Poet

Poet

A poet is a person who creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be a writer of poetry, or may perform their art to an audience.

History

The earliest known poets were the authors of the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Homeric epics, all of which were recited or chanted, rather than read. The first named poet in world history was a woman, Enheduanna, from ancient Mesopotamia.

Types of Poets

There are many different 'types' of poets. For example, bards were poets and musicians in ancient Celtic culture, and griots in West Africa still fill a similar role. Rhapsodes were professional performers of epic poetry in ancient Greece.

Poetry and Form

Poetry can be differentiated most of the time from prose, which is language meant to convey meaning in a more expansive and less condensed way, frequently using more complete logical or narrative structures than poetry does. This does not necessarily imply that poetry is illogical, but rather that poetry is often created from the need to escape the logical, as well as expressing feelings and other expressions in a tight, condensed manner.

Famous Poets

Some of the most famous poets in history include William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Pablo Neruda, and Maya Angelou.

See Also

• List of poets
• Poetry
• Sonnet
• Haiku
• Limerick