Poetry Flashcards
ballad
A poem that recounts a story in the form of a song. Traditionally, ballads relate popular and often tragic stories in simple language.
blank verse
Any unrhymed verse, but usually referring to unrhymed iambic pentameter.
confessional poem
A contemporary poetic mode in which poets discuss matters relating to their private lives.
couplet
Two successive lines of rhyming verse.
Ex: No weekends for the gods now. Wars/flicker, earth licks its open sores
dirge
A song or poem of mourning, typically intended for a funeral, that is written to commemorate and lament someone’s death.
end rhyme
Rhyme that occurs at the end of lines of verse.
Ex: See “couplet”
eulogy
A poem or speech that praises a person or thing, especially one recently lost.
free verse
Poetry that lacks a regular meter, does not rhyme, and uses irregular line lengths.
heroic couplet
A pair of rhymed lines written in iambic pentameter.
internal rhyme
Rhyme that occurs within a line of verse.
Ex: Their graves are green, they may be seen.
lyric poetry
Melodic poetry that expresses subjective feelings and personal emotions of the poet.
ode
A relatively long, serious, and usually meditative poem that treats a noble or otherwise elevated subject in a dignified and calm manner.
pattern poem
A poem that is shaped to resemble a concrete, visual object.
Petrarchan/Italian sonnet
A poem consisting of fourteen lines. This kind of sonnet consists of two segments: the first eight lines in an abbaabba rhyme pattern and the last six lines in a cdecde rhyme pattern. Usually in iambic pentameter.
prose poem
A brief, rhythmic composition blending prose and verse. These poems are written in sentences, without the line breaks characteristic of poetry, but are heavily marked by the use of poetic devices.
