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From Song to Poetic Form: Antiquity and Classicism

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The origin of poetry is closely connected to song. In ancient Greece, the term lyrikē originally referred to songs performed with the accompaniment of instruments such as the lyre or the cithara.[1] [2] At that time, lyric poetry was not separated from music but existed as a form of performance art. Representative poets include Sappho and Pindar [3].
Greek lyric poetry was performed in various communal contexts, including religious rituals, festivals, and celebrations of athletic victories. At the same time, it also served as a means of expressing individual emotions, such as love and personal experiences. Therefore, lyric poetry in ancient Greece had both artistic and social functions. In other words, early lyric poetry was not primarily something to be silently read, but something to be performed through voice and music.
For Aristotle, poetry was understood as a form of mimesis (representation or imitation). His central concern was how human actions and experiences could be represented through artistic forms. In his Poetics, poetry was not merely a reproduction of reality but a creative process that reveals universal aspects of human life. During the Middle Ages, poetry functioned as a medium for religious instruction and education, while also continuing to express secular themes within courtly and cultural contexts. From the Renaissance to the Classical period of the 16th–18th centuries, poetic rules and conventions became increasingly important. A good poem was often considered one that followed established principles of form, including meter, rhythm, and structure. Poetry was therefore understood not only as an expression of inspiration but also as a form of artistic craftsmanship (ars) that required discipline and technical skill.

From Inner Expression to the Language Itself: Romanticism and the 20th Century

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At the end of the 18th century, during the Romantic period, poetry came to be understood as an art form that expressed the poet’s inner world. Romantic poets emphasized individual emotions, imagination, subjective experiences, and the relationship between human beings and nature. Representative poets of this period include William Wordsworth [4] and Friedrich Hölderlin [5]. The modern understanding of poetry as an expression of personal emotions and inner experiences can be regarded as one of the important legacies of Romanticism.
For example, Wordsworth viewed poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings,” emphasizing the significance of personal emotions and memories. In his poetry, ordinary experiences in nature become meaningful through the poet’s subjective perception and reflection. Hölderlin, on the other hand, explored deeper questions concerning human existence, nature, and the relationship between humanity and the divine. His poems transform personal experiences of loss, longing, and solitude into reflections on human existence itself.
In the 20th century, poetry began to be understood not only as a form of emotional expression but also as a particular way of using language. One important example is Roman Jakobson’s theory of the poetic function. In his essay “Closing Statement: Linguistics and Poetics” (1960), Jakobson explains that the poetic function refers to the orientation of language toward the message itself. In other words, poetry draws attention not only to what is being said but also to how it is expressed. This means that elements such as sound, rhythm, repetition, and the arrangement of words are not merely decorative features but essential components that create poetic meaning.