Memorising poetry.

[aabbcc]

Since my childhood - more spontaneously than in planned, organised manner - I have memorised quite a few poems; I always inclined to verse, preferred verse to prose [both when it comes to reading and writing], and I wanted to carry with, and in myself, the beauty of words.

Most of the poems I have memorised spontaneously, reading a lot of times the same poem - poetry was [is?] my opium; not a lot of them I memorised with an intention to memorise them, they simply started to form part of me little by little.

I have been wondering, does anyone here memorise poems - whether intentionally or not - and what are your experiences with it? When do you remember memorised poems - do they, out of darkness, just "come" to you in certain moments, thus reminding you that you know them; or they need to be called for to come back to you? Which are your favourite poems that you know by heart?

[Pensive]

I don't really memorise poetry intentionally, but because I sometimes read it, so I remember it.

The poems which remain in my mind, unrelentingly, are Annabel Lee, The Raven, Hope (Emily Dickinson's one), Hope (Keats' one), and many songs from Lord of the Rings.

[kandaurov]

I do memorise. For me, it's a great exercise for the brain. It's like sharpening a pencil: every poem memorised is another twist.

I have memorised Der Erlkönig (german is my third language; memorising poems is a good way of helping oneself to improve oneself's language skills), and my favourite stanza of Der Panther, and other short poems from Frost and Yeats.

However, my big enterprise is memorising Poe's 'The Raven'. I'm more than halfway through, but it's not easy; I have to exercise regularly, or else I forget a great deal of it...

(Pensive, you have already managed to memorise The Raven? Well done! )

[Aiculík]

I don't memorise intentionally, but if I really like some text, I remember it - sometimes whole, sometimes parts of it. Not only poems, but sometimes also prose. I can quote whole paragraphs, word by word.

[jason07]

I don't actually memorize poems unless required by my curriculum. Heck, I can't even remember any title I memorized as a kid. Poor me.

[amanda_isabel]

memorizing poetry is a great way, as stated earlier, to exercise the mind. usually it's required by the curriculum, or in theater--dialogues and dialogues. but usually i do get to memorize poems unintentionally. sometimes if i find it really moving or i'm just somewhat attracted to it i do get to memorize it... after some time i have to recall a bit more but when i get my wheels turning it's alright. another thing i do get to memorize unintentionally are dialogues. i'm our theater group's stage manager, so memorizing the lines is a must, but with rehearsals everyday it's not that hard... shakespeare too, but it takes a bit longer.

[BibliophileTRJ]

I have a several very short poems locked away in my brain (Masenfeld's Sea Fever, and a few "books" by Edward Gorey); but I have been learning over the course of the last YEAR Longfellow's Hiawatha's Childhood. Not the abbreviated version that is posted on this site (By the shores -> Hiawatha's Brothers) but the complete third chapter of the book The Song of Hiawatha (Downward through the evening twilight -> Called him Strong-Heart.)

Like Kandaurov, I have to exercise/practice frequently in order to retain what I've learned. It's shocking and frightening how much I lose and how swiftly I lose it if I should "take a break". (I took December off so that I could deal with the mania of the holidays and set myself back quite a ways)

One way that I get back at my crew for their practical jokes is to practice aloud over the loudspeaker on my boat. The day that I found my toothpaste replaced with Preparation H; I did that for nearly 20 hours (made quite a bit of progress that day, let me tell you; and some of my men were ready to jump overboard).

[carina_gino20]

i usually don't intentionally memorize poetry. but because i read some very often, bits and pieces are left in my mind. i usually remember a stanza or two from some neruda poems. i know only two poems by heart. One is a short poem my sister's boyfriend made for her, and the other is A Psalm of Life by Longfellow.

for prose, i mostly remember dialogue or one-liners. but the only paragraph i memorized intentionally is the first paragraph of A Tale of Two Cities. Too good to resist.

[hyperinsomnia]

I memorise easily, it must be the kind of learner I am. I know all of my own poetry by heart and a lot of Oscar Wilde's. Scenes from Hamlet are also constantly replaying in my head.

[sumalan monica]

Memorising poetry ,in my oppinion is not recommended.
Poetry is a matter of good interaction between the artistic core ,the essence and the heart.As a writer said-poetry should provide images not ideas
So,what is the use of memorising?
poetry is written in order to be felt and read as well-you are carried away ,you exist in a perfect symmetry ,you flow like a river
you mean to turn the human being into a robot
poetry remains in our sacred room of the heart as a blessing not a piece meant to be learned by heart
i can assure you,if you truly like it you don~T NEED TO MEMORISE IT
IT COMES WITH THE REST and also with your self

[SmartyGrl22]

Hi all,
I really don't mean to memorize the poems I read...it just kind of happens! haha!

[Ecurb]

As a young man I worked as a busboy at a restaurant in Yosemite National Park. I would memorize poems by keeping a book of poetry in the bus closet, and memorizing the next couple of lines every time I wet my sponge. As a result, at one time I could recite poems by practically any famous poet you could name. Some of the longer ones I memorized include:

The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock
The Highwayman
The Ballad of Jim Bludso
The Ballad of East and West
To His Coy Mistress (doesn’t actually help one get laid – trust me)

I can still do them all, if I practice for ten or fifteen minutes. Also, it helped pass the time bussing tables quite well.

[Daniel A. C.]

I think memorizing poetry is the best way to get at the real depths of great poems.

Poetry on the page is like sheet music. It is not real until it is absorbed by the musician.

Poetry is really not meant to be read, I think, but recited. We don't really do this in our culture anymore, outside of popular music, but you can still recite poetry to yourself. I often do this when I walk.

[Nick Rubashov]

I agree that most poems should be at least heard aloud, and when a lot of people attempt to learn poetry they only read it. I like to memorize my favorite poems

[CountingSheep]

I started memorising poetry at about eleven. I had just started reading The Raven and my father laughed told me that he would give me fifty dollars if I could memorise the whole poem in two weeks. I got through the first seven stanzas and then quit. Even though I have only read that poem a few times since then, I still know those seven stanzas by heart years later. Aside from that I don't memorise poems on purpose but rather after reading certain favourites, they become carved into my mind somewhat.