Some modest poetry (4)
I believe the answer is:
odes
'poetry' is the definition.
(ode is a type of poem)
'some modest' is the wordplay.
'some' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue (some of the parts of the word are used).
'ODES' is hidden in the letters of 'modest'.
(Other definitions for odes that I've seen before include "Works by Pindar" , "Songs" , "poetry" , "Lyric poems" , "verse" .)