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Posthumous festschrift in honour of late professor R.O. Ezeuko, edited by Dr. Odinye, Egenti & Orji 

 

154 

 

THE IMAGE OF A POET FROM A LAYMAN’S PERSPECTIVE: A CASE STUDY OF 

IGBO SOCIETY 

 

Oluchi Nebolisa 

Department of Linguistics and other Nigerian languages 

    Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri 

 

 

ABSTRACT 

 

Poetry is expression of a poet’s individuality, feelings, emotions and experiences 

common to other people in society. Hence, a poet is generally perceived as a 

lyricist who expresses his/her experiences, feelings and emotions in a clear 

language which connects him/her to the listening audience. This study examines 

the characteristics of a poet from an ordinary Igbo man’s perspective. It suggests 

that since the Igbo people engage themselves in the creative expression of feelings, 

emotions and experiences through songs, proverbs, chants, and word play; then 

everyone in Igbo society is consciously or unconsciously a poet. This is to say 

that in a traditional Igbo society, events, social or religious activities are often 

chanted by individuals or groups of individuals.  

 

KEYWORDS: Poetry, poet, layman 

 

Generally speaking, the term ‘poetry’ is an art of composition which can be 

written (documented) and orally presented by an individual or groups of 

individuals. In essence, poetry as a form of artistic composition represents the 

emotions, feelings and the individual thought of a person who wrote the poems. 

Hence, poetry is a literary type that shares the same characteristics; whether 

written or spoken. 

 

Different societies have their own forms of poetry irrespective of their levels of 

development. This is to say that poetry has been part of a cultural milieu with its 

unique characteristics. These characteristics are determined by the linguistic 

resources of language, geographical environment, tradition, culture and habits of a 

given society. Therefore, poetry varies from society to society, from one cultural 

milieu to another. Based on the above mentioned views, the meaning and values 

of poetry are explored from a layman’s perspective. 



 

 

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WHAT IS POETRY? 

 

The term poetry is defined as the expression of feelings, emotions and ideas 

which is communicated through language. Kirsner and Mandell (2007) define 

‘poetry’ as “the language of emotions; the medium of expression people use when 

they speak from their hearts” (816). This simply means that poetry is a medium of 

spiritual and philosophical expression. The impulse to create and appreciate 

poetry is part of human experiences, thoughts and emotions. Thus, poetry is an 

ancient art which has been existing since human beings discovered beauty in 

language. 

 

The tribal traditional and religious ceremonies which are often celebrated in Igbo 

cultural milieu with poetic songs, chants and proverbs suggest that poetry existed 

in the earliest primitive Igbo society. These religious and traditional ritual 

ceremonies are carried out using chants, songs and eulogies which express what 

people regard as significant and memorable in their lives. Some of these 

ceremonies are Ikwa-ozu (burial), Igba-nkwu (marriage),Iti-mmanwu 

(masquarde), Iri-ji (Yam festival), Egwu-onwa (moonlight play),etc. During these 

festivals or ceremonies, the entire community takes active part in dancing and 

singing. Thus, they echo their feelings, emotions and experiences in order to 

express their pain or pleasure. This also signifies that they are all poets since they 

orally express their feelings, thoughts, emotions, and experiences in a poetic 

manner. 

 

Essentially, poetry is a verbal composition designed to convey experiences, ideas 

or emotions in a clear and imaginative way through language. The origin of 

poetry is unknown but the fact remains that poetry has been part of every society 

which probably stemmed up from oral tradition. However, cultural traditions and 

languages affect poetry to a large extent because they determine the rules that 

govern the form of its composition in a cultural milieu. Generally, these rules vary 

considerably from one society to another.  

 

In Igbo cultural society, poetry is seen as an ancient art which uses the oral forms 

to express the real experiences of people. Poetry exists as part of Igbo culture, 

religious rites and daily experiences which are usually accompanied by music and 

dance. Hence, the lives of heroes, kings and dead ancestors are eulogized through 

poetic songs. 



 

 

Posthumous festschrift in honour of late professor R.O. Ezeuko, edited by Dr. Odinye, Egenti & Orji 

 

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WHO IS A POET? 

 

A poet is a person who composes or writes poems. He/she also adopts language or 

words as his/her principal tool in order to convey specific messages or express 

individual feelings to the audience. In essence, a poet may choose to document his 

poems in a written form or communicate orally to the immediate audience. 

 

In English society, poetry generally is written in terms of some recognizable 

forms such as the sonnet, ballad, elegy, dirge, epic, lyric, ode, etc. These forms 

can also be narrative, satirical, dramatic or lyric. Ezeaku (2014) explains that the 

“narrative poems stress emotion and song. Each of these types has numerous 

subdivisions: narrative poetry includes the epic, romance, and the heroic chants; 

lyric poetry includes ballad, pastoral poetry, elegy and epigraph, sonnet and ode” 

(44). 

 

Some of these forms of poetry may be irrelevant in discussing the poetic 

expressions of the Igbo cultural society. The poetry genres relevant in the 

discussion of Igbo society are epic, song-poem (lyric), dirge, heroic recitations, 

masqueraded chants and poetry of dance and drum. The differences in the poetic 

forms of English and Igbo societies arise as a result of the differences in their 

cultural and structural organizations. These societies have different stylistic 

modes of presenting poetry. The modes of presentation are seen in the areas of 

rhyme, patterns, stanzas, length, rhythmic tempo and artistic expression of feeling, 

ideas or experiences. Akporobaro () explains that “It is a matter of differences in 

the social use of the genres; of their oral modes of delivery, and in the degree of 

emphasis placed upon such musical values as rhythm, melody and harmony” 

(296). 

 

 

THE CATEGORIES OF POETS 

 

From a layman’s perspective, poetry is generally categorized into two, namely: (a) 

published poet, and (b) unpublished poet. 

 

 

 

 



 

 

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PUBLISHED POET 

 

This is a poet who expresses his/her individuality, experiences and emotions 

common to other individuals in society or peculiar to himself or herself as a 

unique individual. This category of poets is usually educated and will be expected 

to be either a lyricist singing in clear language about his/her experiences and 

emotions or a philosophical poet, analyzing his/her experiences and emotions in a 

clear language accessible to the audience. These experiences are often written and 

documented for the educated people to read and enjoy. Poems under this category 

sometimes employ the European or English forms or standards of poetry while 

exploring the African features or characteristics. They can also be documented 

using English or Igbo language; hence this makes it widely accessible to a whole 

range of educated audience. It is also important to understand that poems under 

this category which are documented can also be presented orally to the audience 

for pleasure. Some of the poems published in this category have yielded to the 

philosophy of the western aesthetics as the only and universal concept. 

 

UNPUBLISHED POET 

 

This category of poets is very complex in nature. Here, poets explore their 

individuality, experiences and emotions using an oral mode of communication. 

Both the educated and uneducated poets fall into this category since this form of 

poetry is meant to entertain, express pain or pleasure at a particular point in time. 

The poems under this category are usually unpublished and are performed in a 

natural or unnatural situation (context) such as social gatherings, like new yam 

festival, moonlight setting, religious worships, and play sections. The poems are 

not written in verses or stanza but are rhythmic and orally presented. 

 

 

 

 

THE IMAGE OF A POET FROM A LAYMAN’S PERSPECTIVE 

 

It is clear that in writing poems; the poet expresses his/her emotions which 

touches people’s feeling and at the same time resounds with their hope, dreams 

and philosophical views. Rhythm is a very important element of poetry. Ezeaku () 

explains that rhythm “has its origin in primitive dance and its accompaniments. It 

implies beat, pulse or movements, etc. Thus, it is expressed through meter which 



 

 

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is a sequence of stressed and unstressed syllables and arranged in a more or less 

regular pattern. This pattern is not strictly maintained otherwise poetry will be 

monotonous and dull” (49). In Igbo society, rhythm is in every song or chant 

presented by a versifier or poet. It is built by an emotional factor; as a person’s 

feeling grows more intense, his speech tends to become more rhythmic. In daily 

experiences, passionate expressions have noticeable rhythm; the angry man, 

happy crowd, the mourners, the drunk, etc reflect rhythm in their vocal/ verbal 

expressions. Hence, the pulse is the initial rhythm of life, the heartbeat is the 

man’s rhythmic pattern. 

 

Songs influence every activity in Igbo cultural milieu. The stages of life from 

birth to death are marked by ceremonies which are reenacted using songs and 

chants. This suggests that virtually everyone in Igbo society learns the act of 

singing and chanting which are often times rhythmic in nature. These songs are 

rendered in ceremonies such as burial ceremonies, childbirth/ child dedication, 

new yam festival, masquerade festival, etc. Songs are generally associated with 

different social events which can be religious, social (entertaining), and moral. In 

this type of gathering, everyone is expected to sing or chorus with the audience. 

Therefore, if one does not belong to the people that chorus as a group, he/she will 

be the chorus leader. 

 

This work tries to establish that songs presented by individuals at different 

situations and contexts in Igbo cultural milieu are poetic and fully laden with 

rhythm which helps the free flow of powerful emotions or feelings. Thus, in Igbo 

society social songs are rendered poetically in different social events. These songs 

are also named to fit the context of the gathering. For examples: marriage songs, 

funeral songs, moral and educative songs, religious songs, and pleasure songs.               

 

MARRIAGE SONGS 

 

This type of song is usually poetic and is rendered by an individual or groups of 

individuals. It expresses happiness for the new bride who is getting married. It is 

sung amidst joy and merriment. Thus: 

 Ada o bu ka I ghara anyi (Ada are you leaving us) 

 Ada o bu ka I ghara anyi (Anyi are you leaving us) 

 Lawa be di gi (To your husband house) 

 Ada o bu ka I ghara anyi (Ada are you leaving us) 

 Lawa be di gi (To your husband house) 



 

 

Posthumous festschrift in honour of late professor R.O. Ezeuko, edited by Dr. Odinye, Egenti & Orji 

 

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 Ada chukwu gozie gi (God bless you Ada) 

 Ma I lawa be di gi (As you go to your husband’s house) 

 Ada chukwu gozie di gi (God bless your husband) 

 Bu ogo anyi nwoke (Who is our in-law) 

 Ada chukwu nyekwa gi nwa (May God give you children) 

 Ma I ruo be di gi. (When you arrive your husband’s house) 

 

The song blesses the newly married bride and whishes her well in her new 

marriage. The poetic song blesses the couple, advises them, consoles the bride’s 

parents for giving their daughter away and congratulates the family of the 

bridegroom for winning the heart of a beautiful damsel. In this context, the act of 

singing or rendering the poetic song makes the poet an unpublished poet. Though 

the audience may be educated or uneducated.  

 

FUNERAL SONGS 

 

This is a type of poetic song rendered or sung at the funeral ceremony of an 

individual. This type of song expresses sorrow and anger over the death of the 

deceased. Thus, the songs are rendered to console the mourners, and extol the 

virtues or legacies of the dead. For example: 

 

Ugegbe etiwago na o tiwago (Mirror has broken) 

 Ezigbo ugegbe e tiwago na o tiwago (A good mirror has broken) 

 Na o tiwara n’ike (it was broken suddenly)  

 

Here mirror connotes life, health and breath. In Igbo cultural concept, once a song 

like this is rendered; it simply suggests that a person has died. In essence, once a 

mirror is broken and the pieces can never be collected. Death is transitional; it 

marks the end of life and the beginning of another journey in the ancestral world. 

To the living, death is a personal experience which must be experienced 

individually. In any burial ceremony, mourners render poetic sorrowful songs 

which express their feelings or emotions towards the death of the deceased. 

 

MORAL AND EDUCATIVE SONG 

 

This type of song is purposely rendered to teach morals or educate the audience. 

These songs have some underlying message that teach, correct and entertain. The 



 

 

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topic of the songs can be drawn from any subject which must aim at educating 

people. For example: 

 

 E zukwala ohi (Do not steal) 

 A gbakwala asiri (Do not gossip) 

 E gbukwala ochu (Do not kill) 

 Maka na mkpuru onye kuru (Because whatever one sows) 

 Ka o ga aghoro (That is what one reaps) 

 

Both the leader of the poetic song and the audience engage in act of singing. The 

song is poetically rendered with the sole aim of educating people for the general 

good of the society.  

 

RELIGIOUS SONGS 

 

These are poetic song rendered in the worship to God or gods in the Igbo cultural 

society. These songs are often lyrical and people dance to their rhythms. The 

themes border on religious worship or godly virtues. The poems evoke feelings of 

dedication and trust towards the subject of worship. For example: 

 

 Chineke anyi di nma (Our God is good) 

 O di nma (He is good) 

 Onye kere uwa di nma (The creator of the world is good) 

 O di nma (He is good). 

 

Poetry is the expression of communally shared experiences and emotions: 

individuals ranging from children to adults can orally express these emotions, 

experiences and feelings in songs. He/she may be expected to act either as a 

brilliant commentator who turns the general beliefs, feelings and goals into good 

poetry or as a visionary and guide who looks critically at past communal 

experiences and gives correction for the future. If he/she is a commentator, then 

his/her language is expected to be clear and precise; and easily accessible to 

his/her audience. Thus, he assumes the role of an interpreter whose utterances, 

songs and chants deepen the collective awareness and appreciation of his/her 

audience.  

 

 

 



 

 

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CONCLUSION 

 

There is no doubt that the art of oral composition stemmed up from oral tradition. 

Oral tradition was very strong in early Igbo culture and songs were recited to be 

performed and enjoyed. Songs or chants sometimes present a simple account of 

some heroic deeds recited or sang by a bard or minstrel who is gifted in the area 

of poetry and song. The songs or chants are mastered by the people who in turn 

render them at any given time. These itinerant bards of African orature often sing 

of joys and sorrows of their communities. Therefore in this contemporary Igbo 

cultural milieu, Igbo people still believe that modern Igbo poet should be a 

communal voice and a commentator who express his/her opinions about human 

experiences. Virtually everyone engages in this act; thus everyone successfully 

performs the role of a poet and is sentitive to feel what others feel and express 

what others express. In conclusion, from a layman’s perspective every Igbo 

person is a poet whether a published or unpublished poet.  

 

 

REFERENCES 

 

Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Terms. New York: Rinehart and Winston, 

1993. 

 

Akporobaro, F.B.O. Introduction to African Oral Literature. Lagos: Princeton 

Publishing Co., 2012. 

 

Ezeaku, A. Fundamental of Literature. Awka: Fab Anieh Nig. Ltd, 2014. 

 

Kirsner, L.G. and Mandell, S.R. Literature, Reading, Reacting and Writing. USA: 

Thompson Press, 2007. 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                          


