eading R A FEW SIMPLE FORMS OF ENGLISH POEMS There are various reasons why people write poetry. Some poems tell a story or describe something in a way that will give the reader a strong impression. Others try to convey certain emotions. Poets use many different forms of poetry to express themselves. In this text, however. we will look at a few of the simpler forms Some of the lirst poetry a young child learns in Hush, little baby, don't say a word. English is nursery rhymes. These rhymes like Papa's going to buy you a mockingbird the one on the right (A)are still a common type If that mockingbird won't sing of childrens poetry. The language is concrete Papa's going to buy you a diamond ring but imaginative, and they delight small children If that diamond ring turns to brass, Io because they rhyme. have strong rhythm and a Papa's going to buy you a looking-glass lot of repetition. The poems may not make sense If that looking-glass gets broke. and even seem contradictory, but they are easy Papa's going to buy you a billy-goat to learn and recite. By playing with the words in If that billy-goat runs away. nursery rhymes, children learn about language. Papa's going to buy you another today 15 One of the simplest kinds of poems are those like B and C that list things. List poems have a nexible line length and repeated phrases which give both a pattern and a rhythm to the poem. Some rhyme (like B) while others do not (like C) I saw a fish-pond all on fire Our first football match I saw a fish-pond all on fire. We would have won . I saw a house bow to a squire, if Jack had scored that goal. I saw a person twelve-feet high, if wed had just a few more minutes. I saw a cottage in the sky, if we had trained harder. I saw a balloon made of lead, if Ben had passed the ball to Joe I saw a coffin drop down dead. if wed had thousands of fans screaming. I saw two sparrows run a race, if I hadn't taken my eye off the ball, I saw two horses making lace, if we hadn't stayed up so late the night before. I saw a girl just like a cat. if we hadn't taken it easy. I saw a kitten wear a hat, if we hadnt run out of eneray I saw a man who saw these too. We would have won And said though strange they all were true. if wed been better Another simple form of poem that students can easily write is the cinquain. a poem made up of five lines. With these. students can convey a strong picture in just a few words. Look at the examples(D and E)on the top of the next page. 10
Init2 poems Brother Summer A fallen blossom Beautiful, athletic Sleepy, salt Is comina back to the branch. 35 Teasing, shouting, laughin Drying, drooping, dreading Look, a butterfly Friend and enemy too Week in, week out Thy Moritake) Mine Endless Snow having melted The whole village is Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry that is made up of 17 Of happy children. syllables. It is not a traditional form of English poetry, but is (hy Issa) very popular with English writers. It is easy to write and. like the cinquain, can give a clear picture and create a special feeling using the minimum of words. The two haiku poems(F and G) above are translations from the Japanese Where she awaits her husband Did you know that English speakers also enjoy On and on the river flows her forms of Asian poetry-Tang poems from Never looking back, China in particular? A lot of Tang poetry has been Transformed into stone translated into English. This Tang poem(H)is a Day by day upon the mountain top. translation from the chinese wind and rain revolve With so many different forms of poetry to choose Should the traveller return from. students may eventually want to write this stone would utter speech poems of their own. It is easier than you might (by Wang Jian) think and certainly worth a try! Comprehending 1 Read the passage and answer the following questions I What is the main topic of the reading passage? What five kinds of poems does the reading passage talk about? 3 What are the poems(A-H) about? Use your own words to explain them 4 Which poem or poems give you a clear picture in your mind? 5 a) There are two poems that have a strong rhythm. Which ones are they? Listen to the tape and try to clap the beat b) Which two poems have rhyming lines? Circle the pairs of rhyming words 2 Answer these questions about some of the poems in the reading passage. I Why didn't the players in poem C win? Write down three excuses that the author gives. Does the author really believe his or her excuses? How do you know? 2 What are poems D and E about? Do the authors like the subjects? Give your reasons 3 What is the story that poem H tells? Tell the story in your own words What feelings below that you think the woman in poem h has? Give your reasons loneliness Joy ove anger hate sorrow 3 Read and listen to the poems in the passage. which poem do you like best? Why?
t∠F Learning about Language Discovering useful words and expressions 1 Find the words in the poems that rhymes with each of the words below. Then add other words that rhyme. The first one has been done for you I dead lead thread bed 2 high sIng I today o true 2 Complete the passage using the words in the box in the correct form. cottage run out of nursery rh minimum convey contradictory pattern translation form When I was a baby, my mother used to read me rhymes. I loved their meaning and the way that the words at the end of the lines. When I grew older, I was introduced to other of poetry. Many of them also had a strong which was repeated. The forms I liked best their meaning by using the bare of words Some of these forms came from Asia(like the haiku) and some of these were fre om their original language When I new poems to read and enjoy. I would go to the library for some more. The librarian was a friend of my mother and she would put poetry books on one side for me. In fact, my family love reading so much that we keep buying books. Now the living room of our is full of books 3 Look at the two meanings for the words below. Choose the meaning that was used in the reading passage. Then make up a sentence with the word having the same meaning Words Meaning V/B flexible A: something that can bend or be bent easily B: person. plan etc that can change according to the situation tease A: to make jokes and laugh at someone in order to have fun B: to deliberately make an animal angry endless A: very large amount or number B: something that seems to last forever A: a part of a tree that grows from the stem B: part of an organization concrete A: delinite and specific B: something used for building that is made by mixing sand, very small stones. cement and water 12
Unit 2 Poem Discovering useful structures 1 Find out the poem in the Reading section which contains sentences in the subjunctive mood. 2 Match the beginning of each sentence with the appropriate ending I If you had come earlier we would have won If Rob hadn ' t injured himself. B she would have got the diploma s If there had not been an exchange C it would not have become so famous programme. D he would not have found a sponsor If she had studied harder to help him study abroad If the poet had not written such a you would not have missed the exciting beautiful poem about this place. scene in the movie 3 Fill in the blanks using the correct forms of the verbs in brackets I Miss Jiang explained the homework to the class yesterday. If Alfred (pay) more attention at the time. he not miss) her instructions I,'m sorry, I don t have a compass. Of course I (lend)it to you if I (have) 3 Len doesn t think he will ever win a poetry competition. If, by chance. he ( win). he (spend) the prize money on a computer Luckily. Janet is good at writing in English. If she ( not write)well, she (spend)more time practising. If I (be)you. I (take it easy)and go home early b Sue was late for the wedding ceremony. I'm sure that if she (be) there on time. the bride and bridegroom (feel) happ The school basketball team were defeated. The players are talking about the lessons they have learned from their failure. Complete the poem to show how they think they would have won. Add at least five more lines We would have won the championship if we had got Mr Han to coach us if everybody had come to practice every week if we had asked some tall kids to play if
Using Language Reading and discussing Listen to the poem"I've saved the summer"and answer these questions Does the poem have a rhythmic patten ore likely to be a girlfriend/boyfriend or a parent? I Do you think the speaker in the poem is Does the poem have rhyming words? When you were listening to the poem, did it make you feel something or think about something? What did it make you feel or think about? 2 Now read"Ive saved the summer Circle the words that rhyme. What is unusual about the rhyming words in the last four lines? Iry beating or clapping the strong beats of the rhythm as you read the poem to yourself. Now listen to the poem again and clap the strong beats IVE SAVED THE SUMMER Ive saved the summer And I give it all to you To hold on winter mornings When the snow is new Ive saved some sunlight If you should ever need A place away from darkness Where your mind can feed And for myself I've kept your smile When you were but nineteen, Till you're older you'll not know What brave young smiles can mean I know no answers To help you on your way The answers lie somewhere At the bottom of the day. But if you've a need for love I'Il give you It might help you down the road Till you've found your own (by Rod McKuen) 14