Lyric Poetry

By Professor Frank D’Souza

Edited by Dr Daphne Pillai & Ms Mabel Chan Pillai; Publisher: The Print Company; Rs 475/-; pages 267; Available on Amazon https://amzn.in/d/2iS0vjk

Professor Frank D'Souza's book 'Lyric Poetry' is an exceptional publication that will delight literature lovers globally. With its exhaustive coverage of the subject, this book fills a significant gap in the market, providing a much-needed resource on lyric poetry that will be cherished by readers and researchers alike.

While expounding on the different characteristics of the Lyric Poem, the author with uncanny clarity explains that “Poetry is the spontaneous expression of powerful feelings in metrical language.” Therefore, subjectivity is a key element of the lyric poem, and so is brevity.

In the lyric, music and meaning blend into a single reality. The modern poets like T.S. Eliot and D.H. Lawrence, however, show that rhyme is dispensable, but not the rhythmic quality of the poem. Lyric poetry uses language to create images to convey meaning in a brief and succinct manner.

Through the book, one gets to know the different phases through which lyric poetry has passed. Starting with its Greek origins, one learns of the close association between the lyric and music. We also learn that the Romans were influenced by the Greeks. And European poetry was reflected in the compositions of the troubadours, who were both poets and music composers.

What I loved was how the author has carefully sifted out key poets of each age and illustrated their works with lyric poems. Of all the Greek poets, Sappho was in a league of her own. Sappho was ubiquitous with her own fiery and passionate lyric poetry splayed all over, as well as being referenced by one and all.

The hymn stands out for the role which religion played in the development of the lyric. It is present in the earliest Greek lyrics inasmuch as the monks kept it alive in Anglo-Saxon poetry. Christianity influenced the development of the lyric in the Middle Ages.

It was a delight to see how the book culls out the main themes which emerge in each age. At the heart of lyric poetry are the four themes of wine, woman, song and Nature. Some like Donne and Hopkins are immersed in God, and some in the unfathomable experience of love.

Professor Frank D’Souza has presented us with a masterful and comprehensive understanding of Lyric Poetry through his meticulous selection of poets and their works. We can resonate with the feelings expressed in the poems as well as delight in the insights presented. The book enables us to appreciate and savour life all the more, on our brief sojourn in our earthly home.

Conrad Saldanha