by Mark Sheehan

Created on: October 11, 2008

Personally, my favourite poem is The Planter's Daughter written by the Irish poet Austin Clarke. It's not a poem that I learned at school, but one that I came across later while perusing a dusty old book of poems. It struck me immediately upon reading it.

The reason that I admire this piece of literature so much is its intimacy. It peeps into life in a small Irish village, its community and even its values. And yet, all of this is expressed in the simplest language I think possible over just eight lines.

The poem's subject, the planter's daughter (planter meaning local gentleman landowner), is admired, revered and talked about by the people of this village because of her beauty, grace and, of course, position.

Clarke's poem reads as follows:

"When night stirred at sea and the fire brought a crowd in

They say that her beauty was music in mouth

And few in the candlelight thought her too proud

For the house of the planter is known by the trees

"Men that had seen her drank deep and were silent

The women were speaking wherever she went

As a bell that is rung, or a wonder told shyly

And, oh, she was the Sunday in every week"

To me, simplicity is the beauty of poetry as well as its challenge. The complexities of social structure, character and emotion should be delivered as succinctly, and described as colourfully, as possible.

Clarke's poem paints so many images: a stormy night, the community together in a local pub, faces in the candlelight, awestruck men, gossiping women, and a young woman whose beauty is the motivation behind it all. By giving us all of this imagery, we are brought to this place, we sit in the pub with them and we are invited to imagine this inspiring young beauty. In short, we are invited to feel that same awe that the locals do.

Can opinion be delivered as effectively as this? Can opinion be delivered so colourfully? Can opinion be delivered so imaginatively? I don't think so.

Opinion is too direct, too cold, too calculated. Opinion is didactic not invitational, telling us what should be rather than what is or was. Opinion is critical not inspiring, which can immediately set a negative tone. Opinion is of the mind not the heart and as such is unemotional.

With this in mind, it cannot be considered intimate, and intimacy a closeness to the subject, a telling of a secret that is hidden to others is the whole purpose of poetry. Opinion, however, reveals only cold, granite-like facts.

No, it is not preferable to write poetry from opinion. Write it from emotion to express the heart of the subject.

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