Types of poetry
Acrostic Poetry
Acrostic Poetry where the first letter
of each line spells a word, usually using the same words as in the title.
Clerihew
A Clerihew is a comic verse consisting of two
couplets and a specific rhyming scheme, usually aabb. The poem is about/deals
with a person/character within the first rhyme.
Epigram
Epigrams are short satirical poems ending with either a humorous retort or a stinging
punchline. Used mainly as expressions of social criticism or political satire,
the most common forms are written as a couplet: a pair of rhymed lines in the
same meter. Practioners of this poetic expression include John Dunne, Ben Jonson,
William Blake and Robert Frost.
Free Verse
Free Verse
is an irregular form of poetry in which the content free of traditional rules
of versification, (freedom from fixed meter or rhyme). In moving from line to
line, the poet's main consideration is where to insert line breaks. Some ways
of doing this include breaking the line where there is a natural pause or at a
point of suspense for the reader. Following the direction of Walt Whitman, Ezra
Pound and T.S.Eliot, many modern day poets use this particular form of expression.
Limerick
A Limerick is a rhymed humorous,
nonsense poem of five lines. Rhyming scheme of: a-a-b-b-a and then the syllable
structure is: 9-9-6-6-9 This is the most commonly heard first line of a
limerick: "There once was a man from Nantucket"
Ode
An Ode is a poem praising and glorifying a person, place or
thing.
Quatrain
A Quatrain is a poem consisting
of four lines of verse with a specific rhyming scheme. A few examples of a quatrain
rhyming scheme are as follows:
#1) abab
#2) abba -- envelope rhyme
#3) aabb
#4) aaba, bbcb, ccdc, dddd -- chain rhyme
Shape Poetry
Shape
Poetry is also called Concrete Poetry- Shape is one of the main things that separates
prose and poetry. Poetry can take on many formats, but one of them most inventive
forms is for the poem to take on the shape of its subject. So if the subject of
your poem is a water fountain, then the poem would be shaped like a water fountain.
Another example of a shape poem is if the subject of your poem is a fish, then
the poem's lines would be written so that the poem appears to take on the shape
of a fish. ><<<*> Designing your own shape poem can be simple and fun, but try
not to pick anything that would be too difficult. We suggest mapping out or drawing
your shape first, and then importing the text of your poem into your shape.
Tetractys
The poetry form, Tetractys, consists of at least 5 lines of 1, 2, 3, 4, 10 syllables
(total of 20). Tetractys can be written with more than one verse, but must follow
suit with an inverted syllable count. Tetractys can also be reversed and written
10, 4, 3, 2, 1. Double Tetractys: 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 10, 4, 3, 2, 1 Triple Tetractys:
1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 10, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 10 and so on.
Ballad
A short narrative poem with stanzas of two or four lines and usually a refrain.
The story of a ballad can originate from a wide range of subject matter but most
frequently deals with folk-lore or popular legends. They are written in straight-forward
verse, seldom with detail, but always with graphic simplicity and force. Most
ballads are suitable for singing and, while sometimes varied in practice, are
generally written in ballad meter, i.e., alternating lines of iambic tetrameter
and iambic trimeter, with the last words of the second and fourth lines rhyming.
Diamante
A Diamante is a seven-lined contrast poem set
up in a diamond shape. The first line begins with a noun and second line contains
two adjectives that describes the beginning noun. The third line contains three
words ending in -ing, and the forth line is are four more words to describe the
subject. If using an antonym for the ending, this is where the shift should occur.
The fifth line are three more -ing words that describe the last ending noun of
the poem, and the sixth are two more adjectives. The last line ends with the first
noun's antonym or synonym. To make it a bit simpler, here is a diagram.
Line 1: Noun or subject
Line 2: Two Adjectives
Line 3: Three -ing words
Line 4: Four words about the subject
Line 5: Three -ing words
Line 6: Two adjectives
Line 7: Synonym/antonym for the subject
Epitaph
An epitaph is a brief poem inscribed
on a tombstone praising a deceased person, usually with rhyming lines.
Haiku
Most popular definition, but there is more to haiku than meets the eye: Haiku
(also called nature or seasonal haiku) is an unrhymed Japanese verse consisting
of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables (5, 7, 5) or 17 syllables
in all. Haiku is usually written in the present tense and focuses on nature (seasons).
The 5/7/5 rule is rumored to have been made up for school children to understand
and learn this type of poetry.
Monody
A monody is a poem
in which one person laments another's death, as in Tennyson's Break, Break, Break,
or Wordsworth's She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways. (See also Dirge, Elegy, Epitaph)
Palindrome Poetry
Also Known as Mirrored Poetry A palindrome,
by definition, is a word, phrase, verse, sentence, or even poem that reads the
same forward or backward. It stems from the Greek word palindromos: palin, meaning
again, and dromos, meaning a running. Combining the two together, the Greek meaning
gives us, running back again... Shown below is an example of the word-unit palindrome.
The carefully placed words form the same sentence, whether it is read forward
or backward. For example, 'Mirrored images reflect images mirrored' which includes
a word in the center as a reversal point for the sentence or even the poem.
Rictameter
Rictameter is a scheme similar to Cinquain. Starting your first line with a two
syllable word, you then consecutively increase the number of syllables per line
by two. i.e. 2,4,6,8,10 Then down again, 8,6,4,2 Making the final line the same
two syllable word you began with.
Song
A Song is an expression
of a poet's personal emotions, meant to be sung. Lyrics in a song contain verses
(lines that make up a song; sung poem) and a chorus (a repeating verse in a song
(refrain).
Tongue Twister Poems
A Tongue Twister poem
is made up of lines/verses that are hard to say fast. In other words, the poem
ties your tongue into knots.
Cinquain
A Cinquain is a
short, unrhymed poem consisting of twenty-two syllables distributed as 2, 4, 6,
8, 2, in five lines. The most popular form is as follows:
Line 1: Noun
Line 2: Description of Noun
Line 3: Action
Line 4: Feeling or Effect
Line 5: Synonym of the initial noun.
Didactic Poetry
Didactic Poetry is a
form of poetry intended for instruction such as for knowledge or to teach.
Ethere
The poetry form, Ethere, consists of 10 lines of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
syllables. Ethere can also be reversed and written 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2,
1. Get creative and write an Ethere with more than one verse, but follow suit
with an inverted syllable count. Reversed Ethere: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2,
1 Double Ethere: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10, 9, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ...Triple
Ethere, Quadruple Ethere, and so on!
Kyrielle
A Kyrielle
is a French form of rhyming poetry written in quatrains (a stanza consisting of
4 lines), and each quatrain contains a repeating line or phrase as a refrain (usually
appearing as the last line of each stanza). Each line within the poem consists
of only eight syllables. There is no limit to the amount of stanzas a Kyrielle
may have, but three is considered the accepted minimum. Some popular rhyming schemes
for a Kyrielle are:
aabB, ccbB, ddbB, with B being the repeated line, or abaB, cbcB, dbdB.
Mixing up the rhyme scheme is possible for an unusual pattern of: axaZ, bxbZ, czcZ, dxdZ, etc. with Z being the repeated line. The rhyme pattern is completely up to the poet.
Monorhyme
A Monorhyme is
a poem in which all the lines have the same end rhyme. (See also Ghazal)
Pantoum
The pantoum consists of a series of quatrains rhyming ABAB in which the second
and fourth lines of a quatrain recur as the first and third lines in the succeeding
quatrain; each quatrain introduces a new second rhyme as BCBC, CDCD. The first
line of the series recurs as the last line of the closing quatrain, and third
line of the poem recurs as the second line of the closing quatrain, rhyming ZAZA.
The design is simple:
Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
Line 4
Line 5 (repeat of line 2)
Line 6
Line 7 (repeat of line 4)
Line 8
Continue with as many stanzas as you wish, but the ending stanza then repeats the second and fourth lines of the previous stanza (as its first and third lines), and also repeats the third line of the first stanza, as its second line, and the first line of the first stanza as its fourth. So the first line of the poem is also the last. Last stanza: Line 2 of previous stanza Line 3 of first stanza Line 4 of previous stanza Line 1 of first stanza
Sestina
The sestina is a strict ordered form of
poetry, dating back to twelfth century French troubadours. It consists of six
six-line (sestets) stanzas followed by a three-line envoy. Rather than use a rhyme
scheme, the six ending words of the first stanza are repeated as the ending words
of the other five stanzas in a set pattern. The envoy uses two of the ending words
per line, again in a set pattern.
First stanza, ..1 ..2 ..3 ..4 ..5 ..6
Second
stanza, ..6 ..1 ..5 .. 2 ..4 ..3
Third stanza, ..3 ..6 ..4 ..1 ..2 ..5
Fourth
stanza, ..5 ..3 ..2 ..6 ..1 ..4
Fifth stanza, ..4 ..5 ..1 ..3 ..6 ..2
Sixth stanza,
..2 ..4 ..6 ..5 ..3 ..1
Concluding tercet: middle of first line ..2, end of first line ..5 middle of second line ..4, end of second line..3 middle if third line ..6, end of third line ..1
Sonnet
A Sonnet is a poem consisting
of 14 lines (iambic pentameter) with a particular rhyming scheme: Examples of
a rhyming scheme:
#1) abab cdcd efef gg
#2) abba cddc effe gg
#3) abba abba cdcd
cd
A Shakespearean (English) sonnet has three quatrains and a couplet, and rhymes abab cdcd efef gg. An Italian sonnet is composed of an octave, rhyming abbaabba, and a sestet, rhyming cdecde or cdcdcd, or in some variant pattern, but with no closing couplet. Usually, English and Italian Sonnets have 10 syllables per line, but Italian Sonnets can also have 11 syllables per line. French sonnets follow in this same pattern, but normally have 12 syllables per line.
Tyburn
A six line poem consisting of 2, 2, 2, 2, 9, 9 syllables. The first four lines
rhyme and are all descriptive words. The last two lines rhyme and incorporate
the first, second, third, and fourth lines as the 5th through 8th syllables.
Clarity
Pyramid
Poetry form designed and constructed by Jerry P. Quinn. A
Clarity Pyramid is a poem consisting of two triplets and a single line (7 lines
in all). Usually, this poem is center aligned when displayed. The first triplet
has 1, 2, and 3 syllables. The title of the poem is the one-syllable word of the
first triplet, which is displayed in all capital letters. This line is followed
by a two-syllable line, and then a three- syllable line both of which clarify
the definition of the poem, or are synonyms for the title. The second triplet
has 5, 6, and 7 syllables. It's design is based around a life event contained
within the triplet which helps give a poetic view or outlook on the first line
(title). The last line is 8 syllables, and is in quotations as this line contains
a quote that defines the first word (title).
Epic
An Epic
is a long narrative poem celebrating the adventures and achievements of a hero...epics
deal with the traditions, mythical or historical, of a nation. examples: Beowulf,
The Iliad and the Odyssey, and Aeneid
Fable
A fable is
a poetic story composed in verse or prose with a moral summed up at the end. Usually
using animals as characters to teach a valuable lesson. Most commonly found example
of fables are the Aesop's Fables, but here are two poetic examples. Kyrielle Sonnet
A Kyrielle Sonnet consists of 14 lines (three rhyming quatrain stanzas and a non-rhyming
couplet). Just like the traditional Kyrielle poem, the Kyrielle Sonnet also has
a repeating line or phrase as a refrain (usually appearing as the last line of
each stanza). Each line within the Kyrielle Sonnet consists of only eight syllables.
French poetry forms have a tendency to link back to the beginning of the poem,
so common practice is to use the first and last line of the first quatrain as
the ending couplet. This would also re-enforce the refrain within the poem. Therefore,
a good rhyming scheme for a Kyrielle Sonnet would be:
AabB, ccbB, ddbB, AB -or- AbaB, cbcB, dbdB, AB.
Naani
Naani is one of Indian's most
popular Telugu poems. Naani means an expression of one and all. It consists of
4 lines, the total lines consists of 20 to 25 syllables. The poem is not bounded
to a particular subject. Generally it depends upon human relations and current
statements. This poetry was introduced by one of the renowned Telugu poets Dr.
N.Gopi, presently working as vice-chancellor to Telugu University, Andhra Pradesh.
Paradelle
A paradelle is a difficult French poetic form
first used in the eleventh century. This fixed form of poetry consists of four
six-line stanzas with a repetitive pattern. First Three Stanzas: The first two
lines as well as the third and fourth lines of the first three stanzas must be
the same (repeat). Where it begins to get difficult and become more of a poetic
puzzle is when reaching fifth and sixth lines. These lines must contain all the
words from the preceding four lines within the stanza using them only once to
form completely new lines. Last Stanza: For the most difficult piece of this poetic
puzzle, the final stanza of the paradelle does not repeat like the preceding stanzas,
rather the final six lines must contain every word from the first three stanzas,
and only those words, again using them only once to form completely new lines.
The Design is simple:
Stanza 1: 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 4
Stanza 2: 5, 5, 6, 6, 7, 8
Stanza
3: 9, 9, 10, 10, 11, 12
Stanza 4: 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18
Senryu
Most popular definition, but there is more to senryu than meets the eye: Senryu
(also called human haiku) is an unrhymed Japanese verse consisting of three unrhymed
lines of five, seven, and five syllables (5, 7, 5) or 17 syllables in all. Senryu
is usually written in the present tense and only references to some aspect of
human nature or emotions. They possess no references to the natural world and
thus stand out from nature/seasonal haiku. The 5/7/5 rule is rumored to have
been made up for school children to understand and learn this type of poetry.
Tanka
Tanka is a classic form of Japanese poetry related
to the haiku with five unrhymed lines of five, seven, five, seven, and seven syllables.
(5, 7, 5, 7, 7)
The 5/7/5/7/7 rule is rumored to have been made up for school children to understand and learn this type of poetry.
Villanelle
A Villanelle is a nineteen-line poem consisting of a very specific rhyming scheme:
aba aba aba aba aba abaa.
The first and the third lines in the first stanza are
repeated in alternating order throughout the poem, and appear together in the
last couplet (last two lines).