Helbest ji bo Zarokan

I am tempted to say that there is no such thing as poetry for children. There is plenty of poetry about children; and some of the best poetry ever written is about childhood; at some time or other most poets explore that inviting furrow—their own youth and growing up. A great body of the so-called canon of children’s verse was never intended for the young at all, but was verse which adults thought suitable for children. The gatekeepers of the canon are the anthologists. Of course, poets have written specifically for children, some choosing to divide their time between their different audiences; others specialising in juvenile poetry. The latter group has, however, been marginalised by influential editors of the past and present. Coventry Patmore, writing in The Children’s Garland (1862, subtitled ‘from the best poets’) firmly states, ‘I have excluded nearly all the verse written expressly for children and most of the poetry written about children for grown people’ (p. c). Here is Neil Philip in 1990: ‘I have also been cautious with poems written specially for children, preferring on the whole work which makes itself available to a young reader without any sense of talking or writing down’ (my emphasis).

Ez gelekî dixwazim bibêjim ku ji bo zarokan tişteke bi navê helbestê tuneye. Derbarê zarokan de gelek helbest hene; û hin ji helbestên baştirîn ên ku heta niha hatine nivîsîn li ser zaroktiyê ne; piraniya helbestvanan, herî dawî an jî dawîya dawî wê pêvajoya dawetkar -ciwantî û mezinbûna xwe- kişf dikin. Qismekî mezin ê ku jê re kanona helbesta zarokan tê gotin, qet ji bo nûciwanan nehatibûn nivîsîn; bêtir ew helbest bûn ku mezinan ji bo zarokan minasib didîtin. Vê kanonê jî antolojînûs diyar dikin. Helbet, ji helbestvanên ku bi taybetî ji bo zarokan nivîsîne; hinekan tercîh kiriye ku wexta xwe di navbera xwînerên xwe yên muxtelif de dabeş bike; hinek jî di helbesta zarokan de bûne pispor. Lêbelê, grûba paşin, ji hêla edîtorên bitesîr ên berê û niha ve hatiye marjînalkirin. Coventry Patmore, di nivîsa xwe ya The Children's Garland (Antolojiya Zarokan) (1862) de û di bin sernavê “From the best poets (ji helbestvanên herî baş)” de, bi israr dibêje: “Min nêzî hemû helbestên ku bi eşkereyî ji bo zarokan; û piraniya helbestên ku bi xema mezinan li ser zarokan hatine nivîsîn, li derveyî xebatê hiştine.” (p. c). Dîsa Neil Philip di 1990an de dibêje: “Ez her tim baldar bûm ji bo helbestên ku bi taybetî ji bo zarokan hatine nivîsîn û yên ku li ser tevahiya berhemê bêyî hesta axaftin û nivîsandinê, xwe ji xwînerê nûciwan re pêşkêş dikin.”

I am tempted to say that there is no such thing as poetry for children. There is plenty of poetry about children; and some of the best poetry ever written is about childhood; at some time or other most poets explore that inviting furrow—their own youth and growing up. A great body of the so-called canon of children’s verse was never intended for the young at all, but was verse which adults thought suitable for children. The gatekeepers of the canon are the anthologists. Of course, poets have written specifically for children, some choosing to divide their time between their different audiences; others specialising in juvenile poetry. The latter group has, however, been marginalised by influential editors of the past and present. Coventry Patmore, writing in The Children’s Garland (1862, subtitled ‘from the best poets’) firmly states, ‘I have excluded nearly all the verse written expressly for children and most of the poetry written about children for grown people’ (p. c). Here is Neil Philip in 1990: ‘I have also been cautious with poems written specially for children, preferring on the whole work which makes itself available to a young reader without any sense of talking or writing down’ (my emphasis).