understanding poems

[alexrps08]

I am currently doing my TESL degree in Malaysia. This semester I have to paraphrase 3 poems. Can anyone offer me some guidelines? The poems are by Rumi,Tagore and pushkin. Thank you

[GaryEM]

You should study each poem. Make sure you know the meaning of the poem first. If I ask you what each sentence in a poem means, can you answer?

Look at Rumi there is a poem like this
Beneath the foam for me
An ocean was all laid bare.

I think my online students will have difficulty with "ocean laid bare". This appears to mean that the author dives into the ocean. Under the surface, the ocean bottom can be seen. It is laid bare because nothing covers it.

How can you say this? Use a different phrase. That is what you do to paraphrase. An ocean revealed to me. You can write better than that.