You ever wonder if ancient poets

Not far from the truth. In the oral tradition, performers would basically chant the words, often accompanied by some sort of droning instrument. The performer would make up stuff on the spot, but also use standard, sort of stock phrases, but all mixed up based on what the crowd expected and how it responded, all to a certain beat and rhythm. They didn't just memorize a block of text and repeat it every time. It was more like jazz in some ways, rap in others.