Learning English through Poems

Poems can be a great tool for learning English, especially if your English level is between intermediate to advanced. Reading poetry can help take you from understanding the dictionary definitions of words (denotations) to understanding the deeper feeling or emotion behind words (connotation) that native speakers are able to intuitively understand. 

Poems are usually quite short, so each word is carefully chosen and packed with meaning. 

One trick for getting the most out of poetry is to choose at least two words from the poem that seem important and look them up in the dictionary (even if you are familiar with the meaning). Review all the possible uses of the word, as well as the word origin and historical use. Then, ask yourself, does this new knowledge contribute to the meaning of the poem in some way?

Take, for example, the following poem:

WALTER DE LA MARE

Slim Cunning Hands

Slim cunning hands at rest, and cozening eyes—

Under this stone one loved too wildly lies;

How false she was, no granite could declare;

Nor all earth’s flowers, how fair.

The word “cunning” means to achieve one’s goals through deceit (which has a negative connotation), but it can also mean that someone is crafty and ingenious (which has a positive connotation). Furthermore, in North America, it can even mean that something is attractive. So, the author is implying that the subject of the poem has deceitful, yet attractive hands. 

Similarly, “cozening” means to deceive someone, but can also mean to win them over by “artful coaxing”. So, on the one hand, the word is negative, but on the other hand, it also implies that the author respects the skill of the woman he is writing about. 

When you analyze the meaning of both of these words, it becomes clear that the speaker has complex feelings about the woman in the poem. With just two words, he describes her as deceitful, but also as beautiful and skillful. 

I encourage you to use poetry in your English studies if you’re looking to better understand the nuances of the English language.