an epic fifteen verse poem that goes no-where, or a shorter to the point poem
an epic fifteen verse poem that goes no-where, or a shorter to the point poem
Obviously the shorter poem because, by your description, it's the better poem. A better question would be "would you rather read a good epic poem or a good short poem," though it's still a problematic question.
Agreed. Also, a quibble - a fifteen verse poem is hardly 'epic'.
I don't get 'epic' poems. One might as well write a story.
Shor and sweet makes more of an impact then a long widing poem.
it may never try
but when it does it sigh
it is just that
good
it fly
You can go nowhere very succinctly!
I prefer short poems that speak volumes. Something like Blake's The Sick Rose.
The original epics were oral poems. They were composed metrically to aid memorisation and, presumably, to sound aesthetically pleasing when performed. When writing became prevalent the more popular poems, like the Illiad and the Odyssey, were written down. Subsequent literate poets, like Virgil, admired Homer's works so much that they wrote their own poems in a similar manner. Virgil's epic, in turn, was admired and emulated by his successors. The 'point' of later epics is that the poet admires the work of his predecessors and seeks to recreate it in a manner more relevant to his own era, innovating as he sees fit.Originally Posted by cacian
I'm assuming you haven't read any of Byron's work.
Or would you read 200 short poems with the chance of finding something worthwhile or 1 great epic poem?
Before sunlight can shine through a window, the blinds must be raised - American Proverb
I don't get the OP's question... if given a choice between bad-and-lengthy and bad-and-short, I'll take the latter, so obviously I'd take good-and-short over bad-and-long. Great, lengthy poems, however, can be transcendental: Paradise Lost, The Aeneid, Don Juan, Intimations of Immortality, Rime of the Ancient Marriner, Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror, The Changing Light at Sandover, etc.
Errr, epic poems ARE stories... all narrative poems are stories. They're just stories in verse. Ever read Paradise Lost? Pay attention to how Milton shapes his syntax across the lines and it should become clear the aesthetic advantages a great poet gains by writing a story in verse.
"As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light of meaning in the darkness of mere being." --Carl Gustav Jung
"To absent friends, lost loves, old gods, and the season of mists; and may each and every one of us always give the devil his due." --Neil Gaiman; The Sandman Vol. 4: Season of Mists
"I'm on my way, from misery to happiness today. Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh" --The Proclaimers
I don't get 'epic' poems. One might as well write a story.
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