PUB 5

Life is poetry. No matter where we live or who we are, we encounter poetry every single day. What makes poetry so extraordinary is, the multitude of themes and tones which are present in any type. One theme which is commonly expressed is love. As we all know, love is an aspect in life which has the potential to be extremely robust. So much so, that we often can not put our feelings of love into words. This is where poetry asserts its importance. Poetry is powerful enough to capture our feelings of love and express them in numerous forms. Two of these forms most commonly depicted are music and written poems. Specifically in the song “Power Trip” by J. Cole and in the poems “Loves Philosophy” by Percy Bysshe Shelley and “The More Loving One” by W.H. Auden. 

Poetry about love often tends to be very powerful and sometimes even a little sad because of the heartache and difficulties the authors depict. A poem which proves this, is W.H. Auden’s poem “The More Loving One”. This poem exemplifies the lack of love the protagonist receives from his admirer.  As Auden states, “Looking up at the stars, I know quite well That, for all they care, I can go to hell…” (lines 1-2). These stanzas are so significant because the author is comparing the stars to a love in which he believes, lacks the amount of love and attention he craves. He believes that the person he loves views him as insignificant and doesn't care about him at all. As W.H. Auden also states, “Were all stars to disappear or die, I should learn to look at an empty sky…” (lines 13-14). By saying this, Auden is recommending ti himself to give up on the person he loves and to just not try to love. The empty sky depicts having nothing. As clearly depicted from W.H. Auden’s poem “The More Loving One”, poetry can depict a deep love in which sometimes can not be expressed through words but rather in writing. 

Poetry does not always have to be about upsetting love. It also has beautiful lines expressing the wonderful aspects of love. One of these poems which exemplifies this is Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Love’s Philosophy”. This poem depicts a couple who are so deeply in love that no matter what they do together, they consider it magical. As Shelley states, “See the mountains kiss high heaven And the waves clasp one another;” (lines 9-10). These lines compare beautiful nature to their love. Using this type of imagery, it creates the most ideal scenario to be with someone who you are deeply in love with. As Shelley also states, “Nothing in the world is single, All things by a law divine In one another’s being mingle-Why not I with thine?” (lines 5-8). By saying this, Shelley is depicting that if someone is single, they have nothing. That love makes nature and the world revolve, and all happiness comes in loving another person. As Shelley proves in her poem “Love’s Philosophy”, poetry expresses the crucial love which can be compared to the most beautiful aspects in the world, and can depict such that words do not have the capability to. 

As well as written poems, music is another type of poetry which is immensely important when depicting love. A song in which exemplifies this can be found in J.Cole’s song “Power Trip”. In this song, Cole raps about a deep love he has for a women who does not have aforementioned feelings. As J. Cole states in the chorus of his song, “Got me up all night, All I'm singing is love songs She got me up all night, constant drinking and love songs.” By saying this, Cole is expressing that the desire of love from one women is resulting in him staying up late at night, intaking alcohol, and listening to love songs in order to get him through this pain of desire he is feeling. As Cole also states, “Would you believe me if i said I'm in love? Baby I want you to want me.” This also proves that Cole is expressing his feelings of wanting to be loved and is trying to express his feelings to a women who refuses to believe that he loves her and does not have the same feelings as him. As seen in J. Cole’s song “Power Trip”, music is a type of poetry which can evidently depict love in not only a romantic and beautiful way but in an entertaining way which appeals to the human senses. 

Poetry is one of the most beautiful aspects of life. It is exemplified in the world every single day. Poetry is so extraordinary that love is a theme in which is often expressed. It can be expressed in written poetry, as seen in “The More Loving One” by W.H. Auden, and “Love’s Philosophy” by Percy Bysshe Shelley, as well as in music as seen in J.Cole’s song “Power Trip”. Without poetry the world would not be what it is today and we as human beings, would not be able to express half of what we are thinking and feeling. This is why poetry is life.