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What is the translation of poetry, anyway? I, for one, don't have the foggiest idea. Do you? No one knows what Poetry is: So how could we ever grasp the [...]

The emergence of the Spoken Word Poetry as a form of performing art that is expressive, inclusive and creative is presented.

The poems of Dioscorus seem to be transpositions into verse of request, which is sketched originally in prose. The frequency of Phaethon references in his works is described.

A feature that contributes to the charm of poetry is its obscurity and indirectness. Human psychology decrees that the charm of poetry lies in its 'aesthetic attitude', and challenges to the reader example overcoming difficulties, unusual language, indirectness, and such distances, which then become important positive qualities of works of art.

The intervening years have seen a renaissance of interest in Christina Rossetti's poetry. Suggestions about the ways Rossetti exploited elements of religious ideology to alleviate anxieties of poetic origination and to forge a new, more communal lyric subjectivity is discussed.

The view of Speaking Likenesses has begun to change and scholars have discovered a wealth of material to add to the burgeoning field of Christina Rossetti studies. Rossetti's critical insight about the nature of her characters-her decision to 'adopt 'Speaking Likenesses'' as her title is discussed.

The insight in the Dante Gabriel Rossetti's poem 'Aspecta Medusa' illustrates the dichotomy between the two main types of women defined by bourgeois morality, the 'angel in the house' and 'the fallen woman' reinforcing the idea that the femininity is 'split between surface and depth, knowable exterior appearance and unknowable interior desires'. Also the message that the power of man resides in his retaining control of both types of women is reiterated.

The controversy between Buchanan and Ellis poems is highlighted. It also reveals that Buchanan could exact revenge on Ellis by condemning Rossetti and the whole school to which he belonged by attacking Rossetti's Poems (1870) in 'The Fleshly School of Poetry'.

The current batch of poetry depicts a renewed interest in form. The latest works have seen free verse poets shift into writing in forms and narrative. These poets have created an atmosphere of greater tolerance for poetry that are not written in the traditional rhyme and storytelling mode. Some of the more recent poems worth reading include 'Viper Rum' by Mary Karr, 'A Timbered Choir: The Sabbath Poems 1979-1997' by Wendell Berry and 'Without' by Donald Hall.