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We gave the world Shakespeare, Keats, Wordsworth and Blake, but Brits' love of poetry is fading, new research reveals.
Researchers examined the poetry knowledge of 2,000 people and found many a glaring gap in the nation's knowledge of famous lines-unable to spot a Kanye West from an Aristotle or a Tupac from D. H. Lawrence.
Just over a quarter knew the famous line "Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink" was penned by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
While less than a fifth knew the immortal words of Alfred Lord Tennyson "Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."
The research, conducted by online researchers OnePoll to commemorate the work of Robert Burns, found three quarters of Brits knew that Robert Burns was a poet but less than half knew he wrote Auld Lang Syne.
Perhaps that's why nearly eight in ten Brits could not recite anything more than the first verse of his most famous poem, while nearly half knew just a few words or nothing at all.
Respondents were also unable to separate traditional poetry from its modern rap counterparts- only a fifth could spot the following line as one scribed by Eminem "The soul's escaping through this hole that is gaping, This world is mine for the taking, Make me king".
While just eight percent knew that these powerful words belonged to legendary rapper Tupac Shakur "May God forgive us though we dwell inside a paradox".
85 per cent of Brits also failed to separate the works of Kanye West and Jay Z from the likes of Aristotle and Lucretius.
While over a third mistakenly interpreted thought they recognised lines by Alfred Tennyson or Sylvia Plath- only to find they were actually the work of hip hop duo Salt-N-Pepa.
Yesterday a OnePoll spokeswoman said: "We're a country steeped in literary heritage with some of the finest writers ever to pick up a pen hailing from these shores, but it seems our knowledge and engagement with poetry is in decline.
"While many were familiar with the key lines that are commonly recited in modern culture, the knowledge of who wrote them is sadly lacking for many others.
"With more than half of those polled not able to recall the last time they properly read a poem there's a danger that the art form could be consigned to the history books."
The subject of poetry appears to be divisive- 40 per cent of those studied said they like poetry, while 37 per cent say they don't have a taste for it.
And more than half of those studied can't remember the last time they even read a poem or feel it's at least ten years since they last tried one.
That goes some way to explaining why 57 per cent feel poetry is dying out.
However, a romantic fifth of Brits have written a poem for someone and that can be well received-44 per cent of Brits said if their partner wrote them a poem they'd be flattered.
But it's not always a winner- nearly a fifth said if their partner wrote a poem for them they'd feel a bit awkward.
The OnePoll spokeswoman added: "The nation's knowledge is a little rusty but there's always time to re-engage with poetry.
"Britain produces an incredible array of modern writing talent and long may that continue. The more that can be done to open up poetry to new reading audiences the better."
To view the study and test your poetry knowledge against the national average score (43 per cent) visit: http://www.onepoll.com/is-poetry-a-dying-art-form/
BRITAIN'S POETRY TESTWho wrote the following lines?"Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink" - Samuel Taylor Coleridge- 27%
"I wandered lonely as a cloud" -William Wordsworth - 70%
"Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." -Alfred Lord Tennyson - 17%
"I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul" - William Ernest Henley 9%
"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." - Elizabeth Barrett Browning 22%
"If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs" Rudyard Kipling 38%
"Hell is empty, And all the devils are here" William Shakespeare 23%
Complete the famous line of poetry:"Shall I compare thee to a...?" A: Summer's day 82%
"In Flanders fields the..."�A: Poppies blow 71%
"I wandered lonely as a..."�A: Cloud - 70%
BRITS SCORED: 43% - scraped a pass by university degree marking
ENDS
