<p>Poetry has existed since the early development of human language. However, little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying poetry appreciation. This study explored the neural correlates of two typical types of poetry appreciation, imaginative and philosophical, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The results revealed shared activation in the left postcentral gyrus during the appreciation of both imaginative and philosophical poetry, reflecting the involvement of mental imagery and sensory aesthetic processing. Importantly, activation in the postcentral gyrus during imaginative poetry appreciation was modulated by individual imagination scores, indicating that somatosensory engagement scaled with imagery vividness. In contrast, philosophical poetry elicited stronger activation in the left middle temporal gyrus (MTG) and left insula, consistent with increased demands on semantic integration and abstract reasoning. Moreover, during the appreciation of philosophical poetry, individual philosophy scores significantly predicted activation in both the left MTG and the left insula, indicating a systematic modulation of neural responses by philosophy scores within this condition. Interestingly, the left MTG showed greater activation during the appreciation of philosophical poetry than for imaginative poetry. Furthermore, multivariate pattern analysis revealed that activation patterns in the MTG could reliably distinguish between the appreciation of imaginative and philosophical poetry. These findings provide valuable insights into the neural underpinnings of poetry appreciation and highlight the potential of fMRI in elucidating the complex interplay between literature and the brain.</p>