Term Paper- Oral Traditions Spring '09

Oral Connection to Poetry through Sound


“The slightest sound matters. The most momentary rhythm matters. You can do as you please, yet everything matters. You are free, but your freedom must be consonant with the freedom of others.” –Wallace Stevens


The beauty of poetry lies very much within the sound when recited orally. Sound in poetry can not only reflect the meaning of poetry to an extent, but it is able to convey emotion as well. Orally, sound through poetry connects the speaker with the listener. Written poetry is unable to impose the same impression upon a person due to the lack of sound. Tonality, repetition, rhythm and onomatopoeia are a few elements that can be astoundingly important in oral poetry.

Poetry as an oral tradition has been lost through the generations due largely to the print culture. While reading poetry is a wonderfully imaginative experience it does not create the same senses and feelings as the oral tradition does. Orality allows poetry to come alive through sound. This sound is created through the speakers voice in which emotional sincerity, meaning and eternal beauty are apparent. Poetry in itself is an eternal beauty and that beauty can never be lost. Listening to a poem elevates the listener to a completely different level of knowledge, understanding and appreciation of sound and poetry.

The tone of a person’s voice has the ability to convey so much or so little to the listener. Emphasizing tone in terms of quality and pitch are necessary when reciting poetry. Quality is important because in poetry one must set themselves inside of it, as if they are a part of that poetic piece. By doing so, the poet or speaker becomes engaged in the poem fully. The speaker can emphasize the mood of the poem by simply changing the pitch of their voice. Pitch can emphasize various moods whether that is anger, sadness or happiness. A monotone quality and pitch might emphasize a sort of dullness or somberness of the poem.

The rhythm with which the speaker recites the poem is also very important. The speaker has the ability to show an “oracular, meditative, soliloquizing rhythm emerging” (Sound and Poetry xxvi) through pace change. Rhythm as an utterance is important in poetry because it can exclaim sound itself or a message.

The ways in which oratory utilizes pattern and repetition differs greatly from that of common speech. Alliteration is one way in which pattern is shown in poetry. Take Beowulf for example, repetition and sound is used in that epic work to create an imagery of the battles and characters within the poem. This pattern creates a heroic imagery and strength. Chanting is one example of speech that also shows heroic qualities and removes poetry from the category of common speech (Sound and poetry xxv).

John Hollander found that sound pattern plays the role of allegory or metaphor in a poem (Rosu 17). This is possible because sound has the ability to create images or represent something larger. Oratory is more formal and is improvised in a creative way, whereas common speech is informal and the casual improvisation suggests that. Repetition plays on significant words or points within a poem. Through repetition, the listener remembers what is said. In some instances, the speaker will use repetition as a way to remember what they have to say as well, making improvisation easier.

Sound becomes important in the process of imitation also. Sound imitates the mood of the poem through use of vocals such as strength, pitch and tonality while also imitating words or sounds themselves through onomatopoeia. Meaning and emotion in poetry shift easily and depend heavily on sound. Sound in poetry “interacts with the visually and kinesthetically perceived space around them” (Ong 127). The lack of sound can also impact poetry orally. Silence portrays a dramatic feeling while in some cases creating ambiguity.

While sound and orality has much to do with the recitation of the poem, it also involves any accompaniments to the poem. Musical accompaniment is a creative and powerful way to express the language, feel and meaning of a poem. Poetry itself is often considered to be musical, such as lyrical poetry. Lyric poetry provides a voice in the way that it tells a story or reflects a series of events (Ong 137).

Northrop Frye describes musical poetry to consist of a “pleasant variety of vowel sounds” (Sound and Poetry xi). Musical poetry is consistent and stresses tonality and accents. Poetry can be musical, and I suppose one could say that music is poetic; they are two very separate things. Frye supports this by stating that “music is music, and poetry poetry, each a world of its own” (Sound and Poetry xxiv). Unmusical poets on the other hand, I would assume have a more ambiguous take on poetry and incorporate that vagueness into their works. Poetry that is unmusical seemingly lacks accompaniment and/or great expression of sound.
Sound is of great importance to poets, speakers and listeners. Oral poetry is also very much about the interaction between the speaker and the listener. While the recitation is extremely sound oriented and expressive, it is the listener who chooses to take in what is being said and most importantly how it is being said. Engaging within sound can be a powerful, fantastical experience in so many ways. The speaker has the ability to create magic within the words. The interpretation of sound and poetry is a completely different topic in which every speaker and listener creates to their liking.

It would be imprudent for one to think that poetry must be accompanied with sound or music though. While sound can add a great deal to poetry, it also takes away from it. Sound can be seen as a messenger of poetry and the meaning, but it is important for one to see that the sound is not the meaning itself (Rosu 16). Sound takes away from what the poem means because ultimately the poem is itself; that is the meaning. In order to fully understand a poem, it must be laid down on a blank surface, devoid of emotion, tone and “forced” meaning. This then opens it up for the reader or listener to place their interpretations on it. Wallace Stevens is one poet that shows this through his imagery and the lack of finalization of his imagery (Rosu 10).

Wallace Stevens and Robert Frost are two poets that have compelling views on sound and poetry. Robert Frost believes that “word exists in the mouth not books”, which gives one the impression that to Frost, orality is a necessary part of poetry (Rosu 18). Stevens though believes that “poetry is words; and that words, above everything else, are, in poetry, sounds” (Rosu 18). Looking at Stevens’s statement one may take from it that whether poetry is spoken out loud or not, sound is still very much present and essential.

Sound and poetry are beautifully connected in various ways which one may never take into consideration. While it is clear to see this connection, it also creates the question of whether one can exist without the other. Sound can act as a mask, an imitation or an accompaniment to poetry. Whether sound is present or not, it has the ability to create an unseen beauty while also allowing one to create their own fantastical image or meaning within the poem. Sound through oral presentation is a great influence to poetry creating a completely different experience where one can become another.