Poetic Forms Form: the external pattern of a poem, which may not only give it an internal logical order, but also external symmetry. Stanzaic Form: Poetry written in a series of stanzas repeated units having the same number of lines, usually the same metrical pattern, and often in identical rhyme scheme. Closed Form: Poetry which follows some sort of pattern. On a printed page, poems in closed form tend to look regular and symmetrical, often falling into stanzas that indicate groups of rhymes. Open Form: Rather than adhere to a certain form, poets seek to discover a fresh and individual arrangement words. They may employ white space for emphasis, or may have shorter or longer lines. Generally, open form has neither a rhyme scheme nor a basic meter. Often unrhymed, and sometimes referred to as free verse. Couplet Two lines of poetry, either as part of a longer poem, or as a poem unto itself. Frequently they rhyme and have the same meter. The two lines often belong together, and share some sort of similar idea. The main purpose is to make a poignant point that leaves a lasting impression with the reading. Little strokes / Fell great oaks. Here lies my wife: here let her lie! / Now she s at rest and so am I. I m tired of love: I m still more tired of rhyme. / But money gives me pleasure all the time. I hardly ever tire of love or rhyme / That s why I m poor and have a rotten time. A little learning is a dangerous thing; / Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring. Good nature and good sense must ever join; / To err is human, to forgive, divine. Tis education forms the common mind, / Just as the twig is bent, the tree s inclined. True wit is nature to advantage distressed / What oft was thought but ne er so well expressed. For of all sad words of tongue or pen, / The saddest are these: It might have been! Oh, God of dust and rainbows, help us see / That without dust the rainbow would not be.
Tercet Any three lines of poetry, whether as a stanza or as a poem, rhymed or unrhymed, metered or unmetered. A still small voice spake unto me: Thou art so full of misery, Were it not better not to be? Then to the still small voice I said: Let me not cast in endless shade What is so wonderfully made. The Convergence : http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poems/convergence- twain Quatrain A four- line stanza, rhyming. There are twelve possible rhyme schemes, but the most traditional and common are: ABAC or ABCB as in Samuel Taylor Coleridge s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. AABB (a double couplet); see A.E. Housman s To an Athlete Dying Young. ABAB (known as interlaced, alternate, or heroic), as in Thomas Gray s Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. ABBA (known as envelope or enclosed), as in Alfred, Lord Tennyson s In Memoriam. AABA, the stanza of Robert Frost s Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. Razors pain you; Rivers are damp; Acids stain you; And drugs cause cramp. Guns aren t lawful; Nooses give; Gas smells awful; You might as well live. Quintain Any poetic form containing five lines such as cinquain and limerick. Limericks Writing a Limerick s absurd, Line one and line five rhyme in word, And just as you ve reckoned They rhyme with the second; The fourth line must rhyme with the third. The limerick packs laughs anatomical Into space that is quite economical. But the good ones I ve seen So seldom are clean And the clean ones so seldom are comical.
A family by last name of Newman, Liked to show off their gospel acumen. Each baby that came, Got a scriptural name, So there s Nephi, and Sam...... and Kishkumen.
Now Ammon, while king s flocks he tended, Cut off arms of the thieves that offended. The result was conversions And many conversions, Though nowadays it s not recommended. Sestet Six lines of poetry forming a stanza or complete poem. It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of Annabel Lee; And this maiden she lived with no other thought Than to love and be loved by me. Octet/Octave An octet is another word for octave, which stands for eight consecutive and cohesive lines forming a stanza in a poem, or a poem consisting of only eight lines. Often, octet specifically refers to the first eight of the fourteen lines comprising a Petrarchan sonnet. Sonnet History of the Sonnet Originated in Italy in the 13 th century. The English word sonnet comes from the Italian word sonetto, meaning little song. Sonnet is a form of lyric poetry with 14 lines and a specific rhyme scheme. Lyric poetry presents the deep feelings and emotions of the poet as opposed to poetry that tells a story or presents witty observation. In sonnet sequences, or cycles, a series of sonnets are linked by a common theme. Form was extended to other subjects and other structures by Donne, Milton and later writers such as Shelley, Keats, Thomas, and Cummings.
Petrarchan (Italian) Sonnet Composed of an 8- line stanza (octave) and a 6- line stanza (sestet). Rhyme scheme: ABBA, ABBA; CDE, CDE. Petrarchan sonnet named after Petrarch, a Catholic priest who popularized the form. Shakespearean (English) Sonnet
Composed of 3 four- line stanzas and an epigrammatic couplet. Rhyme scheme: ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, GG. Iambic pentameter is the rhythm of our English language and of our bodies a line of that poetry has the same rhythm as our heartbeat. A line of iambic pentameter fills the human lung perfectly, so it s the rhythm of speech. Ben Crystal Shakespeare wrote 154 of them. Written in the 1590s when the theaters were closed during an outbreak of plague. Topic of most sonnets written in Shakespeare s time is love or a theme related to love. Sonnets 1-126 are addressed to an unidentified young man. In 127-154, Shakespeare turns his attention mostly to a dark lady. Sonnet 18 Dr. Who rendition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd6of- pwkp4 Loki rendition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6q_ioj6ahq Sonnet 130 Harry Potter rendition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xypmsv8jw4u Severus Snape rendition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06qrlwqndpo