I have been reading English Literature since 2012, and I find that the essence of English literature lies in Romantic Literature, particularly Romantic Poetry. Its aura, grandeur, and aesthetic beauty are matchless and indescribable. It represents a kind of cult in English literature that has transformed readers' perspectives since the time of the classics, such as Geoffrey Chaucer, Sir Philip Sidney, Master William Shakespeare, John Milton, Edmund Spenser, Henry Howard, Thomas Wyatt, John Dryden, Alexander Pope, and John Donne. This esteemed group of classics was celebrated among literary elites for its rhetoric, language, musicality, grand style of diction, and highly acclaimed thematic concerns. Different schools of poetry, each with distinct layers, emerged from the fountains they were blessed with.
These poets pioneered diverse genres, including Epic, Narrative, Ballads, Sonnet, Song, Elegy, and Mock-Heroic Epic. They shaped the forms of English poetry by drawing from elite classics such as Homer, Virgil, Pindar, Petrarch, Boccaccio, and Seneca the Stoic philosopher, dramatist, and poet. Their designs of English poetry have been taught in universities for ages. The value of these classics is evident through the critiques of scholars such as T.S. Eliot, Matthew Arnold, and Shelley, who argue that an artist cannot truly be an artist without understanding these foundational works.
On the other hand, the Romantics challenge the clichés set by the classics—such as the lofty language, hegemonic themes, grand style of diction, religious verbosity, and unnecessary political upheaval that evoke the spirit of their age. Instead, the Romantics glorify the beauty of nature and the art of simplicity.
Their works evoke serenity, sovereignty, and sincerity to nature, allowing readers to savor the seasons, birds, animals, colors, tastes, light, and delight through poems such as "Ode to a Nightingale," "Ode to Autumn," "Ode to Melancholy," "Ode on a Grecian Urn," "Ode to the West Wind," "Hymn to Intellectual Beauty," "To the Butterfly," "To the Cuckoo," "To Westminster Bridge," "We Are Seven," "Tintern Abbey," and "The Prelude." These works offer a complete exploration of beauty and duty within the universe. The versatility and universal appeal of nature are both laudable and undeniable. To me, the Romantics are the true champions of English poetry.
To William Wordsworth
Birds' barrenness and bleating
Lambs call you.
Rivers, seas, lakes, and
Ponds miss you.
You are the god of worth,
Folk cherish your sitting
Around the hearth.
You rule over memory
We Are Seven is everyone's story.
Your Greek sings in every ear,
Tintern Abbey captures hearts
For many years.
Nature is God, and God is Nature.
You are a robe for every lover.
Your farmer still twitters in every field
And adores you, the spotless reformer.
Your daffodils have transformed many perceptions;
After you, they are given beautiful captions.
Your Prelude is the initial drop for thirsty birds,
It waters and quenches
The thirst through diverse soils. (Muhammad Adnan)
As a prophet of poetry, pantheist, and poet of nature, Coleridge's work sets new, airy insights and cinematic vistas in the reader's mind. His belief that "God is nature and Nature is God" vividly illustrates the sacredness of nature and its divine facets.
A true wanderer and explorer who adores nature in the nooks and corners of England, I articulate Tintern Abbey as the banks of the River Chenab near the University of Chenab, where nature dances in its glory and the surroundings are ecstatic with flowers. Tintern Abbey, like the banks of the River Chenab, resounds with its thrilling and enchanting song.
The Prelude is a mini-epic where one can see flora and fauna, and its aura is a class apart. Here, William Wordsworth, the poet of the earth, mountains, flowers, and birds, celebrates the unique fascination of the land. He regards Earth as the central part of nature, which quenches the thirst of the thirsty, feeds the hungry, and welcomes humans until their eternity. It is a mother-like figure of Earth, portrayed by Wordsworth, and without any exaggeration, it is clear that it is nature that welcomes humans after death. It is nature that fills the belly of humans, and it is nature that showers oxygen into the nostrils of creatures. Undoubtedly, nature is a mother-like figure, and the poet of nature regards it as the esteemed entity of God.
To Keats
A thing of beauty is a joy
Forever.
You are living here and
Thither.
Your nightingale echoes
In ears.
The urn is still fresh and
Rare.
Your spring denies the
Notions of many,
And melancholy displays,
Still uncanny.
Your Endymion is as
Fresh as the flower of May.
Hyperion resounds with Greek
And Roman convoys.
Your Fanny Browne lingers
In many hearts.
Siblings click in endless thoughts.
Your immortal senses are
Appealing.
Keats, simply,
You are feeling. (Muhammad Adnan)
Keats, another Romantic, is the poet of beauty and is known in the world of nature as a pure poet. His vision of beauty is flawless, as he senses beauty in art, sculptures, nature, and the sonorous sounds of nature. "O Autumn! thou hast thine own music!" "Truth is beauty, beauty is truth, that’s all." "A thing of beauty is a joy forever." "Immortal Bird! “His solo flight of imagination has earned him the title of the greatest escapist in the world of literature.
He artistically delves into the world of imagination, where the reader forgets their fret and fever. His unique style of weaving images into poetry places him among the tallest of the Romantics. As a pure poet, he is a class apart. He doesn’t mention social, religious, communal, or societal issues; rather, his approach is subjective, and his concern is purely with the essence of poetry. Even after ages, one cannot rise above his meticulous thoughts. He leaves deep impressions and spellbinds readers through his magical verses in heartwarming odes: Ode to a Nightingale, To Autumn, Ode on a Grecian Urn, and Ode on Melancholy. As a poet, he has been celebrated for ages.
To Shelley
If summer comes,
Can spring be far behind?
O Shelley, you are
Generations' find.
The world regards you as a champion;
Gandhi adores you as an Olympian.
Your West Wind is still to shatter
The dead hope of dying letters.
Your skylark calls the lost dreamers
To roar and soar in Lethe's rivers.
Your intellectual beauty stirs the mind,
And your undying duty
Welcomes the unkind.
Your summer is spring,
O Shelley, you always cling
To beautiful rings
And pour flames and heart swings. (Muhammad Adnan)
Shelley! Shelley is a champion. Like D.J. Bravo, the jubilant West Indian cricket player who sonorously sings in his song, "Champion, Champion," indeed, Shelley is a champion poet. He is not just a poet of English soil but a poet of all nations. His visionary and revolutionary approach inculcates newness, freshness, eagerness, and warmth in revolutionary figures. His poetry injects new energy into the minds of readers as he evokes responses to the Waterloo and Peterloo massacres. He clearly stands against tyranny, refusing to tolerate atrocities, oppression, and cruelty. His message is clear: 'Ye are many, they are few.' His revolutionary lyrics leave no doubt about his agenda. His impact is evident on W.B. Yeats, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Mahatma Gandhi, and many others, all of whom were inspired by the revolution. His poem Ode to the West Wind is a license for revolutionary minds who seek change and believe in the essence of revolution, such as "Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity," the slogan of the French Revolution. Being a believer in hope, optimism, and a new dawn, he has no parallel in English poetry. That’s why he is called the poet of hope, inspiring folks through his poetry.
Shelley, as a poet of all nations, speaks of the equal rights of human beings. That’s why, as said earlier, he is not just an English poet but the poet of the entire universe, who envisions prosperity, fertility, liberty, and peace for all. So, as a Romantic, he continues to inspire the minds of people who think outside the box and who believe—because it’s clear that a believer is an achiever. So, Shelley, thou art still a champion and will be a champion for ages. And I regard you as a sage of ages.
The universality and the boundless flight of imagination are central to the Romantic tradition. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, known for his supernaturalism, is a poet worth reading. His poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Christabel, and Kubla Khan remain a haven for Romantics, offering an optimistic escape, a remedy for those seeking solace, peace, harmony, and a kind of dreamful sleep that feels eternal. He artistically and magically transports the reader into a dreamy realm where they forget their surroundings and relish moments of wonder, like a cloud drifting in the air. It is his sense of mystery and control that reflects his grit and grace through words, embodying him as a poet of imagination and dreams. He is known for his romance, as his poem Kubla Khan vividly reflects his artistic and imaginative brilliance.
To William Blake!
Innocence and Experience are juxtaposed,
Virtue and Vanity are opposed
Lamb and Tiger are doomed
O Blake, you universally mould
Songs of Joy and Songs of Sorrow,
You spiritually borrow.
The good and the evil Spirit,
Thou magically grace and grit.
Sweepers swiftly sing the songs of joy,
Thou skilfully show the sight of boys.
Above creed and race,
They ecstatically pace.
Unknowingly, they taste,
Thou colorfully paste
Their innocent case
And unforgettable phase.
The world knows thy alchemy,
The Sick Rose is a universal epiphany.
Reciting and instructing the universe,
You stand tall among the Romantics. (Muhammad Adnan)
As a poet, I regard the Romantics as the heart of English poetry. The Romantics, especially William Blake, brought a new spirit to English literature. He sifted through the materialism in the human soul when he engraved Songs of Innocence. His Songs of Innocence gracefully capture glimpses of the seven virtues: charity, chastity, generosity, humility, temperance, patience, and diligence. It reflects true humanity, where Blake juxtaposes spirit and body in his celebrated song The Divine Image, personifying the transparency of the human heart where God resides. It reflects the image of God in humanity.
On the other side of the coin, Blake paints a bleak picture of human nature, much like Mark Twain does in The Damned Human Race, where Twain categorically reveals the cruel and callous nature of man. As a social animal, man is the worst embodiment of meanness, callousness, and filthiness. Like Twain, Blake mirrors the cruel facets of the human condition. He vividly exposes the wickedness of man, equating humanity with the seven deadly sins: greed, gluttony, sloth, lust, envy, wrath, and pride—the most heinous reflections of human nature. One of the significant songs in Songs of Experience, A Divine Image, clarifies the prevalence of these seven deadly sins. It starkly reveals the vicious visage of the human race, standing in contrast to The Divine Image. Through these songs, Blake emphasizes the universal truth that the world is a blend of good and evil.
Blake, a saint in English poetry, preaches peace and endurance through the profound verses of his lyrics. As a gateway to Romanticism, his didacticism is matchless, with no parallel in his school of thought. He is like a flower that still blooms in the hearts of poetry lovers.
To conclude the discussion, the debate above makes it crystal clear that the Romantics were champions of English poetry. They reshaped poetry where the classics left off. However, each genre of poetry—modern, classical, and Postmodern—offers its distinct reality. In contrast, Romantic poetry is especially distinguished by its serenity and sublimity.
Muhammad Adnan
Muhammad Adnan, a distinguished lecturer in English at The University of Chenab, Pakistan. He is a beacon of intellectual vigor and literary excellence. With two M.Phils. in English—one in Language and Literature from UOS and another in Literature from MUL—he has delved deeply into both classical and modern literary paradigms. His research spans the narrative structure of the classical folktale “Heer and Ranjha” and an exploration of Usman Ali’s modern plays through Edward Bond’s dramatic lens, showcasing his versatility in literature.
To date, Mr. Gujjar has authored ten research articles on classic and modern literature, presented at prestigious national and international conferences hosted by top-ranked universities such as NED Karachi, PU Lahore, IIU Islamabad, and even globally at University Club Boston, America. These achievements reflect his vibrant engagement with academia and his unwavering commitment to literary allowance.
Beyond research, he is a celebrated poet whose work has been featured in international and national anthologies, websites, magazines, and esteemed publications like “Raven Cage Zine” (Germany) and “Hope with Hopes” (India), Mouazizblogs (Morocco), Atunispoetry, Orfeu. Al, Opino Magazine(African), Poem Hunter, You are a champion(Pakistan), etc. His literary accomplishments have earned him recognition in global platforms, including “Mount Kenya Times” (USA & Africa), where his interview and poetry have been highlighted. He is the founder and Editor in Chief of The Wordsmith Magazine, in Pakistan. He is an ambassador of Pakistani Culture in Insight Magazine (America) and a managing director at Calypso Magazine (Greece).
A passionate believer in creative writing, he inspires his students to unlock their potential and share their voices on global platforms. His teaching philosophy emphasizes cultivating creativity, passion, and brilliance in his students, ensuring they shine as emblems of talent and transparency. Through his soulful guidance, he continues to nurture a generation of inspired writers and thinkers.
Tajalla Qureshi
Tajalla Qureshi - a literary enchantress who weaves embroideries of thoughts and passions with the delicacy of a leading artist in the realm of words. She is a gifted wordsmith from Pakistan.
In addition, she is the visionary Co-Founder and Co-Editor of “The Wordsmith E-Magazine, Pakistan,” where words are woven into magic. She is also an International Interviewer and Associate Editor at Insight Magazine, United States, a member of the Humanist of the World Organization, and the Editor-in-Chief and Co-founder at Calypso Magazine, Greece Pakistan.
Furthermore, she was interviewed by Tamikio L Dooley from the United States and Abigirl Phiri from Zimbabwe, Africa. She is the ambassador of IFCH. Her poems have been translated into multiple languages by International Translators.
Besides that, her writings including Poetry, Flash Fiction, Mirco Fiction, and Creative Columns and Research papers have been glorified in International Journals, more than 40 international and national anthologies, Global magazines, many international e-papers, and Online websites in Pakistan, America, Germany, Italy, China, Canada, Africa, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Bangladesh, and India.
On the other hand, she has artistically read her poetry at the Pakistani Young Writer`s Conference held at Mandi Bahauddin and presented her paper at Kinnard College for Women in Lahore, Pakistan. She has also presented papers at an international conference in Uzbekistan. Like a shooting star, her literary presence blazes across the sky, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of all who encounter her work.