English poets, with a strong influence on many writers.

William Wordsworth (1770–1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication «Lyrical Ballads» (1798).

Pablo Neruda (1904–1973), was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. Neruda wrote in a variety of styles, including passionate love poems such as his collection «Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair» (1924).

Dr. Seuss (nom de plume of Theodor Seuss Geisel; 1904–1991) was an American children's author, political cartoonist, illustrator, poet, animator, and filmmaker. Every child in America knows his «green eggs and ham».

Rupi Kaur (born 4 October 1992) is an Indian-born Canadian poet, illustrator, and author. Kaur rose to fame on Instagram and Tumblr through sharing her short visual poetry.]