Painting Pain With A Modern Brush - Technology & Poetry

Poetry is often referred to as a thing of the past, commonly associated with old paper and ink-stained hands. However, as a means to keep the art alive, poetry has found its way into the digital world and is often explored in different mediums. For instance, many songs reference poems in their lyrics and poetry recitations are posted to YouTube for the world to see. An older rendition of this was to simply add a melody to a poem as pre-existing lyrics.

This was what was done to W.H. Auden's Refugee Blues:

It is actually very interesting how the poem is rebirthed into something new with the accompanied melody. This is because when the poem is read we take the words for what they are: melancholic and sad. It is because when the poem is recited, it sounds like a lover or parent telling their loved one about their mistreatment and discrimination. With the use and repetition of 'my dear' it puts the reader in the shoes of the persona's 'dear', making the poem feel more gritty, personal and intimate.

To be honest, the gut-wrenching aftermath of the poem is slightly lost when the poem is turned into a song. The genre of the song, especially, this country folksong rhythm immediately sets the song in the past, making the song sound nostalgic and old. It reminds me of Hozier's music. Hozier is one of my favorite artists so safe to say, I enjoyed this rendition. the melody is snappy and the structure of the poem allows for it to have good musicality. However, it warps the poem from a personal sad conversation to a bard's storytelling song or lament. It puts the listener as an outsider while the singer tells this story of them speaking to their 'dear' about their sufferings.

Musée Des Beaux Arts

Another prime example of incorporating technology into poetry is NYT's article on W.H. Auden's Musée Des Beaux Arts. The article uses zooms, pans and images of the paintings referenced in the poem to create a more interactive experience when reading the poem. It almost feels like a digital gallery or museum where you're given a chance to look at an art piece and learn the context in the process. It is also entertaining how the article is written with sass and charisma as if you were discussing with a very intelligent friend about the poem. With that said, I enjoyed reading the comments on the NYT article, especially the fact that the images of the painting were included. It made the poem more interesting when accompanied with visuals to highlight the imagery in the poem.

Even so, there are a few aspects of the poem that are lost when presented this way. A big part of what makes poetry so special is that the meaning is sometimes supposed to be a little convoluted. Symbols and metaphors often seem cryptic but it makes the writing more special when its true meaning is revealed. Making a poem easier to understand may make the poem harder to truly digest because its meaning is handed to readers on a silver platter. Plus, an issue common with book to movie adaptations, the visuals in the article doesn't allow the reader to imagine the scenes on their own, disassociating the reader from the poem, making the impact of the poem less instant.

Both these poems depict very human emotions: pain and suffering. Therefore, the impact it brings readers is extremely important for the poems to work. Personally, I prefer the poems as they are. I do think music can help enhance a poem but I prefer listening to unrelated instrumental music so that the tone of the original poem is not disrupted. Abstract art works really well with poetry as an accompaniment because it is beautiful but does not affect the agency given to readers. Even so, I appreciate the way technology can help redefine the poems into something new. With that said, I personally believe that when a material is translated into a different medium, it becomes something entirely new. Sure, they can be compared and analyzed against but both can be appreciated for what they are and what they bring to the table.

Thank you for reading!