Question for my Fellow Writers
Specifically the poets 🌟
So, after reorganising my giant writing and poetry libraries on here and realising how much I have written (and how much remains largely unread) I am questioning this;
Is it acceptable to reuse lines from old poems in new ones?
I am asking because I wrote this rather epic 10 minute read a long time ago👇
And I appreciate that 10 minutes is way longer than most people will ever spend reading a poem. Upon rereading it, I realise there are some true gems of lines in there and it just feels such a shame that they won’t be read by more than 6 people!
Which then led to me to considering using some of them to craft a new poem with.
What is your opinion on this?
Should they stay where they are or can they be reused? Sometimes new songs contain lyrics from old songs… is this the same? Or is there something in doing this that takes away from the integrity of the original (and new) poem?
I would definitely appreciate your opinions on this topic! Have you ever reused lines from a poem of yours? How do you feel about doing this? If you read a poem and recognised a line from that poet’s past work, what would you think about that?
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All of my poems written for Vocal 👇
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Articles and miscellaneous writings 👇
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I know that we rarely see tips on Vocal (probably because we have the same readers all the time and we are all feeling the burden of poverty!) but know that leaving a Tip would mean the world to me. There is something about receiving a dollar or two for something I wrote that just lights up my heart ♥️ We all need more of that energy! ♥️
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Comments (16)
If Marianne Moore and Sting can do it, why can't you?
I don't see a problem with it. It's like upcycling and I think that if you're using it in a new poem, it's in a different context, a different word environment and I think that that's cool. Do it! Don't let those lines languish!
Early in my Vocal journey, I wrote a poem called Swinging on the Moon. I used that hook line in Heaven's Curtain, and won a challenge. So yeah, absolutely use your old lines. They're yours, afterall.
Note *** It just struck me, (when reading Judey’s latest post) why I was uncertain and hesitant about this! It’s because of uni… and their plagiarism rules they drilled us with (which included plagiarising our own work!!)
This is honestly a really great question that I don't think I ever thought about before myself?? But my first thought went to song writers. On albums, it's pretty common to have similar words/phrases/themes reused in each song to make the whole work feel more cohesive. So personally, I see no reason NOT to reuse parts of old work in new work, regardless of the medium!
It's your work, and I think you should do what you want with it :) I know I've used similar phrasing in different poems before and I don't think it detracts from anything. I'm at the 'do what you want' phase of life, lol!!
It's not unheard of for poets to rewrite and republish newer versions of older poems. The intentional reuse of particular lines from older poems is an accepted practice. There are poetic forms that involve borrowing lines, or phrases, from other poet's work, so it stands to reason that reusing your own lines would be upheld as legal in poetry court.
An interesting question. I don't think I've ever consciously reused a line, but I've written a lot of poetry over a lot of years, so it's possible. I certainly don't see any reason not to.
I stress certain points--sometimes rewording old ideas and sometimes utilizing the same line--throughout my work as motifs, with the full intention that chord which harmonizes the whole! I love it when I encounter this is the works of others! Here's one of mine you will find in several places: When we stray too deep into the dark night of the soul we must become our own sun.
You might think of the reworked poem as a "found poem". Or you could create one, two, or a few new pieces from the old one. Nothing says that the poem even has to remain in poem structure. Try creating a microfiction. Break apart what's there and then deconstruct to reconstruct! Have fun with it. The words are yours. Use them at will!
I don't see why not. Found Poems do the same thing. https://poets.org/glossary/found-poem
I don't see the issue with it, especially if the lines were from a long poem, but I don't think I would consciously do it. I personally don't look at my old poems when writing something new (mind you, I'm just writing for fun). I usually just write about whatever I'm thinking at the time. There are probably lines or phrases that I reused from previous poems, but it wouldn't have been done consciously. This is of course only my opinion, but I think if I had a line already written around a different concept that I wanted to use in a new poem, it would take me longer to write so that the rest of the poem fits around that line. This I think only applies for shorter poems though, because with shorter poems we try to make each line as impactful as possible while still relating to the overall subject, so using those lines outside the concept they were created for might not work... If you have a long poem, I don't think that would be an issue.
Reusing lines from old poems is perfectly acceptable. It gives your words new life and broadens their audience. This practice can enhance both the original and new pieces, showcasing the evolution of your creativity.
I'm so happy that I'm one of those who read that poem of yours! But unfortunately I have no memory of it, lol. My comment there is the only evidence that I've read it. My memory sucks to the max 😅 I've never reused lines from my older poems. Honestly, I've never even thought about it but I think that's a great idea! If I see a line and recognise it from an older piece (which I doubt I would because of my poor memory), it would give me a sense of nostalgia. I'd be like "Whoaaaa, I know that line from that piece! That's so cool!" In conclusion, you should go for it. Do what your heart desires ✨️❤️
Reuse...your work is your work. If I felt it necessary...either because it didn't get recieved well in another piece or just as a call back or just because it was a great line - I'd definitely reuse. I hate these self-imposed rules. Lol. What...relally Paul...you hate rules? Aye, I do. Anyway. Yeah. Reuse those badboys!
My opinion, reuse. If the line is magic, it will flow and create more magic . I don’t do it a lot, but I have reused lines that have moved me, others only fit in the original. (I think) Great question What do you think?