Poetry Forms & Types

The EpistleOccasional Poetry Sijo PoemsDidactic PoetrySlam Poetry

Epic PoemsThe CantoMock EpicsThe PalinodeProse PoetryConcrete Poetry

Epic

Long, narrative poem.Hero protagonist acts in mythic or historical ways.

Famous epic poems:

Beowulf (about kings and monsters)The Faerie Queene (about 12 of King Arthur’s knights)Paradise Lost (tells of Satan’s fall & the Garden of Eden)

Beowulf’s author is unknown, Edmund Spenser wrote The Fairie Queene, and Paradise Lost is John Milton’s work. Other examples are The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri and Homer’s The Odyssey and The Iliad.

Canto

A major portion or section of an epic poem Canto is the term used for dividing an epic poem into parts

A stanza in a moderately sized poem is much like a canto in an epic poem.

Or, you may think of it like a chapter of the epic narrative.

Since epics were originally sung, the word “canto” comes from the Italian for song or singing.

Ezra Pound (1885-1972) wrote The Cantos which includes over 100 cantos.

Mock Epic

Plays with the style, form & length of the epic poemSatirical Parodies

Examples:

“Mac Flecknoe” by John Dryden – an epic poem used to insult his literary rival

“The Rape of the Lock” by Alexander Pope – a petty scoundrel is portrayed as a mythological hero

Palinode

An ode or song Retracts or recants a previous poem by the same poetUsually done in a spirited and humorous manner

For example:Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales” ends with a retraction. Chaucer apologizes for the tales’ sinful content.

By Gelett Burgess

I never saw a purple cow,I never hope to see one;But I can tell you, anyhow,I'd rather see than be one.

Confession: and a Portrait, Too,Upon a Background that I Rue!Oh, yes, I wrote 'The Purple Cow,'I'm sorry now I wrote it!But I can tell you anyhow,I'll kill you if you quote it.

Prose Poems

Prose is written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure.A Prose Poem is not broken into verses, but it has so many symbols, metaphors, figures of speech and elements common to poetry, that it feels & seems more like a poem than a paragraph.

An example: “Bath” by Amy Lowell on next slide

The day is fresh-washed and fair, and there is a smell of tulips and narcissus in the air. The sunshine pours in at the bath-room window and bores through the water in the bath-tub in lathes and planes of greenish-white. It cleaves the water into flaws like a jewel, and cracks it to bright light. Little spots of sunshine lie on the surface of the water and dance, dance, and their reflections wobble deliciously over the ceiling; a stir of my finger sets them whirring, reeling. I move a foot and the planes of light in the water jar. I lie back and laugh, and let the green-white water, the sun-flawed beryl water, flow over me. The day is almost too bright to bear, the green water covers me from the too bright day. I will lie here awhile and play with the water and the sun spots. The sky is blue and high. A crow flaps by the window, and there is a whiff of tulips and narcissus in the air.

“Metals Metals” by Russell Edson

Out of the golden West, out of the leaden East, into the iron South, and to the silver North . . . Oh metals metals everywhere, forks and knives, belt buckles and hooks . . . When you are beaten you sing. You do not give anyone a chance . . .

You come out of the earth and fly with men. You lodge in men. You hurt them terribly. You tear them. You do not care for anyone.

Oh metals metals, why are you always hanging about? Is it not enough that you hold men’s wrists? Is it not enough that we let you in our mouths?

Why is it you will not do anything for yourself? Why is it you always wait for men to show you what to be?

And men love you. Perhaps it is because you soften so often. You did, it is true, pour into anything men asked you to. It has always proved you to be somewhat softer than you really are.

Oh metals metals, why are you always filling my house? You are like family, you do not care for anyone.

“Information” by David Ignatow

This tree has two million and seventy-five thousand leaves. Perhaps I missed a leaf or two but I do feel triumphant at having persisted in counting by hand branch by branch and marked down on paper with pencil each total. Adding them up was a pleasure I could understand; I did something on my own that was not dependent on others, and to count leaves is not less meaningful than to count the stars, as astronomers are always doing. They want the facts to be sure they have them all. It would help them to know whether the world is finite. I discovered one tree that is finite. I must try counting the hairs on my head, and you too. We could swap information.

[Kills bugs dead.] by Harryette Mullen

Kills bugs dead. Redundancy is syntactical overkill. A pin-prick of peace at the end of the tunnel of a nightmare night in a roach motel. Their noise infects the dream. In black kitchens they foul the food, walk on our bodies as we sleep over oceans of pirate flags. Skull and crossbones, they crunch like candy. When we die they will eat us, unless we kill them first. Invest in better mousetraps. Take no prisoners on board ship, to rock the boat, to violate our beds with pestilence. We dream the dream of extirpation. Wipe out a species, with God at our side. Annihilate the insects. Sterilize the filthy vermin.

Concrete Poetry

Emphasis is on nonlinguistic elementsFocus might be on the typeface or font usedPoem creates a visual image on the pageNonlinguistic elements tie in to the topic of the poem

Examples:George Herbert “Easter Wings” & “The Altar”

George Starbuck “Sonnet in the Shape of a Potted Christmas Tree”

Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store, Though foolishly he lost the same, Decaying more and more, Till he became Most poore: With thee O let me rise As larks, harmoniously, And sing this day thy victories:Then shall the fall further the flight in me.

My tender age in sorrow did beginne And still with sicknesses and shame. Thou didst so punish sinne, That I became Most thinne. With thee Let me combine, And feel thy victorie: For, if I imp my wing on thine,Affliction shall advance the flight in me.

“Easter Wings”

A broken ALTAR, Lord, thy servant rears,Made of a heart and cemented with tears; Whose parts are as thy hand did frame; No workman's tool hath touch'd the same. A HEART alone Is such a stone, As nothing but Thy pow'r doth cut. Wherefore each part Of my hard heart Meets in this frame To praise thy name. That if I chance to hold my peace, These stones to praise thee may not cease.Oh, let thy blessed SACRIFICE be mine,And sanctify this ALTAR to be thine.

“The Altar”

Ofury-

bedecked!O glitter-torn!

Let the wild wind erectbonbonbonanzas; junipers affect

frostyfreeze turbans; iciclestuff adornall cuckolded creation in a madcap crown of horn!

It’s a new day; no scapegrace of a secttidying up the ashtrays playing Daughter-in-Law Elect;

bells! bibelots! popsicle cigars! shatter the glassware! a son bornnownow

while ox and ass and infant lietogether as poor creatures willand tears of her exertion still

cling in the spent girl’s eyeand a great firework in the sky

drifts to the western hill.

Epistle

A letter in poetic verseAddressed often to a person close to the poetThemes vary – moral, philosophical, personal, sentimentalUsually fairly long poems

Alexander Pope:“Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot”

Charles Bernstein:“Dear Mr. Fanelli”

Hayden Carruth:“The Afterlife: Letter to Sam Hamill”

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Occasional Poems

A poem written for a special occasion or to commemorate an event. An elegy can be an occasional poem when written for a funeral or memorial. Odes can be occasional poems, too. Poems written for weddings, ceremonies, holidays, graduations and anniversaries are occasional poems.

Occasional poems are often meant to be read publicly.

“Of Late” by George Starbuck is about the suicide of a Vietnam War protester.

“Praise Song for the Day” was written for President Obama’s inauguration by Elizabeth Alexander

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Sijo

Korean verseRelated to haiku & tankaEach sijo has three linesEach line is 14, 15 or 16 syllables longTotal of 44, 45 or 46 syllables in the poemEach line has a pause near the middle (caesura-like)1st half of line is 6-9 syllables; 2nd half is no fewer than 5Originally intended as songs1st line introduces an idea or story2nd line supplies a “turn”3rd line provides closure

(Sometimes printed in six lines when translated)

“I Will Write a Poem Too” by Yi Unsang

Up above the shimmering sea, two or three seagulls are hovering.Rolling, wheeling, they write a poem. I do not know the alphabet they use.On the broad expanse of sky, I will write a poem too.

아득한 바다 위에 갈매기 두엇 날아 돈다 .너훌너훌 시를 쓴다 . 모르는 나라 글자다 .널따란 하늘 복판에 나도 같이 시를 쓴다 .

“Early Spring” by Jung Wanyung

While I wash the window, blowing my breath on it,A bird flies and wipes the sky clean.Tomorrow, the magnolia will be out and clean the colors from the clouds.

내가 입김을 불어 유리창을 닦아내면새 한 마리 날아가며 하늘을 닦아낸다내일은 목련꽃 찾아와 구름 빛도 닦으리

Didactic

Intended for instructionTo teach lessons & knowledgeTo give advice

Critics say that didactic poetry can be too instructive and burden the reader with too much information

Slam

Poetry written for Competitive PerformanceAudience members keep scoreWinners determined by total pointsCombines poetry, theatre, performance & story-tellingStarted in early 1980’s in Chicago1st National Poetry Slam was in 1990 – now annual event

Three Slam Poets:

Patricia Smith

Bob Holman

Tyehimba Jess