After watching Willoughby recite a Shakespearean sonnet by heart in Sense and Sensibility last night, I’ve been taken with the idea of learning poetry by heart. So I started with the scriptures this morning, memorizing part of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:25-34). Good stuff. I’ll continue doing that in the mornings, and at night I’ll tackle various poems (the shorter ones at first, but I do want to build up to where I can retain some of the longer poems).
Why? As a writer, I believe that one can’t write well unless one reads well. When one comes across a striking passage, what better way to make it one’s own than to memorize it? I’d rather be known for quoting Wordsworth and Longfellow than for quoting Adam Sandler and Friends. (And it’s tempting to launch into a full tirade against the woes of modern pop culture, but alas, now is not the time. Soon, though, soon.) When the words of the poets are part of me, I feel fuller, richer, more alive than before. It’s great. :)
[tags]Shakespeare, poetry, memorization[/tags]