Poetic Genres & Forms
Brace yourself... there are a LOT.
FREE VERSE
Non-rhyming, non-metrical poetry with poetic lines that closely follow the natural rhythms of speech and/or that create a rhythm through near rhymes, internal rhymes, or other attention to syllabic sounds. These poems do not adhere to “traditional” concepts of rhyme and rhythm. Each line can be made up of as many or as few words, with as much or as little cadency, as the author desires. There are no "rules."
BLANK VERSE This poetic form is known for being the closest to natural human speech. Blank verse lacks rhyme, but features “an iambic line with ten stresses and five beats” (The Making of a Poem, p. 101). HAIKU
This poetic form is used to express the conditions under which we (or the author) are inspired to feel strong emotions. They can be described as three-line, seventeen-syllable poems that are broken down into groups by beat (5-7-5). It is important to note, however, that traditional Japanese haiku do not count syllables as we understand them. What they count are onji, meaning ‘sound symbols’, which “refers to one of the phonetic characters used in writing Japanese phonetic script.” This means that Japanese haiku that are translated into other languages are likely not to follow the format outlined above, nor will haikus written in other languages honor the traditional form if translated into Japanese (The Haiku Handbook, p.100). SCIFAIKU
Otherwise known as science fiction haiku, these poems mimic haiku in minimalism while adding a healthy dose of urgency and human insight. Haiku are known for the 5-7-5 syllable pattern, and in this way Scifaiku are no different. beneath burnt rocks -
on moonless Mercury refuge for werewolves —Banks Miller SENRYŪ
These poems are similar to haiku in rhythm, but they can run closer to twenty lines as opposed to three. While haiku often focus on the world human’s inhabit, senryū often spotlight the peculiarities and imperfections of humanity and life itself. No matter how Kōkai wa sorry you are, shitemo chawan wa the tea cup is broken. warete iru Never giving away Yagate shinu how soon it will die— keshiki wa mienu the voice of the cicada. semi no koe Ecstatic at being Ureshisa no set free, ki ni tsukiataru the bird collides with a tree. hanashi-dori --unknown TANKA
These poems are one of the oldest originating from Japan, and are not unlike songs or “verse.” Traditionally, tanka poems are written in a single line using thirty-one syllables. At some point in history, tanka authors separated their works into five lines - three upper and two lower. It is believed that this separation is what led to the birth of the haiku form. Subtle hints of spring
In the wet bark of the tree Dew dripping from leaves Then runs down the russet trunk Pools round the roots and is drunk —Can Sonmez RENGA
These poems are often called “linked poems'' because they are written by more than one author. The first will create a stanza made up of around seventeen syllables across three lines. The next will compose two lines that contain about seven syllables. The following authors will repeat these two patterns until the poems reach a conclusion. A Hundred Stanzas by Three Poets at Minase (excerpt)
Despite some snow the base of the hills spreads with haze the twilight scene where the waters flow afar the village glows with sweet plumb flowers In the river wind a single stand of willow trees show spring color day break comes on distinctly with sounds of punted boat … —Earl Miner et. al EPIC
Epic poems often feature a brave hero from a long-forgotten era who is on a journey across many lands, to get through which he must conquer otherworldly obstacles. They are written formally, featuring omniscient, third-person narrators that call upon a Muse for guidance and inspiration. Epics often address concern for the future of humanity through the lens of the adventuring hero. NARRATIVE
Poems of this variety rely on the same elements that other literary narratives do--plot, character development, rich settings, conflicts, and resolutions. Narrative poems are told from the perspective of a main player in the story, and tend to be longer than average in order to provide the space for a suitable resolution to the plot. |
VILLANELLE
Comprising nineteen lines and five stanzas, these poems uniquely utilize the literary device of repetition to achieve emphasis. Line one of the first stanza repeats in final lines of stanzas two and four and the penultimate line of the fifth stanza, while line three of the first stanza repeats in the final lines of stanzas three and five. ODE
This is a type of lyric poetry that uses emotionally-packed words to pay tribute to a moment, an object, person, idea, place, object, thing, or another type of concept. This genre of poetry tends to adopt a ceremonious tone. Like most lyric poetry, odes do not necessarily explore a story. Instead, they focus on the poet’s attitudes and state of mind about the subject of their tribute. Odes rely heavily on use sensory and mood details to evoke intense emotionally connection to the subject of the ode. There are different forms that odes can take. Click HERE for more. information on different types of odes. Click on the titles of odes below to read a few odes. Try one or more out. SONNET
Also a form of lyric poetry, this poetic genre originated in Italy. Sonnets usually have 14 lines with a variable rhyme scheme. Reflecting upon a single thought or idea with a turn in its last two lines, sonnets tend to offer arguments about the human condition. The word "sonnet" literally means “little song.” There are many different types of sonnets. Click HERE for more information on different types of sonnets. Try one or more out.
SLANT RHYME These poems feature two words, at the end of sequential poetic lines, that have similar (yet not identical) consonant or vowel sounds in the final syllable. I have met them at close of day Coming with vivid faces From counter or desk among grey Eighteenth-century houses. —Excerpt from Easter by W.B. Yeats (litcharts.com) SESTINA Derived from the Italian word for sixth (sesto), sestinas begin with six six-line stanzas, and end with a three-line envoi. The last six words of each stanza are repeated in a different order in each subsequent stanza. The same words are repeated in each line of the final envoi, two per line, in mid and final positions (The Making of a Poem, p. 21). See the following pattern for reference: 1 2 3 4 5 6 6 1 5 2 4 3 3 6 4 1 2 5 5 3 2 6 1 4 4 5 1 3 6 2 2 4 6 5 3 1 (. . 6 . . 2) (. . 1 . . 4) (. . 5 . . 3) https://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/sestina PANTOUM Beginning and ending with the same line, pantoums must be written using stanzas of the quatrain variety: “The second and fourth lines of the first quatrain become the first and third lines of the next, and so on with succeeding quatrains.” The final stanza in a pantoum alters the A-B-A-B rhyming pattern that is common to quatrains, and uses the “unrepeated first and third lines” in “reverse as second and fourth lines” (The Making of a Poem, p. 43). PASTORAL This term refers to the annals of poetry that rhapsodize elements of provincial life and landscapes (the very same that Belle dreams of transcending).
LIMERICK A limerick is a five-line poem that consists of a single stanza, and an AABBA rhyme format. The subject ought to be a concise, trivial tale or description. Most limericks are funny, and some are downright crude. SOLILOQUY Soliloquies are commonly written and delivered in blank verse form, and are often attributed to theater productions in which a solitary character is on stage reciting a monologue that expresses their character’s innermost thoughts, feelings, desires, and intentions. In this way, the soliloquy enacts some of the exposition of the story, providing the audience with essential plot points and aspects of character development. HEROIC COUPLET This “rhyming pair of lines” is most often used to write about “high subject matter,” hence the reference to heroics. In terms of meter, the most common is iambic pentameter (which means the couplet has “ten syllables with alternating stresses”), with a rhyme progression of A-A-B-B-C-C and so forth. A poem of this form often allows for a strong pause (aka: caesura) after the fifth or sixth syllable of each line (The Making of a Poem, p. 121). BALLAD
Ballad poems are short narratives that are almost always about love, supernatural occurrences, or current events, and which often employ a specific dialect in adherence to the author’s sociolinguistic position. Ballads are most often arranged in quatrains with iambic tetrameter (lines with four stresses) ruling the first and third lines, iambic trimeter (lines with three stresses) ruling the second and fourth, and rhyming in either A-B-A-B or A-B-C-B fashion (The Making of a Poem, p. 73). ELEGY
“An elegy is a lament. It sets out the circumstances and character of a loss. It mourns for a dead person, lists his or her virtues, and seeks consolation beyond the momentary event. Despite this, an elegy, unlike a metrical form, is not associated with any required pattern or cadence or repetition” (The Making of a Poem, p. 167). |