"Picture of a Sound" -- Sound and Rhythm for the Poet/Bard

Newly descended from the trees, man huddles in caves, seeking solace through community and fire. It is a harsh, frightening age, where all must know their role if the small community is to survive and grow. Enter the Shaman, intoning his history and wisdom, ensuring by repetition that knowledge, earned at such cost,will be passed to the young.

Poetry -- existing before the written word -- was originally chanted or intoned in a rhythmic manner. Since the main purpose of these "poems" was to instruct the young in their role within the society, and to give them the skills to survive, it was vital that this information was both given and retained accurately. A pleasing rhythmic pattern of sound aided the teacher in retaining the information and helped the student to recall it. The role of the poet as bard and messenger is well documented throughout history, and needs no great exploration here. For our purposes, it is sufficient to say that poetry demands to be read aloud. Much of the energy, power, and beauty of words becomes clear only when heard. Poets choose words for their sounds as well as for their meanings. Many methods allow the poet to achieve this sonic desire. The most significant, but by no means all, of these skills are discussed herein.

The repetition of sounds in poetry is related to the way that tones and melodies repeat, with variations, in music. The most direct method by which the sound suggests meaning is onomatopoeia, in which the word resembles the sound it portrays. Buzz, rattle, bang, sizzle are a few direct examples of the sound at play. This effect does not limit itself to single words, longer passages can function in a similar manner. Consider, by way of example, the following lines from "Player Piano", by John Updike:

"My stick fingers click with a snicker

and, chuckling, they knuckle the keys."

The entire passage "clicks" against itself, emulating, in its playfulness, the rapid tones of the player piano.

Strongly related to each other, alliteration and consonance define the way in which word sounds relate to one another. Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in nearby words, while alliteration applies only to the initial consonant sounds: "Descent of Dewdrops", "Lovely Limes". Consonance applies to internal sound structures as well: "foReign souRces", "miSTy liSTeners". These two, alliteration and consonance, depend solely on sound, not spelling, thus "keep" and "carriage" alliterate, "carriage" and "citation" do not. A cautionary note -- heavy - handed alliteration more often distracts than enhances. "Horrific horrors haunted Helen’s house." The alliterative "H"’s certainly convey the image and felling of pursuit, but their impact is more comedic than horrific.

Cousin to alliteration is assonance, the repetition of vowel sounds between words: "tIme and tIde", evEry evEning". Again, sound, not spelling, determines assonance: "aWEsome hAUnches" is assonant.

Alliteration and assonance help to establish relationships between words and lines. This effect can be euphonious, musically pleasant and smooth to the ear, as in Emily Dickinson’s "A Bird Came Down the Walk":

"and he unrolled his feathers
and rowed him softer home."

or the effect can be cacophonous, discordant and difficult to pronounce, as in Updike’s "Player Piano":

"Never my numb plumber fumbles."

These tools, combined with meaning and images created by the poet, create powerful and lasting memories in the reader.

The Tree

Lament now,
for the loss
of the gentle friend.
Moved by onrushing information,
tempted by knowledge.
Fallen from grace,
alone in the dark.

© '95 Deane P. Goodwin