Happy World Poetry Day 2021! The day is celebrated every year on March 21. This event was bought into recognition by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard. The observance of World Poetry Day also encourages a return to the oral tradition of poetry recitals, to promote the teaching of poetry, to restore a dialogue between poetry and the other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting. On the occasion of World Poetry Day 2021, we will share with you 10 interesting facts about poetry. Quotes and Lines by Famous Poets That Describe The Beauty of This Literary Art. 

A decision to assign March 21 as World Poetry Day was adopted during UNESCO’s 30th session held in Paris in 1999. The theme for the celebration of World Poetry Day 2021 by UNESCO is to recognise the unique ability of poetry to capture the creative spirit of the human mind. The celebration of World Poetry Day usually observed by conducting seminars where poets are given the invitation to read and share their work to audiences at book stores, cafes, universities and schools. Apart from this, awards and other forms of recognition are made to honour poets and their work. Meanwhile, let us take a look at some interesting facts about poetry.

Facts About Poetry 

1. Haiku, originating from Japan, is one of the most popular forms of writing short poems as it has only seventeen syllables.

2. Mahabharata, an Indian epic poem is the longest poem in the world, which has around 1.8 million words.

3. The oldest written poem is the Epic of Gilgamesh originating from Babylon. In it we have the story of a king, Gilgamesh, who proclaimed himself as a half-god, half-man.

4. A stanza in a poem, originally contains 12 lines. A couplet is a two-line stanza, and a quatrain is a four-line couplet.

5. Poetry is a great way to improve your vocabulary. As you read poetry you will start to find more complex words that you’ve never heard of.

6. John F. Kennedy’s favourite poem was ‘I Have a Rendezvous with Death’ by Alan Seeger.

7. The word ‘unfriend’ as a noun dates from around 1275, meaning ‘one who is not a friend’. This word is derived from Layamon’s medieval epic poem Brut.

8. Poet Marianne Moore was asked by the Ford Motor Company to come up with names for new cars. One of her suggestions was ‘Mongoose Civique’.

9. Chinese poet Li Po died when he drunkenly attempted to grasp the reflection of the moon in the still waters of a lake.

10. ‘Flyting’ is the term for a poetic slanging-match, where two poets assail each other in turn with streams of abusive verse.

On the occasion of World Poetry Day 2021, read your favourite poem and learn more about the poet you admire the most. We wish you all a very Happy World Poetry Day 2021.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 21, 2021 09:05 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).