Poetry

Poetry, in its own way, is a form of artistic expression.

Types of Poetry

1. Haiku Poems

Traditionally, haiku poems are three-line stanzas with a 5/7/5 syllable count. This form of poetry
also focuses on the beauty and simplicity found in nature. As its popularity grew, the 5/7/5
formula has often been broken. However, the focus remains the same - simple moments in life.
For more, take a look at these rules for writing haiku. Now, let's enjoy two short samples. First,
"Sick on a Journey" by Basho is a great example of a haiku:

Example: Sick on a journey - Over parched field Dreams wander on Next, "5 & 7 & 5" by
Anselm Hollo demonstrates the 5/7/5 haiku syllable count across three stanzas:

Night train whistles stars

Over a nation under
Mad temporal czars

Round lumps of cells grow

Up to love porridge later
Become the supremes

Lady i lost my
Subway token we must part
It's faster by air

2. Free Verse Poems

Free verse poems are the least defined. In fact, they're deliberately irregular, taking on an
improvisational bent. There's no formula, no pattern. Rather, the writer and reader must work
together to set the speed, intonation, and emotional pull.

Example: "This is Marriage" by Marianne Moore is a great example of free verse poetry:

This institution, perhaps one should say enterprise out of respect for which one says one
need not change one's mind about a thing one has believed in, requiring public promises
of one's intention to fulfil a private obligation: I wonder what Adam and Eve think of it by
this time, this fire-gilt steel alive with goldenness; The format of "Little Father" by Li-Young
Lee contrasts "This is Marriage" considerably:

I buried my father in my heart. Now he grows in me, my strange son, My little root who
won't drink milk, Little pale foot sunk in unheard-of night, Little clock spring newly wet In
the fire, little grape, parent to the future Wine, a son the fruit of his own son, Little father I
ransom with my life.

3. Cinquains
A cinquain is a five-line poem inspired by the Japanese haiku. There are many different variations
of cinquain including American cinquains, didactic cinquains, reverse cinquains, butterfly
cinquains and crown cinquains. Let's enjoy a sampling from the ever-popular Edgar Allan Poe, as
well as a snippet from George Herbert. "To Helen" by Edgar Allan Poe is our first five-line poem:

Example:

Helen, thy beauty is to me Like those Nicean barks of yore, That gently, o'er a perfumed
sea, The weary, way-worn wanderer bore To his own native shore. And here we have "The
World" by George Herbert:

Love built a stately house, where Fortune came, And spinning fancies, she was heard to
say That her fine cobwebs did support the frame, Whereas they were supported by the
same; But Wisdom quickly swept them all away.

4. Epic Poems

An epic is a long and narrative poem that normally tells a story about a hero or an adventure.
Epics can be presented as oral or written stories. "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" are probably the
most renowned epic poems. But, let's take a different direction and check out a sampling from
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, as well as Ezra Pound.

Example: Here's an excerpt from the epic poem, "The Song of Hiawatha" by Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow:

By the shore of Gitchie Gumee, By the shining Big-Sea-Water, At the doorway of his wigwam, In
the pleasant Summer morning, Hiawatha stood and waited. And here's another sampling of epic
poetry, this time from "Canto I" by Ezra Pound:
And then went down to the ship,
Set keel to breakers, forth on the godly sea, and
We set up mast and sail on that swart ship,
Bore sheep aboard her, and our bodies also
Heavy with weeping, so winds from sternward
Bore us out onward with bellying canvas,
Circe's this craft, the trim-coifed goddess.
Then sat we amidships, wind jamming the tiller,
Thus with stretched sail, we went over sea till day's end.
Sun to his slumber, shadows o'er all the ocean,
Came we then to the bounds of deepest water,
To the Kimmerian lands, and peopled cities
Covered with close-webbed mist, unpierced ever
With glitter of sun-rays
Nor with stars stretched, nor looking back from heaven
Swartest night stretched over wretched men there.
The ocean flowing backward, came we then to the place
A foresaid by Circe.

5. Ballad Poems
Ballad poems also tell a story, like epic poems do. However, ballad poetry is often based on a
legend or a folk tale. These poems may take the form of songs, or they may contain a moral or a
lesson. Let's enjoy some beautiful imagery in the samples below.

Example: "The Mermaid," written by an unknown author, has its roots in folklore:

Oh the ocean waves may roll, And the stormy winds may blow, While we poor sailors go
skipping aloft And the land lubbers lay down below, below, below And the land lubbers lay
down below. "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" by Oscar Wilde is another great ballad poem:
He did not wear his scarlet coat,
For blood and wine are red,
And blood and wine were on his hands
When they found him with the dead,
The poor dead woman whom he loved,
And murdered in her bed.

He walked amongst the Trial Men

In a suit of shabby grey;
A cricket cap was on his head,
And his step seemed light and gay;
But I never saw a man who looked
So wistfully at the day.

I never saw a man who looked

With such a wistful eye
Upon that little tent of blue
Which prisoners call the sky,
And at every drifting cloud that went
With sails of silver by.
6. Acrostic Poems

Acrostic poems, also known as name poems, spell out names or words with the first letter in each
line. While the author is doing this, they're describing someone or something they deem
important.

Example: Here are two examples to illustrate the poetic form. "Alexis" by Nicholas Gordon
focuses on an intriguing woman he may or may not know:

Alexis seems quite shy and somewhat frail, Leaning, like a tree averse to light, Evasively
away from her delight. X-rays, though, reveal a sylvan sprite, Intense as a bright bird
behind her veil, Singing to the moon throughout the night. "A Cry For Help" by 12-year-old
Samar Alkhudairi is an example of an acrostic poem that tackles the tough issue of
bullying:

Brutal beatings beyond the feeling of pain Understanding this hurt might get me closer to
being sane Love is a myth Life has become like a work of Stephen King You don't know
what it's like I am treated like just some "thing" Never to be kissed, comforted, or loved
Going the rest of my life never to be hugged.

7. Sonnets
Although William Shakespeare sensationalized sonnets, the word, "sonetto" is actually Italian for
"a little sound or song." This form has grabbed poets by the heart for centuries. It began as a 14-
line poem written in iambic pentameter. Although flourishes have been made over time, the
general principle remains the same.

Example: "Sonnet 116," from the master himself, William Shakespeare.

Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments. Love is not love Which alters
when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove. O no! it is an ever-fixed
mark That looks on tempests and is never shaken; It is the star to every wand'ring bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. Love's not Time's fool, though rosy
lips and cheeks Within his bending sickle's compass come; Love alters not with his brief
hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom. If this be error and upon me
prov'd, I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd. "Ever" by Meghan O'Rourke is a more modern
sample, published in 2015:

Never, never, never, never, never. - King Lear Even now I can't grasp "nothing" or "never."
They're unholdable, unglobable, no map to nothing. Never? Never ever again to see you?
An error, I aver. You're never nothing, because nothing's not a thing. I know death is
absolute, forever, the guillotine-gutting-never to which we never say goodbye. But even as
I think "forever" it goes "ever" and "ever" and "ever." Ever after. I'm a thing that keeps on
thinking. So I never see you is not a thing or think my mouth can ever. Aver: You're not
"nothing." But neither are you something. Will I ever really get never? You're gone.
Nothing, never-ever.

Sonnet Examples

The sonnet is a form of lyrical poetry originating in Italy in the 13th century. In fact, "sonnet" is
derived from the Italian word sonetto, meaning "little sound" or "little song." You can spot a
sonnet by its 14-line arrangement. Within those 14 lines, you'll note that traditional sonnets also
follow iambic pentameter. That is, each line contains five iambs (or sets of two syllables) where
the first syllable is unstressed and the second syllable is stressed (i.e., he ROSE). Even though
modern poets sometimes deviate from this standard for effect, it's important to see how it all
began.

Let's explore different sonnet examples, as well as a sampling from some of the greatest poetic
masters.

Types of Sonnets

There are two main types of sonnets: Italian and English sonnets. From there, two other versions
evolved: Miltonic sonnets and Spenserian sonnets. Let's start with the Italian sonnet, the form
that seems to have the deepest roots.

A. Italian Sonnets

The first and most common type of sonnet is the Italian sonnet, otherwise known as the
Petrarchan sonnet. Giacomo da Lentini is attributed as the inventor of this form of poetry, even
though they're named after Francesco Petrarca (commonly referred to simply as Petrarch), one of
the most revered Italian poets. Giacomo de Lentini penned almost 250 sonnets. Other notable
sonneteers from Italy include Dante Alighieri, Guido Cavalcanti, and Michelangelo. These sonnets
are divided into two stanzas. The first stanza contains eight lines, or an octave; the second
stanza contains six lines, or a sestet. In an Italian sonnet, there is a "volta" or "turn," which
signals a change from the proposition of the poem to its resolution. The volta usually appears in
the ninth line. Initially, the rhyme scheme for the octave was ABABABAB. Eventually, it evolved
into ABBAABBA. The sestet is either CDECDE or CDCCDC. Later, the variation of CDCDCD was
introduced. You'll note that, while Italian sonnets generally follow iambic pentameter, the meter
for the sestet tends to be more flexible. Meaning, either the first (iamb) or the second (troche)
syllable may be stressed in the two-syllable metric "foot." The rhyming nature of these poems
lent itself well to the lyricism of the Italian language. Of course, nowadays, you'll find many fine
examples written in the English language too.

Italian Sonnet Example

A great example of an Italian sonnet is the appropriately titled "Italian Sonnet" by James
DeFord.

Turn back the heart you've turned away Give back your kissing breath Leave not my love
as you have left The broken hearts of yesterday But wait, be still, don't lose this way
Affection now, for what you guess May be something more, could be less Accept my love,
live for today. Your roses wilted, as love spurned Yet trust in me, my love and truth Dwell in
my heart, from which you've turned My strength as great as yours aloof. It is in fear you
turn away And miss the chance of love today!

B. English Sonnets

The second most common form of sonnet is the English sonnet, otherwise known as the
Shakespearean sonnet. These sonnets are divided into four stanzas, comprising 14 lines in total.
The first three stanzas are quatrains, meaning they contain four lines each. The final stanza is a
couplet, meaning it contains two lines. The "volta" appears in the third quatrain and the
traditional rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. English sonnets typically adhere to iambic
pentameter more strictly than Italian sonnets. You'll find each line traditionally consists of 10
syllables - divided into five pairs - with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. In
1591, the sonnet "Astrophel and Stella" by Sir Philip Sidney established the form of the English
sonnet. Other notable authors include Michael Drayton, Fulke Greville, and, of course, William
Shakespeare. Even though Shakespeare did not invent the sonnet, he was among the most
prolific, writing over 150 in his lifetime.

English Sonnet Example

"Sonnet Number 18" is one of the most famous sonnets by William Shakespeare, starting
off with an iconic opening line.

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 dimmed,
And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance, or nature's changing course
untrimmed: But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou
ow'st, Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou
grow'st, So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life
to thee.
 C. Miltonic Sonnets

John Milton went on to make a few refinements to the Italian sonnet. His variations became
known as Miltonic sonnets. The context of his poems was different in that they took on an air of
self-reflection and interior thinking. Beyond that, his form also varied; he would allow the octave
to morph into a sestet, wherever needed.

Miltonic Sonnet Example

"When I Consider How My Light Is Spent" is an example of a one of John Milton's better
known sonnets.When I consider how my light is spent,

Ere half my days in this dark world and wide, And that one talent which is death to hide
Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent To serve therewith my Maker, and
present My true account, lest He returning chide; "Doth God exact day-labor, light
denied?" I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent That murmur, soon replies, "God doth not
need Either man's work or His own gifts. Who best Bear His mild yoke, they serve Him
best. His state Is kingly: thousands at His bidding speed, And post o'er land and ocean
without rest; They also serve who only stand and wait.

D. Spenserian Sonnets

Sixteenth-century English poet Sir Edmund Spenser did his best to make some refinements to
the English sonnet. While his work also contained three quatrains and a couplet, he would also
bridge quatrains together by rhyming the last line of one quatrain with the first line of the next.
This, in effect, created a rhyming couplet between the quatrains. The resulting rhyme scheme
became ABAB BCBC CDCD EE. In a way, the Spenserian sonnet reorganized English sonnets into
couplets, giving a nod to the Italian sonnet. Many suppose Spenser did this to remove the
pressure one felt to bring the poem to a conclusion or resolution in the final couplet.

Spenserian Sonnet Example

Sir Edmund Spenser's "Sonnet LXV" is a fine example of his take on a sonnet.

One day I wrote her name upon the strand, But came the waves and washed it away;
Again I wrote it with a second hand, But came the tide and made my pains his prey. "Vain
man," said she, "that dost in vain assay A mortal thing so to immortalize, For I myself shall
like to this decay, And eke my name be wiped out likewise "Not so." quod I, "Let baser
thing devise To die in dust, but you shall live by fame; My verse your virtues rare shall
eternize And in the heavens write your glorious name, Where, when as death shall all the
world subdue, Our love shall live, and later life renew."

Prepared by:

Karyll John Cabural

Student