Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world

Anecdotes:

1. “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth….
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.”

Long before India’s independence and its constitution, the vision of what free India would look like
or what it would aspire to be was laid down by Rabindra Nath Tagore in this poem in his book
‘Gitanjali’. The ideals laid by him such as ‘freedom’, ‘liberty’, ‘justice’, ‘equality’, ‘secularism
or freedom from narrow communal mentality’, ‘welfare state’, etc. were the ideals enshrined
in our constitution by its makers later.

OR,

2. “Tinaka kabahun na nindiye, jo paanyan tar hoy. Kabahun ud aankhin pare, peer ghaneree
hoy” ( one should not oppress the weak, as one should not trample a speck. When that weak person
counterattacks, it will be very painful. Just like a speck of dust in the eye can cause a lot of
discomfort). In this couplet Kabir Das Ji gives a message of “right to equality and egalitarian
society”.

Through his other couplets he had time and again tried to give a message of secularism, respect,
justice, etc. the lightning principles for legislations. His couplets can also be used to understand
diplomacy as he asks not to be over-friendly with anyone, nor to be hostile to anyone.

OR,

3. Ramdhari Singh ‘Dinkar’, also known as ‘Rashtrakavi’, wrote many poems reflecting various
important issues such communal violence post-independence, inequality and poverty,
democracy, abolition of untouchability, etc. for instance when the real legislators were busy
celebrating independence, this poet was busy writing about issues plaguing the country.

One such poem is “Bharat ab bhi vyakul vipatti ke ghere mein, Dilli me toh khub jyoti ki chahal-
pahal, par bhatak raha sara desh andhere mein.” (India is still in the grip of troubled calamity.
There is a lot of light in Delhi, but the whole country is wandering in the dark). He is a manifestation
of poets being the unacknowledged legislators of the world.

OR,
 4. “Right to freedom”, one of the fundamental rights inscribed in the Indian constitution, is the most
basic right of humankind. When in Pakistan, religious intolerance, conservatism and repressive
Islamic state was on rise, Faiz Ahmed Faiz wrote numerous poems and organized mass protests
opposing Zia ul Haq’s regime and policies.

One of his most famous poems against Zia’s regime was sung by Iqbal Bano, the famous Pakistani
singer, to an audience of 50,000 people in the Lahore stadium wearing a black sari, when Zia’s
programme of forced Islamization banned the sari. Faiz laid the foundation for freedom of speech,
of religious beliefs, to choose of clothes etc.
Brainstorming:

1. Who are poets?

2. Who are legislators?
3. Why are the poets legislators of the world?
4. Why is their contribution unacknowledged?
5. Conclusion

Who are poets?

Poet is one who writes poetry, having great imaginative and expressive capabilities. They are the
people whose mind is always curious and thoughtful. Emotions, words and themes are the core of their
mind. They have critical thinking skills, can convey information clearly, and are socially perceptive;
aware of other's reactions and why they think as they do.

History of poetry is as old as the history of human civilization. It is the most used method of expression.
Wherever human civilization went through an intellectual dark age, it was always poets and philosophers
that saved it. It was due to writings of poets and philosophers such as Dante, Erasmus, Milton, etc. that
Europe could have been taken from the dark age towards the Renaissance. Modernity is the brainchild of
these intellectuals.

Not just in western world, poets and their poetries are equally important in other parts of the world. For
instance, Vedas are collections of poems or hymns, Gita, Ramayana, and Mahabharata are all written in
poetic style, most of the parts of Bible are in the form of poetry. Therefore, poets are essential parts of our
civilization.

Who are legislators?

A legislator is a person who writes and passes laws. Before the advent of legislatures, the law was dictated
by monarchs, but these used to be dictatorial and absolute laws and were in infact against public welfare.
The significance of legislation lies in its characteristic of public welfare.
The origin of legislations is unknown, but first legislation was codified in 22nd century BC and after that
in 2nd century BC. The aim of these legislators is to make laws based on moral and ethical principles. They
try to take society towards the path of progress, away from dogmas, superstitions, and social evils.

Why are the poets’ legislators of the world?

Shelley calls “poets the legislators of the world” because for him much of the valuable philosophy needed
to make the world moral and judicial was found in the minds, and works, of poets. His assertion that is the
clearest illustration of his belief that imaginative practice and political activism were inextricably
intertwined.

He holds that language's metaphorical ability can put previously unimagined things into words and sustain
those perceptions until they are transformed into reality. In his description of poetic language, Shelley
attempts to bring order to the disorder that only poets can comprehend—a chaos that Shelley may be seeing
in human civilization.

Poets being legislators in social life:

Whenever exploitation of one section over another became extreme and social life became unbearable, it
was always the writing of these poets that brought some relief, be it women or untouchables in India, or
Blacks in America. Abolition of untouchability in the constitution is a recent phenomenon but Kabir,
Eknath, Ravidas, etc. wrote about it in the 13th-14th century itself. Similarly, #Blacklivesmatter,
constitutional provisions for equal rights to Blacks in America happened decades after Phillis Wheatley
Peters, Paul Laurence Dunbar, etc. wrote poems about discriminatory and inhumane treatment of Blacks
in USA.

Another example of poets being the legislators of the world are the lines “If we can bear the harsh truth,
we would have to accept it with humility: that society has given women the most debased means for
building up her life.”, written by Mahadevi Verma way before the debate in the parliament for equality
of both the genders. She wrote for equality of men and women both. Amrita Pritam, Sylvia Plath, Maya
Angelou, Rupi Kaur, Kishwar Naheed, etc. were other poetesses who wrote for the same. Today all over
the world legislators are making laws over all these issues that these people have written about ages ago.

Poets being legislators in political life:

Whenever this chaos reaches its zenith, poets and philosophers come to the rescue of the society. From the
Renaissance to the French Revolution, it was these poets, who through their writings generated awakening
among masses for humanitarian values. The liberal ideas that we cherish today did not come so easily to
our conscience. It was the consistent efforts of these people, which made these ideas of democracy, liberty,
equality, and freedom as an integral part of our political life.

“You can cut all the flowers, but you can’t stop spring from coming”, these are the famous lines written
by Pablo Neruda, a Nobel laureate poet, which reflect a wave of resistance, rippling across the world,
calling out oppressors who rule with the iron hand of tyranny. These lines resonate with the importance
of ‘rule of law’, ‘democracy’ and ‘controlled government’.

Pablos wrote for the crisis in Chile and his poetry was upheld as the symbol of resistance to dictatorship,
but today his poems are remembered worldwide as a symbol of strength of mass movement, be it protests
in Hongkong for democracy or in India against dissatisfaction of people with CAA-NRC.

In India too, the ideals of equality, liberty, justice, freedom, were popularized among through masses by
poems of Tagore, Sarojini Naidu, Kazi Nazrul Islam, etc. Therefore, the visions of the ideas are first
floated in the society by the poets and they undoubtedly are the legislators of the world.

Poets being legislators in environmental protection:

William Blake, an English poet’s poem about industrialization, named ‘London’ is a cry to save the
environment and world from the catastrophe that industrialization would lead to in the 18th century.
Although modern-day ‘environmentalism’ and ‘climate change’ would have been unknown to Blake,
his poetry often reflects the sinister side to industrialization and the changes it is bringing about in the
landscape and society.

In ‘Binsey Poplars’, Hopkins, another famous poet of the 19th century, laments the felling of some
beautiful aspen trees in Oxford shire in 1879. Shortly after the publication of the poem, the poplars were
replanted. In 2004 they were felled again, only to be replanted. The poem formed part of the successful
campaign to replant the trees.

Poets being legislators in international affairs:

“Kabira Khara Bazaar Mein, Mange Sabki Khair Na Kahu Se Dosti, Na Kahu Se Bair.” (Standing in
the market, Kabir wishes everyone well, Neither friendship with anyone, nor enmity with anyone.) These
lines written by Kabirdas Ji very much explain India’s foreign policy, although he didn’t write for this
purpose. India as a nation has always tried to balance its relations with all other countries without being too
friendly with anyone or without being too hostile to anyone, Non-Alignment Movement is a perfect
example of this policy. Kabir wrote these lines without even knowing its importance in foreign affairs, but
these ideas are the key principles of India’s diplomacy.

So it is evident that no sphere of life is left untouched by these great minds and their ideas penetrated every
sphere of life way before actual legislators could reach there, in fact its their wisdom that is passed to actual
legislators.

Why is their contribution unacknowledged?

They float ideas which are mostly radical for the time. For example, Sarojini Naidu wrote poems about
women empowerment which was against the prevalent patriarchal thought in the society. The improved
poetic language of poets can re-establish order in human society and can lay the foundation to bring change
in the society.
Many times, they are seen as threat to established order and there is deliberate attempt from the state
to suppress their voice and ideas, For example, Pakistani poet Habib Jalib wrote against the military
coups of General Ayyub Khan and Ziaul Haq and protested in the streets against the draconian state
rule. As a result, he was jailed multiple times and his ideas were stopped from spreading. One famous
incident was when he was denied pen and paper in jail, and he decided to write on the floor and wall.
Shelley argues that poets have the power to enact laws and produce new sources of knowledge, establishing
the position of poets as legislators. For him, art bore an integral relationship to the ‘struggle between
revolution and oppression’.

Despite it, their contribution in knowledge creation and its propagation gets unacknowledged. Most of these
poets are ahead of their time. They think of ideas unimaginable to the common mind and hence their
ideas are often ignored or neglected.

Even if their ideas are passed on, it takes generations to finally acknowledge them as legitimate views.
By the time their ideas become popular sentiment and legislation is created on them, it takes a long time
even centuries, and by that time people tend to forget these unsung heroes.

For instance, Kabir, Tukaram, Ravidas, etc are these people who spoke about equality of all human beings
centuries ago and now a few decades ago when legislation on these issues were created in the constitution
of independent India, we perhaps forgot their contribution in it.

Therefore, poets are 'unacknowledged legislators', because their role in the progression of society will not
be publicly recognized.

How can their ideas be acknowledged?

As it is always said that the pen is mightier than the sword, so poems of these poets have revolutionary
potential to bring social change. But for that there is a need to spread awareness about their works.

State will have to understand that the end objective of their ideas is also to make a better society and in fact
they are also vouching for progressive social change. So, there is a need for effort from the side of the
state to acknowledge it and leverage their ideas for the change.

To make children aware about these unsung heroes and their ideas, their poems should be made a part of
curriculum and should be included in the textbooks.

“A great poem is a fountain forever overflowing with the waters of wisdom.” Poets are the people
responsible for this wisdom creation. The ideas of ethics, morality, humanity, and justice, which are
propagated by these poets work as basic principles on which legislations are made.

For instance, the right to equality is a basic human right and one important value on which legislations are
made across the world. But way before these legislations were made, Langston Hughes wrote,
“I dream a world where man
No other man will scorn,
Where love will bless the earth
And peace its paths adorn
I dream a world where all
Will know sweet freedom's way,”

Yet their contribution gets unacknowledged. This is what made Shelly say that “poets are the
unacknowledged legislators of the world.”