Is poetry better heard or read?

In your honest opinion, which appeals to you more?

For me I'm complex. I love hearing poems but I rather have people just read mine than hear them.

Voicing poems gives more of an impact to what the author is trying to convey. It can sometimes lul you in better into a painted dream and picture the poem all that much better. For example, a classic like The Raven.

But I can understand why some people would rather read them. It leaves the poem more open to interpret for the reader's vaule than the author's, to read it, and take with it what they learned from it.

For example, I know people don't fully grasp the meaning of my poetry. They're all simple words yet leave room to much interpertation and if I were to voice them in the way they were written, the message would be a lot clearer. Like my poem Windows. But as much as I'd rather hear someone's poems I prefer mine to be as a "take what you will" form.

lol. It's weird. So how do you feel?

I know what you mean, its nice to hear a poem because the reader voices it themself and you hear it the way they meant it to be heard. But I do prefer reading a poem, more open for imagination, and I just find it more of a journey through words in my opinion.

Both!

I think poetry is better both ways, it's the same words, the same lines so the only difference of it being read aloud is putting emphasis into it

I think its best heard, my counsellor was trying to read some of my poems but couldnt get the flow right and was reading it more like a story. she asked me to read it instead and we had this discussion about the poet making it sound so much better.

I prefer reading a poem ... but hearing also can be a different kind of experience ... along with expression and music ... I remember in my school, my english Teacher played 'The Highwayman' on a tape-recorder ... it was beautifully narrated with soft background music ... I couldnt forget that feeling ... it was beautiful ...

I like both..but i still prefer reading them
because everyone has a different way
of interpreting..or presenting a poem..

"Is poetry better heard or read?"

^ Poetry is better to be written! Much more gratifying knowing it's your own piece of work!

I usually prefer to read poetry to myself, as to most other pieces of literature, both inwardly & out. But I do enjoy to hear it be read aloud by another so long as they put their all into it, but even if they do not most often I read along with them. :)

Both really

Hmm. I love reading a poem in my head, but if it's someone else's work, it always sounds wrong. If possible, i prefer hearing the poem read by the poet.

Defenatly read, you can reread it multiple times to draw out the meaning and conclusion. Also with rereading the poem you can find hidden meanings and twists of the text

Same here. I think reading it is better so you can understand what the poem is talking about. Sometimes when someone reads a poem to you. You will sometimes not understand it or comprehend it. So I think reading it yourself is better.

I think hearing a poem is better. I'd rather hear the author speak out their work than to read it anyday, because to me, when read out in your presence, you can draw a deeper idea of the emotions behind the words written - the facial expressions, the tone, the presentation. Overall, it just improves the impact.

Hell, if I could pull it off, ALL my poems on this site would be spoken rather than read. The rhythm is easier to share when the author speaks it, as well as the emphasis, and sense many of my poems are intended to be lyrics, speaking (or better yet singing, if I could sing lol) would help to give the full experience.

Just my thoughts though.

I went to a Chaucer conference the other day. In all honesty, listening to the way they were reading the Merchant's Tale, I would much rather read the damn text myself!

I would rather hear it, that way the genuine inflection of the piece could be properly heard.

"Words mean more than is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with greater meaning."
-Maya Angelou.

I agree with that, except I prefer to read a poem out loud..with my own voice. I dont think many people can get bored of their own voice so it keeps the magic flowing.

(:

I think its better read because if the reader can get the emotion right it just seems more effective to me than reading it

it comes alve that way

Read and heard!!! It doesn't matter!!! It's just all about the content of the poem!!!!

I feel it has more emotional impact when heard but is better understood when read. all my poems are meant to be heard. when i write them i continually read them aloud to try get the right rythm to them. also i always read my poems aloud to other people first befor i let them peruse it for themselves. except over the internet ofcourse

How about seeing the poem?

www.bcactionpoet.org/budapest.html

As long as you enjoy poetry it does not matter how you come in to contact with it as long as you enjoy the way it reaches you as well. Ray S

That is a hard one because hearing it can make a more impact on how you percieve the poem but yet when you read something you can be more open minded with how you want to the poem to be instead of the author telling you how it is. I like hearing poetry more because it can cause you to have more emotion like when you hear a song it has more of an impact that if you were to just read the lyrics.

Hmm...I don't know. The way each person interprets writing is different. When it is read aloud by the author, the author can convey the correct inflection and expression, but when it is read silently by a reader, it can be misunderstood. But at the same time, the author might have written the piece for the sole reason that they wouldn't have to speak if they wrote it out. I definitely have mixed feelings on this, but I lean more towards hearing poems rather than reading.

Both

Both but i think better understood read individually

I depends.

Performance poetry is intended to be read to an audience.

Poetry is 6,000 years old and was first an oral art form. Most poetry still relies on a prosody which is better understood and appreciated when spoken aloud.

More recently, graphic and visual poetry have gained popularity and removing graphic/ visual poetry from the page (reading it aloud) is like removing iambic pentameter from Charge of The Light Brigade and expecting it to still resonate. It doesn't work.

I'd rather hear poetry than read it.

I'd prefer to hear it to really get encapsulated in it, when i read a poem i usually read over about 5times to understand it, but if i hear it i take a a better understading of it