Poetry and diplomacy are conducted in various languages at multiple and varied moments in time. Beyond the languages it is conducted in, poetry and diplomacy have a language structure of their own as well that transcends barriers of nationality and ‘tongue’. In terms of poetry, rhyme and rhythm are of crucial importance. I will use a well known Robert Frost poem and a well known Matsuo Basho poem as my frames of reference.

In the poem, ‘Two Roads Diverged by a Yellow Wood”,  toward the final lines, there is a melody which soothingly concludes the poem. In structural poetic terminology, teachers often speak about a and b. Think of these letters as the notes of poetry. In other words, poetry can be read like a compilation of notes ( a and b). Creatively,  if one were to put musical notes to the a and b, one could effectively play poetry as if it were classical music. Actually, sometimes classical musicians will base their music of poetry because of the mood it conveys and the melody of rhyme and rhythm that go with it.

Though diplomacy may not necessarily have a standard note assigned to it per se, diplomatic parlance does have its own unique flow.  There is a large exchange of formal giving and receiving in diplomatic parlance. Naturally, there should be such an exchange in daily conversation, but due to the context of worldly affairs, it is common to see how one country speaks in such a way as to show the other country not only what they will receive, but while also notifying them of what they could give in order to create mutual peace. In the Japanese language,  it is common to express the giving and receiving of not only things but also thoughts and emotions. We may not use the same lexicon in everyday parlance but in diplomatic dialogue, it becomes clear that we come to a point where using such language is purposeful and conveys a sense of politeness and clarity.  Due to this, one could say that both poetry and diplomacy have a sense of rhythm and rhyme that transcends boundaries of language.