Poetry Terms and Review

Types of Poems• Ode- a lyric poem typically of elaborate or

irregular metrical form and expressive of exalted or enthusiastic emotion. 2. (originally) a poem intended to be sung.

• Haiku- a major form of Japanese verse, written in 17 syllables divided into 3 lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables, often on the subject of nature or one of the seasons.

• Tanka- a Japanese poem consisting of 31 syllables in 5 lines, with 5 syllables in the first and third lines and 7 in the others.

Types of Poems• Cinquain- a short poem consisting of five, usually

unrhymed lines containing, respectively, two, four, six, eight, and two syllables.

• Sonnet- a 14 line poem, usually in iambic pentameter. Types = Italian (octave + sestet) and English form (3 quatrains + a couplet)

• Epitaph- a brief poem or other writing in praise of a deceased person.

Types of Poems• Acrostic- a series of lines or verses in which the first,

last, or other particular letters when taken in order spell out a word, phrase, etc.

• Free Verse/Open Form- verse that does not follow a fixed metrical pattern.

• Limerick- a kind of humorous verse of five lines, in which the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth lines form a couplet.

• Ballad- a simple narrative poem of folk origin, composed in short stanzas and adapted for singing.