---"Of course, a poem has only so much meaning as the reader thinks
it has. The gestalt of the poem is more than the meanings of the
constituent words."---
The poet intends to convey a definite meaning through his/her poem.
Now, if the reader gets it, then the poet is successful. If the
reader does not get the intended meaning then the poet obviously has
failed. Of course, the premis is that the reader is an intelligent
fellow, can read and understand poetry.
If the reader reads into the poem, more than what the poet has
intended the poem to convey, then we have a big problem. In a sense,
that is what we have been witnessing with some interpretations of run
of the mill verses. If the interpretations tend to be more than the
so-called 'gestalt' of the poem, aren't we trekking on dangerous
grounds?
Let us look at the following 'poem.'
tE.gee. reMDu kaakulu koorcuMDe baMDa meeda;
oM Degiri pOye; aMta aMdoMDu migile
reMDavadi pOye; pidapa aMdoMDu lEdu
baMDa maatramu paapa maMduMDi pOye!
Tell me, does some one reads in the above poem SaMkara's philosophy
and the illusory nature of the material world? Or the tenets of the
heenayaana? Then, the author could be in real big trouble!!
For whatever it is worth, let us try to get the 'gestalt' of
the poem! Come on! Ramarao gaaroo! Be a sport!!
I will later reveal the author, the context, the intent etc.
[No offense intended; rest of the romantic stuff deleted]
Regards.
-- Venkateswara Rao Veluri