* Defining "poem": The definition of a poem can be fluid, and some works blur the lines with prose or other genres.
* Counting Lines/Words: There are varying methods for calculating length, and different languages have different metrics for lines and words.
* Lost or Undiscovered Works: There might be ancient or lost poems that surpass known ones.
However, some contenders for the title of "longest poem" include:
* The Mahabharata (Sanskrit): This epic poem from ancient India is often considered the longest poem in the world, containing over 100,000 verses (shlokas) and spanning over 200,000 lines.
* The Ramayana (Sanskrit): Another epic Sanskrit poem, the Ramayana, consists of around 24,000 verses and is considered a significant literary work in Hinduism.
* The Kalevala (Finnish): A collection of ancient Finnish folk poems, the Kalevala is a national epic with over 22,000 lines.
* The Shahnameh (Persian): This Persian epic poem by Ferdowsi is an extensive work of over 60,000 couplets.
It's important to note that other long poems exist in various languages, and depending on how "poem" is defined, different works could be considered contenders.