I think when we capture something on paper or other medium, we are conjuring from the incorporeal world of thoughts and dreams, and in this process, we may be trying to create a snapshot in time – a coming together of our thoughts at that precise moment.  It is an attempt to pin down precisely the meaning of something, that before this point, has not had solid form.  With the oral poem, as with a dance or musical piece of art, there is the sense of an idea that is fleeting, a rabbit running through the brush, that we see only snippets of and must strain our necks to glance at, only to have the moment pass quickly by before our brain can register the event.  The oral tradition really forces us to prick up our ears, close our eyes, and truly listen to the sounds as they materialize and before they quickly vanish back into the abyss.