POETRY, that one of the fine arts which has for its object the creation of Intellectual pleasure by the use of imag inative and passionate language, which is generally, though not necessarily, formed in regular measure; the art of producing illusions of the imagination by means of language. Also poetical, imaginative, or passionate language or compositions, whether expressed rhyth mically or in prose. Thus, many parts of the prose translations of the Bible are genuine poetry. In its widest sense, poetry may be defined as that which is the product of the imaginative powers and fancy, and which appeals to these powers in others.
The ancient Hindu Vedas consists in large measure of rhythmical hymns. Hindu poetry reached its highest devel opment in the epics of the Ramayan and the Mahabharat. Specimens of that of the Hebrews, made conspicuous to the i English reader by being printed arate lines in the revised version, are found in Gen. iv : 23-24, ix: 25-27, xxvii: 39, 40, xlix: 2-27, and Exodus xv: 1-18, 21. It reached its highest development
in the books of Job and of Psalms. The poetry of the Greeks began with Homer and Hesiod, and continued till about 500 B. C. The chief poets of Rome came late on the scene, Vergil be ing born 70 B. C., and Homer 65 B. C. Geoffrey Chaucer, the father of English poetry, died A. D. Oct. 25, 1400; John Barbour, author of the "Bruce" (1373), was the first Scotch poet. Of the English poets of high genius were Chaucer in the 14th, Shakespeare and Spenser in the 16th century, Milton and Dryden in the 17th, Pope and Cowper in the 18th, Byron, Keats, Shelley, Tennyson, etc., in the 19th. Of Scotch poets, Burns in the 18th century. Of American poets, Longfellow, Poe, Bryant, Whittier and many others, all living in the 19th cen tury. For poetry of the 20th century, in the United States see the works of Amy Lowell, Untermeyer, Forest, Pound, Sandburg, etc.