More often than we know it, we come across a
number of poems. Whether it is in a commercial, movie, or recited
by a significant other, poems are forms and conventions to expand
the literal meaning of the words, or to evoke emotional or sensual
responses. The history behind poetry has quite an interesting
story. Poetry as an art, may out date literacy itself. Specific
poetic forms have been developed by many cultures, and can be found
on monoliths, rune stones, and stelae. In prehistoric and ancient
societies, poetry was used as a way to record cultural events or to
tell stories.
More recently, a Polish historian
of aesthetics by the name of Tatakiewicz wrote in The Concept
of Poetry, "Poetry expresses a certain state of mind." So how
does one go about defining poetry? Well for starters, poetry is
more than just rhyming. In fact, poetry doesn't even have to rhyme.
The main ingredients are movement and sound. In addition to
feeling, these three factors comprise what poetry is. Poetry is
about expression. Poetry expresses the way we feel about a certain
subject through imagery and other senses. It helps us deal with our
daily life, be it good or bad.
Common Poetry Forms
Various cultures have developed many forms of poetry. Interestingly, there are 51 types of poetry!
Aside from the numerous types, it is important to keep in mind the many techniques as well. Some techniques used in poetry include onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance, rhyming, simile and metaphor. Below, we will discuss the 12 most common poetic forms used across a number of languages.
1. Sonnet
Among the most common form of poetry through the ages is the sonnet, which by the thirteenth century, was a poem of fourteen lines following a set rhyme scheme and logical structure. The conventions associated with the sonnet have changed during its history, and so there are several different sonnet forms. Traditionally, English poets use iambic pentameter when writing sonnets, with the Spenserian and Shakespearean sonnets being especially notable. Sonnets are particularly associated with love poetry, and often use a poetic diction heavily based on vivid imagery. 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. Shakespeare's sonnets are among the most famous in English poetry.
2. Jintishi
The jintishi is a Chinese poetic form based on a series of set tonal patterns using the four tones of the classical Chinese language in each couplet: the level, rising, falling and entering tones. The basic form of the jintishi 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 has a rich poetic diction, full of allusion, and can have a wide range of subject, including history and politics. One of the masters of the form was Du Fu, who wrote during the eighth century, Tang Dynasty.3. Sestina
The sestina has six stanzas, each comprising six unrhymed lines, in which the words at the end of the first stanza's lines reappear in a rolling pattern in the other stanzas. The poem then ends with a 3-line stanza in which the words again appear two on each line.
4. 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. The villanelle has been used regularly in the English language since the late nineteenth century by such poets as Dylan Thomas, W. H. Auden, and Elizabeth Bishop.
5. Pantoum
The pantoum is a rare form of
poetry similar to a villanelle. It is composed of a series of
quatrains; the second and fourth lines of each stanza are repeated
as the first and third lines of the next.
6. Rondeau
The rondeau was originally a French form, written on two rhymes with fifteen lines, using the first part of the first line as a refrain.
7. Tanka
Tanka is a form of unrhymed Japanese poetry, with five sections totalling thirty-one onji , structured in a 5-7-5 7-7 pattern. There is generally a shift in tone and subject matter between the upper 5-7-5 phrase and the lower 7-7 phrase. Tanka was written as early as the Nara 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. Tanka was originally the shorter form of Japanese formal poetry, and was used more heavily to explore personal rather than public themes. It had a more informal poetic diction. By the thirteenth century, Tanka had become the dominant form of Japanese poetry, and it is still widely written today. The 31-mora rule is generally ignored by poets writing literary tanka in languages other than Japanese.
8. Haiku
Haiku is a popular form of
unrhymed Japanese poetry, which evolved in the seventeenth century
from the hokku, or opening verse of a renku. Generally written in a
single vertical line, the haiku contains three sections totalling
seventeen 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. The most
famous exponent of the haiku was Matsuo Bashō. The seventeen-mora
rule is generally ignored by poets writing literary haiku in
languages other than Japanese.
9. Ruba'i
Ruba'i is a four-line verse practiced by Arabian and Persian poets. Famous for his rubaiyat (collection of quatrains) is the Persian poet Omar Khayyam. The most celebrated English renderings of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam were produced by Edward Fitzgerald.
10. Sijo
Sijo is a short musical lyric
practiced by Korean poets. It is usually written as three lines,
each averaging 14-16 syllables, for a total of 44-46 syllables.
There is a pause in the middle of each line and so, in English, a
sijo is sometimes printed in six lines rather than
three.
11. 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. 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, with the first reciting the strophe, the second the antistrophe, and both together the epode. 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.
12. Ghazal
The ghazal is a form of poetry common in Arabic, Persian, 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. Each line has an identical meter, and there is a set pattern of rhymes in the first couplet and among the refrains. Each couplet forms a complete thought and stands alone, and the overall ghazal often reflects on a theme of unattainable love or divinity. The last couplet generally includes the signature of the author.
Reference: Wikipedia
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