2 - The Poetry

Summary

The very first work that Seth published was a book of poems and it is poetry that forms a significant part of his writing. This chapter examines chronologically all the books of poetry that Seth has published so far. These include Mappings (1981), The Humble Administrator's Garden (1983), All You Who Sleep Tonight (1990), Beastly Tales From Here and There (1991), Three Chinese Poets (1992) and the libretto Arion and the Dolphin (1994).

The striking feature of Seth's poetry is its craft. He has been called a neo-formalist and been hailed as the writer of polished poetry. He uses rhyme and metre, and older forms of verse such as the sonnet, in an age when free verse is the dominant style. The dogged and cheerful confidence in the enjoyment of verse is reflected in Seth's continued use of rhyme and metre for his poetry. Along with such ‘traditional’ forms of older poetry, he employs contemporary idiom and a modern speaking self. This blend of styles results in an unusual aesthetics. Another departure from the norm is that the modern voice of his poems is not particularly interested in itself: the self is firmly effaced from his poems. Seth can write of the ordinary and the commonplace with a great deal of ease. There is a lightness of touch even when he reflects on more serious subjects, which makes for wonderfully refreshing poetry.

These factors that characterize Seth's poetic oeuvre may in turn be traced back to Seth's non-academic apprenticeship in literature in general and poetry in particular.