Poets and society
Perhaps no other
occupation demands so much thought for so little output, epitomized in the
Japanese haiku tradition, which involves production of seventeen syllable poems. Even in other traditions including thousand-line poems, a poet's total lifetime output might fill only two or three volumes. For this reason, poets occupy a peculiar position in society, even when compared to other
artists, tending to reside on the fringes of their culture. Even poets who have achieved prominence within their tradition can remain completely unknown in the world at large.
Because of this typically low cultural status, the practice of poetry itself is oftentimes a hobby or side activity rather than the central focus on an individual's life. In the past,
bards of remarkable skill might be maintained by a lord or by royalty as part of the artistic coterie at court. Away from the refinement of court, wandering
troubadours would have brought their romantic, bawdy chansons from town to town, supporting themselves by passing the hat.
In the east, poets were similarly maintained by royal patronage, and those of high birth were expected to develop this skill alongside many others. Within the tradition of Japanese chivalry,
bushido, Japanese knights, known as
samurai, were expected to become poets only once: right before death. Thus, the tradition of love poems does not exist in Japan, but the quantity and quality of death poems is renowned.
Poets and society
Perhaps no other
occupation demands so much thought for so little output, epitomized in the
Japanese haiku tradition, which involves production of seventeen syllable poems. Even in other traditions including thousand-line poems, a poet's total lifetime output might fill only two or three volumes. For this reason, poets occupy a peculiar position in society, even when compared to other
artists, tending to reside on the fringes of their culture. Even poets who have achieved prominence within their tradition can remain completely unknown in the world at large.
Because of this typically low cultural status, the practice of poetry itself is oftentimes a hobby or side activity rather than the central focus on an individual's life. In the past,
bards of remarkable skill might be maintained by a lord or by royalty as part of the artistic coterie at court. Away from the refinement of court, wandering
troubadours would have brought their romantic, bawdy chansons from town to town, supporting themselves by passing the hat.
In the east, poets were similarly maintained by royal patronage, and those of high birth were expected to develop this skill alongside many others. Within the tradition of Japanese chivalry,
bushido, Japanese knights, known as
samurai, were expected to become poets only once: right before death. Thus, the tradition of love poems does not exist in Japan, but the quantity and quality of death poems is renowned.
