The Forms Of Poetry
Described
below are some common forms of poetry widely used across a number of languages.
Additional forms of poetry may be found in the discussions of poetry of
particular cultures or periods and in the glossary.
1. Sonnet
Among
the most common forms of poetry through the ages is the sonnet, which by the
13th century was a poem of fourteen lines following a set rhyme scheme and
logical structure. By the 14th century, the form further crystallized under the
pen of Petrarch, whose sonnets were later translated in the 16th century by Sir
Thomas Wyatt, who is credited with introducing the sonnet form into English
literature.[96] A sonnet's first four lines typically introduce the topic. A
sonnet usually follows an a-b-a-b rhyme pattern. The sonnet's conventions have
changed over its history, and so there are several different sonnet forms.
Traditionally, in sonnets English poets use iambic pentameter, the Spenserian
and Shakespearean sonnets being especially notable.[97] In the Romance languages,
the hendecasyllable and Alexandrine are the most widely used meters, though the
Petrarchan sonnet has been used in Italy since the 14th century.
Sonnets
are particularly associated with love poetry, and often use a poetic diction
heavily based on vivid imagery, but the twists and turns associated with the
move from octave to sestet and to final couplet make them a useful and dynamic
form for many subjects.[99] Shakespeare's sonnets are among the most famous in
English poetry, with 20 being included in the Oxford Book of English Verse.
2. Shi
Shi
(traditional Chinese: 詩;
simplified Chinese: 诗; pinyin: shī;
Wade–Giles : shih) Is the main type of Classical Chinese poetry.[101] Within
this form of poetry the most important variations are "folk song"
styled verse (yuefu), "old style" verse (gushi), "modern
style" verse (jintishi). In all cases, rhyming is obligatory. The Yuefu is
a folk ballad or a poem written in the folk ballad style, and the number of
lines and the length of the lines could be irregular. For the other variations
of shi poetry, generally either a four line (quatrain, or jueju) or else an
eight line poem is normal; either way with the even numbered lines rhyming. The
line length is scanned by according number of characters (according to the convention
that one character equals one syllable), and are predominantly either five or
seven characters long, with a caesura before the final three syllables. The
lines are generally end-stopped, considered as a series of couplets, and
exhibit verbal parallelism as a key poetic device.[102] The "old
style" verse (gushi) is less formally strict than the jintishi, or
regulated verse, which, despite the name "new style" verse actually
had its theoretical basis laid as far back to Shen Yue, in the 5th or 6th
century, although not considered to have reached its full development until the
time of Chen Zi'ang (661-702)[103] A good example of a poet known for his gushi
poems is Li Bai. Among its other rules, the jintishi rules regulate the tonal
variations within a poem, including the use of set patterns of the four tones
of Middle Chinese The basic form of jintishi (lushi) has eight lines in four
couplets, with parallelism between the lines in the second and third couplets.
The couplets with parallel lines contain contrasting content but an identical
grammatical relationship between words. Jintishi often have a rich poetic
diction, full of allusion, and can have a wide range of subject, including
history and politics.[104][105] One of the masters of the form was Du Fu, who
wrote during the Tang Dynasty (8th century).[106]
3. Villanelle
The
villanelle is a nineteen-line poem made up of five triplets with a closing
quatrain; the poem is characterized by having two refrains, initially used in
the first and third lines of the first stanza, and then alternately used at the
close of each subsequent stanza until the final quatrain, which is concluded by
the two refrains. The remaining lines of the poem have an a-b alternating
rhyme.[107] The villanelle has been used regularly in the English language
since the late 19th century by such poets as Dylan Thomas,[108] W. H.
Auden,[109] and Elizabeth Bishop.[110]
4. Tanka
Tanka
is a form of unrhymed Japanese poetry, with five sections totalling 31 onji
(phonological units identical to morae), structured in a 5-7-5 7–7
pattern.[111] There is generally a shift in tone and subject matter between the
upper 5-7-5 phrase and the lower 7-7 phrase. Tanka were written as early as the
Asuka period by such poets as Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, at a time when Japan was
emerging from a period where much of its poetry followed Chinese form.[112]
Tanka was originally the shorter form of Japanese formal poetry (which was
generally referred to as "waka"), and was used more heavily to
explore personal rather than public themes. By the tenth century, tanka had
become the dominant form of Japanese poetry, to the point where the originally
general term waka ("Japanese poetry") came to be used exclusively for
tanka. Tanka are still widely written today.[113]
5. Haiku
Haiku
is a popular form of unrhymed Japanese poetry, which evolved in the 17th
century from the hokku, or opening verse of a renku.[114] Generally written in
a single vertical line, the haiku contains three sections totalling 17 onji,
structured in a 5-7-5 pattern. Traditionally, haiku contain a kireji, or
cutting word, usually placed at the end of one of the poem's three sections,
and a kigo, or season-word.[115] The most famous exponent of the haiku was
Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694). An example of his writing:[116]
6. Ode
Odes
were first developed by poets writing in ancient Greek, such as Pindar, and
Latin, such as Horace. Forms of odes appear in many of the cultures that were
influenced by the Greeks and Latins.[117] The ode generally has three parts: a
strophe, an antistrophe, and an epode. The antistrophes of the ode possess
similar metrical structures and, depending on the tradition, similar rhyme
structures. In contrast, the epode is written with a different scheme and
structure. Odes have a formal poetic diction, and generally deal with a serious
subject. The strophe and antistrophe look at the subject from different, often
conflicting, perspectives, with the epode moving to a higher level to either
view or resolve the underlying issues. Odes are often intended to be recited or
sung by two choruses (or individuals), with the first reciting the strophe, the
second the antistrophe, and both together the epode.[118] Over time, differing
forms for odes have developed with considerable variations in form and
structure, but generally showing the original influence of the Pindaric or
Horatian ode. One non-Western form which resembles the ode is the qasida in
Persian poetry.[119]
7. Ghazal
The
ghazal (also ghazel, gazel, gazal, or gozol) is a form of poetry common in
Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Urdu and Bengali poetry. In classic
form, the ghazal has from five to fifteen rhyming couplets that share a refrain
at the end of the second line. This refrain may be of one or several syllables,
and is preceded by a rhyme. Each line has an identical meter. The ghazal often
reflects on a theme of unattainable love or divinity.[120]
As
with other forms with a long history in many languages, many variations have
been developed, including forms with a quasi-musical poetic diction in Urdu.[121]
Ghazals have a classical affinity with Sufism, and a number of major Sufi
religious works are written in ghazal form. The relatively steady meter and the
use of the refrain produce an incantatory effect, which complements Sufi
mystical themes well.[122] Among the masters of the form is Rumi, a
13th-century Persian poet who lived in Konya, in present-day Turkey.[123]
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