Poetry Terms
Poetry has different forms for different purposes
LYRIC POETRY
Lyric Poetry is . . .
A poem that expresses the
thoughts and feelings of the
poet. The term lyric is now
commonly referred to as the
words to a song. Lyric poetry
does not tell a story which
portrays characters and
actions. The lyric poet
addresses the reader
directly, portraying his or her
own feeling, state of mind,
and perceptions.
Lyric Poetry is not . . .
Narrative
Filled with complex structures or
exotic words
Forced rhyme
Examples of Lyric Poetry
Sonnets
Odes
Elegy
Lyric Poetry - SONNET
 Sonnet- a poem
that expresses a
single idea or
feeling; consists
of 14 lines;
usually written in
iambic
pentameter
 Ends with a
couplet- a pair of
successive lines
that rhyme and
are the same
length
"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course,
untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his
shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest;
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Lyric Poetry - SONNET
 A sonnet has an
abab rhyming
pattern
 It is also written in
iambic
pentameter
 An iambic foot is
one unstressed
syllable followed by
a stressed syllable
 Iambic pentameter
means there are _
iambic feet for a
total of _ syllables
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"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
x
/ x /
x / x / x
/
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
x
/
x
/ x /
x
/
x /
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course,
untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest;
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee
Lyric Poetry - ODE
 Ode- a lyric poem of
some length; usually
written for an
occasion or on a
particular subject
praising or glorifying
them. They are
usually dignified and
serious with a formal
structure.
Ode to the Forgotten
Ode to the people who were forgotten
They were once loved and cared for
Ode to their lives
Everyday they hurt
While in desperation for love and
generosity
Ode to those who have tried
Those who haven’t given up
The ones that will keep climbing
For them life hasn’t been easy
Lyric Poetry - ELEGY
 Elegy: a mournful, sad
poem; often a funeral song
or lament for the dead
 The elements of a traditional
elegy mirror three stages of
loss:
1) lament- where the speaker
expresses grief and sorrow;
2) praise and admiration of
the idealized dead;
3) consolation and solace.
O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip
is done,
The ship has weather'd every rack,
the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the
people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the
vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart! O the
bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
O Captain! my Captain! rise up and
hear the bells;
Rise up- for you the flag is flung- for
you the bugle trills,
Poetry has different forms for different purposes
NARRATIVE POETRY
Narrative Poetry is . .
A poem that tells a
story. The poem
may be short or
long, simple or
complex. It is usually
nondramatic with
stanzas and a
regular rhyme
scheme
Some popular historic
references . . .
The Babylonian epic of
Gilgamesh
Homer's epics the Iliad and
the Odyssey
Storytelling poems were
popular in the late Middle
Ages
Examples of Narrative
Poetry
Ballads
Epics
Poetry has different forms for different purposes
NARRATIVE POETRY
Stanza – a group
of lines within a
poem grouped
together with a
purpose
Common Rhyming Patterns:
aabb Dance band on the Titanic
abcb Sing “Nearer, My God to Thee”
The iceberg’s on the starboard bow
abac Won’t you dance with me
Let’s show the world we can danceBad enough to strut our stuff.
The music gives us a chance.
We do more out on the floor.
There was a smart spider named
Charlotte
Whose spinning made her a starlet.
An awesome pig named Wilbur she
saved
Through her friendship, which was
quite brave.
Narrative Poetry - Ballad
 Ballad- a simple
narrative poem,
composed in short
stanzas and adapted
for singing; they were
often used to spread
the news or provide
entertainment
 Usually has a rhyming
pattern - aabb, abac,
or abcb
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Writing Tips
Often verses/stanzas have four
lines
Repetition is common (a line,
an entire stanza, a
question/answer format)
May contain dialogue
Usually written in first person
Sequence of “threes” common:
three kisses, three tasks, three
events
Narrative Poetry - Ballad
Cat’s in the Cradle
(Stanza One)
My child arrived just the other day,
He came to the world in the usual way.
But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay.
He learned to walk while I was away.
And he was talking ‘fore I knew it, and as he grew,
He’d say, “I’m gonna be like you, Dad.
You know I’m gonna be like you.
Narrative Poetry - Epic
 Epic- a lengthy
Examples of Epics:
narrative poem,
Beowulf
ordinarily concerning a
Paradise Lost
serious subject
containing details of
The Song of Hiawatha
heroic deeds and
The Iliad
events significant to a
The
Odyssey
culture or nation
Poetry Review
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Do you understand the differences
between
Lyric Poetry and Narrative Poetry?
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Can you provide examples of
Lyric Poetry and Narrative Poetry?
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Explain the following terms:
stanza
rhyming pattern
iambic pentameter couplet