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Poetic Terms Briefly Described
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Acrostic
An acrostic
poem is one where the first word in each line or the first letter in
each line, will spell out a secondary message if read in sequence.
Another variation is to have the last word or letter of the line spell
out a message.
Example:
Acrostic poetry can be rhymed or unrhymed.
Strictly metered or Free Verse.
A crostic Poetry
C an have rhythm or
R hyme,.
O r it can be simple verse.
S ometimes it spells out
T he secret message by
I nserting the first or last letter
C ode into the body of the poem.
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Alexandrine
A
line written in hexameter ( A line of verse consisting of six metrical
feet.) has a double stress like this line from Othello ( V. ii)
- "That can thy light resume. When I have
pluck'd the rose".
The Caesura ( A breath pause;
usually stressed by ending and beginning a adjoined words with the same
constant - "Mightiest still" / "his surprise" ) division between the
two equal half-lines. ( Three feet on each side )
or
"A needless alexandrine ends the song
That, like a wounded snake,
drags its slow
length along" - Alexander Pope
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Allegory
A story or narrative where characters and events stand for
some other idea or action on another level. John Bunyan Pilgram's
Progress
is an excellent example of an Allegorical work. Very difficult to use
well these days wihtout becoming trite.
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Allusion
It reminds me
of. An allusion is something that brings another thing
to mind. "She is acting like
a bull-dog on this."
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Assonance
Repetition of a Vowel Sound - "Taner - Santa" / "Gentle - Memory"
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Ballad
(not to
be confused with the French Ballade)
A
narrative poem usually depicting folk-lore,
myth, or legend. Each stanza is either 2 or 4 lines and
written in
ballad meter, i.e., alternating lines of iambic tetrameter and iambic
trimeter (Iambic refers to a
"foot" of two
syllables, the first unaccented, the second accented. Tetrameter refers
to four "feet,"
trimeter refers
to three "feet."). This makes the syllable count 8-6-8-6 for each
quatrain. Please note
however that
only the second and fourth lines rhyme, giving a rhyme scheme of
a-b-c-b. Although they
contain little
detail, ballads use simplicity and force. They are often sung and
written for that purpose.
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Ballade
A French format with 3 seven or eight-line
stanzas and an four line envoi (ending conclusion) that repeats the
last four
rhymes of the
previous stanza. It uses no more than three rhymes with an identical
refrain after each. The
rhyme scheme is
a-b-a-b-b-c-b-cR a-b-a-b-b-c-b-cR a-b-a-b-b-c-b-cR b-c-b-cR. There is a
variation
with six
stanzas which is called a double ballade.
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Blank Verse
Simply put, blank
verse is meter without rhyme. (Meter being strict syllabic stress/
unstress patterns)
It is usually written in iambic pentameter ( 0 / where 0 is
unstressed and / is stressed as in at-TEMPT )
(pentameter refers to 5 "feet."). Some believe it to be the pinnacle of
poetry as the format must stand
alone without rhyme as a reinforcement. Any poetry format may be
written as Blank verse.
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Cinquain
There are two types
of cinquain, the first is a short format with 22 syllables. There are
five lines
with the syllables arranged like this, 2-4-6-8-2. The second also comes
in two styles. While there is no
rhyme scheme, a theme is used instead. The two thematic structures are
as follows;
Example 1
Example 2
Line 1: one word
Line :
subject word (noun)
Line 2: two words describing the title
Line 2: two
descriptive words (adjectives)
Line 3: three words (an action)
Line 3: three action words (verbs)
Line 4: four words (a feeling)
Line 4: a complete sentence
Line 5: one word referring to the first line
Line 5: synonym for the line 1 wo
Cinquain Examples by
Chantaclair
Joy
Elusive, Desired
Breathless, Encompassing, Anti-Climatic
Searching forever in vain.
Happiness
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Clerihew
A humorous format contained in a single quatrain
and composed of two rhyming couplets.
(Couplet - Two ending lines rimed or unrimed)
The rhyme
scheme is
a-a-b-b with lines of uneven length. Clerihews are usually written as
pseudo-biographical
pieces about a
famous personage. The name of the subject ends the first, or
occasionally the second line
and the humor
is light and whimsical instead of satirical. Edmund Clerihew Bentley
(1875-1956) created
the format to
avoid boredom in school. Below are two examples of his original
clerihews.
Sir Humphrey Davy
Abominated
gravy.
He lived in the
odium
Of having
discovered sodium.
The meaning of the poet Gay
Was always as
clear as day,
While that of
the poet Blake
Was often
practically opaque.
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Etheree
Created about twenty
years ago by an Arkansas poet named Etheree Taylor Armstrong, this
titled form, the Etheree, consists of ten lines of unmetered and
unrhymed verse, the first line having one syllable, each succeeding
line adding a syllable, with the total syllable count being fifty-five.
This concise form is
meant to focus on one idea or subject.
Example:
Reverie
Rose
Buds are
Peeking through
The grey back fence.
Each bloom is lovely.
And as one opens out
In splendid peachy yellow
Beginning as a tiny bud
Until it ends a plate-sized dazzler
I am lost in a reverie of "Peace."
Mary Margaret
Carlisle, Webster, TX
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Free Form
Rhyming poetry without a set meter. Rhythm and
word-flow decide where to place the rhymes,
although they
always end the lines. Technically it could be considered free verse.
Free form often makes
use of feminine
rhymes (rhymes ending with an unaccented syllable, i.e., walking and
talking, or wanted
and daunted.
Often feminine rhymes are added as an extra syllable to pieces written
in iambic
pentameter).
Free Verse
Free verse is cause for some controversy amongst
poets and poetry enthusiasts. Poetry makes use
of line breaks to accent and break up the words
while prose uses punctuation and paragraphing. An easy
definition of free verse would be prose written
rich in imagery and broken up with line breaks instead of
punctuation and paragraphing. Below is an
example.
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Ghazal
An
Iranian format rarely more than a dozen couplets of the same meter. The
rhyme scheme is a-a
b-a c-a and so on. Ghazal also follows the radif tradition. This means
a portion of the first line --
comprising not more than two or three words -- immediately preceding
the rhyme-word at the end, should
rhyme with its counterpart in the second line of the opening couplet,
and afterwards alternately throughout
the poem. The last couplet of the ghazal called makta often includes
the pen-name of the poet, and is
more personal than general in its tone and intent. Each couplet is to
be a complete thought. Some ghazal
are written with a theme throughout all the couplets, but that is a
fringe trend. Ghazal is arabic for "talking
to women." Below is a contemporary example.
Her
Virtues
If romantic moods require delight
then must your embrace inspire delight.
I
live for the time I might know your touch.
The rush of your touch is dire delight.
Magic
enchantment is cast by your words.
Your silken voice sets afire delight.
My
mind is jaded by all that I see.
Lost in your eyes I find higher delight.
Yours
is the love I've dreamed of all my life.
Your mind eclipses all prior delight.
©1999
Wordsmith
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Haiku
A
short, intense Japanese format, nature oriented, and with three lines
with a syllable count of
5-7-5. They are usually untitled as good haiku stand alone. Haiku tend
to be minimalistic and utilize
immediacy. Immediacy refers to the sense of a scene being directly
presented to your senses. Haiku tries
to capture a specific moment or image in place and time. A season word
is usually required in the
traditional form to place a poem in a specific season. Several Japanese
formats use the 5-7-5 syllable
count.
Autumn steam rises
passion's flame ignited whole
one shared breath exchanged
More HERE
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Limerick
A light or humorous verse form of five chiefly
anapestic (a metrical "foot" with two unaccented
syllables followed by a long or accented
syllable) verses of which lines one, two and five are of three feet
and lines three and four are of two feet, The
rhyme scheme is a-a-b-b-a.
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Metaphor -
Figure of
speech where someting is transfered in meaning. (Greek word for
transfer - MetaOpa)
"I am a
trainwreck waiting to happen!"
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Pantoum
This
delightful format originated in the Far East. There are no less than 6
quatrains, though you
may have more. The twist to it is this; the second and fourth lines of
each stanza become the first and
third lines in the following stanza, respectively. A vital component is
using the first and third lines of the
first quatrain/stanza as the fourth and second lines of the last
stanza. This brings the poem full circle. The
rhyme scheme is this, a1-b1-a2-b2 b1-c1-b2-c2 c1-d1-c2-d2 d1-e1-d2-e2
e1-f1-e2-f2 f1-a2-f2-a1.
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Paradelle
More of a word puzzle, the paradelle is a very
difficult format to master. A paradelle is a repetition
of lines, with each stanza ending in two lines
which use all of the words in the previous lines. Also, the
last stanza uses all of the words from all
previous stanzas. Below is an example.
Winter
Night is cold and lonely
Night is cold and lonely
Still the tempest does turn
Still the tempest does turn
Cold tempest is still night
and turn does the lonely.
Sparkles of ice glitter
Sparkles of ice glitter
Cloudy breath floats away
Cloudy breath floats away
Breath of cloudy sparkles
away ice breath glitter.
Winter brings it's caress
Winter brings it's caress
Delight rewards the soul
Delight rewards the soul
Winter rewards delight
it's soul brings the caress.
Winter glitter sparkles
and tempest floats away
it's cloudy soul does turn
the ice of lonely night
caress is the rewards
still breath brings cold delight.
©1999 Wordsmith
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Rengay
Similar
to renga, this six stanza format has a theme or common topic. The
syllable count is as
follows; 3-line stanzas are typically short-long-short (e.g. 5-7-5) and
the 2-line stanzas are typically
long-long (e.g. 7-7).
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Renga
A renga is a series of linked poems of
alternating 5-7-5 and 7-7 syllable stanzas. Traditionally there
is no theme as each stanza must relate to the
previous stanza and the one below it, yet no three
consecutive stanzas are to make sense. The
relationship between each stanza and those before and after it
is often obscure but is never readily apparent.
Renga are written collaboratively with at least two poets
who take turns writing each succesive stanza. It
is worth noting that most oriental languages are
unaccented languages so meter is not used.
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Rubiyat
This
arabic format has a quatrain wherein the first, second, and fourth
lines rhyme. The rhyme
scheme is thus; a-a-b-a. A single stanza can be a poem in itself or
multiple stanzas may be joined to create
a larger piece. Below is an example.
Untitled
Not
one ever truly content,
will look beyond their hellish bent.
Easily accepting the past,
for evil deeds none will repent.
Women
that see me never sigh,
no longer do I question why,
for I see truth in the mirror
and the Beast it shows begs to die.
©2000
Wordsmith
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Rondeau
Usually reserved for light and witty verse, this
fixed form utilizes three stanzas of either 8 or 10
syllables with only two rhymes used. A word or
words from the first part of the first line are used as a
(usually unrhymed) refrain ending the second and
third stanzas. The rhyme scheme is a-a-b-b-a a-a-b-R a-a-b-b-a-R.
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(Copy Senryu colour)
Simile
Latin -
Means something is LIKE another. 'His eyes were like icicles on a
shimmering tree'.
CLose in
meanint and often confused with
Metaphor
(See above)
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Senryu
Like haiku, this format uses the 5-7-5 syllable
count. Unlike haiku subject matter is human emotions
and
relationships rather than nature.
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Sestina
The sestina is the
most convoluted format imaginable. Technically it is free verse as it
uses no
rhyme and is usually (not always) without meter. First off, six words
are chosen for the sestina as end
words. The end words rotate their position with each new stanza. As
there are six words, there are six
stanzas plus a three line end tag. There is a variation using twelve
words and is called a double-sestina.
Here then is the word scheme (note that the order of the end words will
be written across rather then
vertically); ABCDEF, FAEBDC, CFDABE, ECBFAD, DEACFB, BDFECA. Following
that is a three line
end tag or envoi that may be used in two distinct forms, either ECA or
ACE, with B, D, and F included
within the lines of the envoi respectively.
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Sijo
Like haiku the sijo
is nature oriented. There are three lines, each averaging 14-16
syllables with a
total of 44-46 syllables. Each line has a specific focus; the first
line introduces a situation or problem, the
second line includes a development, the third line resolves tensions
created in the first line or resolves the
problem in the first line. Again we must note that Oriental languages
tend to be unstressed. Each piece
must be self-explanatory, requiring no title. Below is an example.
Sijo
Time without pause,
whirls around us in natures hungry breath,
today reaches into bowls of tomorrow with claws of yesterday,
we are reborn minute by minute in the dance of our soliquoy.
©2001
Chantaclair's Parlor
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Sonnet
This is probably the most well known and
recognized format in the present day. Though made
famous by
Shakespeare, the format is much older and there are actually three
different sonnet formats;
Shakespearean,
Petrarchan (Italian), and Spenserian. Each has a unique rhyme scheme
but all have
fourteen
lines. The sonnet may be broken into three quatrains with alternating
rhyme and a heroic couplet
ending it.
Note that when written there are no spaces between stanzas. The
petrarchan format has several
different
possible endings known as tercets (three line stanza). Here then is the
rhyme scheme for the
three
styles.
Shakespearean
a-b-a-b c-d-c-d e-f-e-f g-g
Spensarian
a-b-a-b b-c-b-c c-d-c-d e-e
Petrarchan
a-b-b-a a-b-b-a c-d-c c-d-e
End Tercet Variants
d-c-d
d-d-c
e-d-c
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Spenserian Stanza
Simple and
straightforward, it is a stanza of nine lines, all iambic except the
last which is an
alexandrine. The alexandrine is a line with twelve syllables and
written in reverse iambic, which is to say
that it begins with an accented syllable and ends with an unaccented
syllable. The rhyme scheme for this
stanza is as follows; a-b-a-b-b-c-b-c-c.
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Tanka
A five line Japanese format with lines of
5-7-5-7-7. Please note that often the end tag of 7-7 is
separated
from the 5-7-5 part, although this may vary. They are not restricted to
nature or season as
haiku are.
Tanka refers to modern poems in this form while Waka refers to
pre-twentieth century poems
in this
style.
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Triolet
Either a poem or
stanza of eight lines in which the first line is repeated as the fourth
and seventh
lines, and the second line as the eighth. The rhyme scheme is ABaAabAB.
Note that only two rhymes
are used within this format.
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Villanelle
This format has nineteen lines, 5 stanzas of
three lines each and 1 stanza of four lines. The rhyme
scheme
appears thus; a-b-a a-b-a a-b-a a-b-a a-b-a a-b-a-a. There is one vital
twist to the villanelle; the
first, then
third line of the poem alternate as the last line of stanzas 2, 3, and
4, and then end stanza 5, and
the poem
itself, as a couplet. The villanelle is usually written in tetrameter
(4 "feet") or pentameter.
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Virelay
This is an ancient
French format having stanzas of varying length and number with
alternating long
and short lines. The rhyme scheme is interlaced; a-b-a-b b-c-b-c
c-d-c-d d-e-d-e e-f-e-f ...
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