Kinds of Poetry

What are the different kinds or genres of poetry? Would you like to go through a variety of poems by poets all around the world? Then you must read on…

Kinds of Poetry

In the words of William Wordsworth, one of the greatest poets of all time, all good poetry is a spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility. Poetry is a beautiful manifestation of the spontaneous emotions of a poet. A poem is created when emotions find the right words to express themselves. A poem often begins in an abstract idea that is developed by the means of concrete words, without letting the idea lose its abstractness! Those of you with a poetic mind will agree with me on this, I am sure.

Poetry has a long and elaborate history. The earliest forms of poetry were recited and sung. With the passing years, it obtained a structured form that later evolved into a free verse format. Poets dealing with different subjects and presenting their ideas in different ways gave rise to various kinds of poetry. Let us look at the different types of poetry.

Acrostic: In acrostic poems, the first letters of each line of the poem are aligned vertically to form a word. Generally, the word formed thus, is the subject of the poem.

Ballad: Ballads are narrative poems that are supposed to be sung. The narrator usually starts with a dramatic scene and relates the narrative with dialog and actions.

Canzone: The word canzone, which means, a song, signifies any simple song-like composition. It is an Italian song or ballad.

Cinquain: Cinquain poems are five lines long. They do not rhyme.

Concrete: In this kind of poetry, the topographical arrangement of words supports the meaning conveyed by the poem. The poems form a picture of the topic on which they are centered.

Couplet: It is a very simple form of a verse, which contains two rhyming lines.

Diamante: This type of poetry is one of the simplest ones to write. The first line of a diamante is a single word; the second line consists of two adjectives describing that word, third line contains three words about the subject while the fourth line contains four. The fifth line and the lines that follow consist of a similar pattern of words describing the idea opposite to the subject of the poem. It seems this kind of poetry writing is simple and interesting. Doesn’t it?

Dramatic Poetry: A drama that is written in the form of verses to be recited or sung refers to the dramatic genre of poetry. This form of poetry has evolved from Greek and Sanskrit literature.

Epic Poetry: This genre of poetry is a type of narrative literature that narrates stories of mythological heroes. Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey and the great Indian epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana are a few of the noteworthy examples of epic poetry.

Free Verse: Free verses refer to the different styles of poetry, wherein the poems do not carry a specific meter. Free verses are a poet’s expressions, which are free from any rules or restrictions pertaining to the rhyme schemes of the poem.

Ghazal: This form of poetry is popular in the Arabic, Persian, Urdu and Bengali literature. It is characterized by five to fifteen couplets that have a refrain at the end of every second line. Each couplet of a ghazal can stand individually as each represents a distinct thought.

Haiku: It is an unrhymed form of poetry that is native to Japan. It contains three sections that can be written in a single line, but are written in three lines instead. The way it is broken into, is in essence the poetic effect of this poetic form. This kind of poetry contains a cutting word, which is known as a kireji and a season word, known as a kigo.

Iambic Pentameter: It is a relatively complex form of poetry that uses syllables to bring in a musical element to the poems.

Jintishi: Native to China, Jintishi is a poetic form based on tonal patterns consisting of the four tones of the classical Chinese language in every couplet. Jintishi is composed of eight lines in four couplets, wherein two couplets depict contrasting ideas but similar grammatical patterns. Du Fu, a poet of the 8th century was an important name in the world of Jintishi.

Limerick: Limerick is one of the very popular kinds of poetry. A limerick is a funny little poem with a rhyme scheme of ‘aabba’.

Lyric Poetry: Lyric poetry is of a personal nature, wherein a poet expresses his/her perceptions and ideas through poetry. Lyric poems deal with subjects like love, peace, loss and grief. T. S. Eliot is one of the prominent names in lyric poetry.

Minnesang: It refers to the German tradition of writing lyrics and songs. It became widely popular in the 12th century and continued until the 14th century. The poems belonging to this kind of poetry revolve around the subject of love.

Narrative Poetry: This is a genre of poetry that involves story-telling and is one of the very old forms of poetry. The content of these types of poems is intended to appeal the masses. Ovid, William Langland, Alexander Pope and Shakespeare are some of the notable figures in the field of narrative poetry.

Nursery Rhymes: It is one of the most popular types of poetry, especially a favorite of most of the kids. Nursery rhymes are short poems written for children and are usually handed over from one generation to another.

Ode: Originally developed by the Greek and Latin poets, Odes soon began to appear in different cultures across the world. Odes possess a formal poetic diction and deal with a variety of different subjects.

Pantoum: It is composed of quatrains, where the second and fourth lines of each verse are repeated as the first and third lines of the next stanza.

Pastourelle: It refers to an old French lyrical form. The poems in this category have the romance of a shepherdess as their central idea.

Prose Poetry: This genre of poetry blends prose and poetry. It is very similar to a short story. However, its concise nature and the use of metaphor in it are sufficient to classify it as a poetical form.

Rondeau: It consists of fifteen lines, which make use of two rhymes. It was a French form of poetry.

Ruba’i: This form of poetry is written as a four-line verse. It is written by the poets in Arabia and Persia.

Satirical Poetry: Sarcasm serves as a very powerful means of expressing criticism. An insult can most strongly be expressed through poetry. Romans have been using satirical poetry for political purposes.

Sestina: In this kind of poetry, there are six stanzas, each consisting of six lines without an element of rhyme. The words that appear at the end of the lines in the first stanza are repeated in other stanzas. A concluding stanza of three lines wherein the repeating words reappear in a peculiar way is an important characteristic of Sestina.

Sijo: It is a musical lyric popular among the Korean poets. It is written in three lines with a pause in the middle of every line.

Sonnet: Derived from Occitan and Italian words meaning ‘a little song’, Sonnet was originally a fourteen-line song that was based on a strict rhyme scheme and structure. Shakespeare, who wrote 154 sonnets, was one of the most important figures in the field of sonnets.

Stave: see Stev

Stev: It is a form of lyrical poetry that is prominent in Scandinavia. Stave is the English version of this kind of poetry.

Tanka: It is an unrhymed kind of poetry that originated in Japan. It came up as a shorter version of the Japanese formal poetry and the poems of this type were primarily based on personal themes. The emergence of Tanka dates back to the Nara period. It became popular in the 13th century and is continues being practiced till today.

Verse Fable: The poems that belong to this genre of poetry consist of stories set into verses. Fables involving natural elements and inanimate objects carrying a moral or message for the masses are expressed through verses. Verse fables use different types of rhyming schemes.

Villanelle: The poems of this type consist of nineteen lines made up by five triplets and a concluding quatrain. This form of poetry has received impetus since the late 19th century, giving rise to poets like Elizabeth Bishop and Dylan Thomas.

With this, we covered a detailed list of the different kind of poetry as also the various genres of poetry. Let us now have a glimpse of the different types of poetry categorized on the basis of the subjects they deal with.

Baby Poems: Babies are the sweetest creations of nature. Buzzle brings you a collection of baby poems.

Poems on Birth and Death: Birth signifies a brand new beginning while death marks the end of life; the end of everything. See what these poets have to say through their poems about life and their birth and death poems.

Break Up Poems: Breaking a relationship is always painful. It takes moments to say "hello" but ages to bid goodbye. Here are some break up experiences some poets have shared through their break up poems.

Children and Teen Poetry: For you kids and teenagers out there, here are separate sections of poems just for you all! Go through the children’s poems and teen poetry.

Dark Poetry: Life is beautiful. But the negativities like hatred, loneliness, depression and pain eclipse life’s beauty. Here are some portraits of dark emotions, which poets from around the world have sketched through their dark poetry and sad poems.

Dream Poetry: Poets are dreamers. They weave poems from their world of dreams. Go through some good poems on dreams and fantasy.

Family Poems: Your family means the world to you. Doesn’t it? Go through some family poems by some budding poets from the different parts of the world.

Funeral Poems: Here is a collection of funeral poems and articles about funeral poetry. Death ends life, leaving behind memories of the dead. See the poets on Buzzle put across this emotion through their poems in loving memory.

Funny Poems: Tickle your funny bone by going through the funny poems. Laughs are good for health!

Goodbye Poems: Take a look at the collection of goodbye poems.

Love Poems: Love is one of the most wonderful feelings. Here are some love poems by poets on Buzzle. Share their experiences of being in love.

Nature Poems: The beauties of nature have always interested poetic minds. These nature poems by some budding poets around the world are worth a read.

Poems about Life: Some say that life is a journey while others call it an adventure. Here is what some poets have to say about life through their poems on life.

Poems for Special Occasions: Here is Buzzle’s collection of some beautiful poems for those special occasions in life. I am sure you will enjoy reading these birthday poems as well as these wedding poems. Here is a collection of some poetic expressions on Christmas. Go through Christmas poems.

Poems on War and Peace: Wars personify grief and destruction. Peace is what we yearn for. Listen to what these poets have to say through their poems on war and peace.

Relationship Poems: Relationships form a crucial aspect of life. It is these relationships that make life worth living. Here is a collection of some relationship poems. Friendship is one of the most beautiful relationships in life.Friendship Poems are worth a read! When it comes to relationships, how can you forget Valentine’s Day poems?

Rite of Passage and Identity Poems: Life is a continuous process of learning. Life is about learning to live and knowing yourself. Go through these poems on identity and rite of passage.

The discussion about poetry does not end here. Buzzle’s section of poetry and poems is a must-read. Having a glimpse of poetry just makes us realize that literature hosts a huge collection of these exquisite kinds of poetry and a legacy of many brilliant poets who enlivened the different poetic forms. Hats off to all of them! sumber