Poem: A Literary Genre

Etymology of Poem

The word “poem” comes from the Greek word poema, meaning “something made” or “workmanship.” It was first used in English in the 16th century to describe a work of literature that uses language to evoke emotions and express ideas.

With the passage of time, the definition of the term has evolved to include a wide range of literary forms, from sonnets and haiku poems to free verse and prose poetry.

Meanings of Poem

• A Literary Composition: A structured piece of writing that uses poetic devices to convey emotions, ideas, or experiences.
• Metaphorical Usage: Occasionally used metaphorically to describe something exceptionally beautiful or well-crafted.

Poem in Grammar

• Singular Noun: It is a singular noun, and when discussing a single poem, singular verbs should be used. For instance, “the poem is” or “the poem evokes.”
• Plural Noun: When referring to multiple poems, plural verbs should be used. For example, “the poems are” or “the poems evoke.”

Definition of Poem

It is a type of literary genre that uses language to evoke emotions, express ideas, or convey meaning. It often employs figurative language such as metaphors, similes, and personification, as well as sound devices like rhyme and alliteration. It has several forms, from structured sonnets and haikus to free verse and prose poetry, and cover a wide range of themes and topics.

Types of Poems

This genre could be categorized further. Some of the types are as follows.

Type	Definition	Example
Sonnet	A 14-line piece with a specific rhyme scheme, often used for expressing love or other strong emotions.	Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”
Haiku	A three-line piece that originated in Japan, with a specific syllable pattern of 5-7-5.	Basho’s “An old silent pond… / A frog jumps into the pond— / Splash! Silence again.”
Free verse	A poem that doesn’t follow a specific form or rhyme scheme.	Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself”
Ballad	A narrative poem that tells a story, often set to music.	“The Ballad of John Henry”
Ode	It is is written in praise of a person, thing, or event.	Keats’ “Ode to a Nightingale”
Acrostic	It has the first letter of each line spells out a word or phrase.	Lewis Carroll’s “Acrostic: In Memoriam”
Limerick	A humorous five-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme.	Edward Lear’s “There was an Old Man with a Beard”
Epic	A long, narrative piece that tells the story of a hero’s journey or a significant event.	Homer’s “The Iliad”
Elegy	A poem that is written in memory of someone who has passed away.	Thomas Gray’s “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard”
Villanelle	A 19-line piece with a specific rhyme scheme and repeating lines.	Dylan Thomas’ “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night”
Concrete	It shows the words arranged in a shape that relates to the poem’s subject.	George Herbert’s “Easter Wings”
Ghazal	It is written in Arabic and Persian literature with a specific structure of couplets and a repeating rhyme.	Mirza Ghalib’s “Ghazal 1”
Pantoum	It has a repeating pattern of lines, in which the second and fourth lines of each stanza become the first and third lines of the next stanza.	Langston Hughes’ “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”
Sestina	It has six stanzas of six lines each, where the same six words are repeated at the end of each line in a specific pattern.	Ezra Pound’s “Sestina: Altaforte”
Prose poem	A poem that is written in prose instead of verse, but still uses poetic language and techniques.	Charles Baudelaire’s “Paris Spleen”
Epigram	A short, witty piece with a clever or satirical twist.	Alexander Pope’s “An Essay on Criticism” (contains epigrams)
Terza rima	IT has a specific rhyme scheme that follows a pattern of ABA, BCB, CDC, and so on.	Dante Alighieri’s “The Divine Comedy” (uses terza rima)
Tanka	A five-line with a specific syllable pattern of 5-7-5-7-7, often used for expressing emotions or nature imagery.	Yosa Buson’s “An old silent pond…”
Rondel	A poem with a repeating rhyme scheme and a specific pattern of refrains.	Christine de Pizan’s “Song of Joan of Arc”
Found poem	It is created by taking words or phrases from other sources, such as newspaper articles or speeches, and arranging them into a poem.	“A Found Poem from Newspaper Headlines”

Literary Examples of Poem

Poem	Explanation as Poem
“The Waste Land” by T.S. Eliot	This modernist poetic output is considered one of the most important works of 20th-century literature. It is a complex and fragmented exploration of modernity and cultural decay.
“Ode to a Nightingale” by John Keats	This Romantic poem is a tribute to the beauty and transcendence of nature, expressed through the poet’s imaginative encounter with a nightingale.
“Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas	This powerful villainelle is a plea to resist death and to rage against the dying of the light, with a poignant refrain that echoes throughout the poem.
“Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe	This Gothic poetic output is a haunting elegy for a lost love, with vivid and melancholy imagery that captures the speaker’s obsession and despair.
“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot	This modernist poem is a monologue that reflects the speaker’s anxiety and alienation in a world of social conventions and existential uncertainty.
“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth	This Romantic poetic output is a celebration of the beauty and joy of nature, as the speaker reflects on a field of daffodils encountered during a walk in the countryside.

Suggested Readings

1. Abrams, M. H. and Geoffrey Galt Harpham. A Glossary of Literary Terms. 11th ed., Cengage Learning, 2014.
2. Baldick, Chris. The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. 4th ed., Oxford University Press, 2015.
3. Cuddon, J. A., and Clare Preston, editors. The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. 5th ed., Penguin Books, 2013.
4. DiYanni, Robert. Literature: Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 3rd ed., McGraw-Hill, 2016.
5. Fussell, Paul. Poetic Meter and Poetic Form. Random House, 1965.
6. Hollander, John. Rhyme’s Reason: A Guide to English Verse. Yale University Press, 1981.
7. Kennedy, X. J., and Dana Gioia. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. 13th ed., Pearson, 2019.
8. Preminger, Alex, et al., editors. The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. Princeton University Press, 1993.
9. Vendler, Helen. Poems, Poets, Poetry: An Introduction and Anthology. 3rd ed., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010.