Page 16 - KTUDELL E-LIT | Issue 4 - January 2025

LITERATURE 2025

Feelings or Stories: Lyric

vs. Narrative Poetry

by Nevra Sena ATAGÜN

Lyric poetry, in its most basic sense, is a genre that expresses personal feelings, individual thoughts, and the inner world. The
poet conveys himself, his inner conflicts, or the world around him in an emotional way. Such poems are often written from a
subjective point of view and deeply explore the poet's mood, thoughts, and imagination. When we look at the subgenres of
lyric poetry, we see that they are genres consisting of more original and specific forms, such as the ode we call praise poetry,
the elegy we know as a lament, and the sonnet we are familiar with. In such poems, the poet usually adopts a subjective point of
view, and there is often an emotional depth and intensity.

One of the first names that comes to mind is William
Wordsworth. In his famous poem I Wandered Lonely as a
Cloud, he describes very beautifully how nature gives a
person spiritual peace and meaning:

“I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, below the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.”

Wordsworth creates an inner feeling of peace and serenity
here while describing the spiritual effect of nature on man.
In such poems, the poet has an inner connection with
nature and expresses this connection with emotion-laden
language. © kareni

In Turkish literature, we can give Orhan Veli Kanik as an
example of lyric poetry. Orhan Veli usually uses simple
language in his poems and deeply processes the emotional
situations encountered in everyday life. In the poem
İstanbul'u Dinliyorum, one of his famous poems, the poet
depicts the city through an emotion:

“İstanbul'u dinliyorum, gözlerim kapalı;
Önce hafiften bir rüzgâr esiyor;
Yavaş yavaş sallanıyor
Yapraklar, ağaçlarda;”

Orhan Veli captures Istanbul with a blend of emotions.
Poetry, more than just the expression of an emotion, seeks
to bring that emotion to life.

© Yaren Ergenç

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