poem

Xiao He chases Han Xin by Yosa Buson (Nomura Art Museum)

Haiku

Haiku Haiku (俳句) is a type of short form poetry originally from Japan. Traditional Japanese haiku consist of three phrases that contain a kireji, or “cutting word”, 17 on (phonetic units similar to syllables) in a 5, 7, 5 pattern and a kigo, or seasonal reference. Similar poems that do not adhere to these rules are generally classified...

A miniature of Nizami's narrative poem. Layla and Majnun meet for the last time before their deaths. Both have fainted and Majnun's elderly messenger attempts to revive Layla while wild animals protect the pair from unwelcome intruders. Late 16th-century illustration.

Ghazal

Ghazal The ghazal (Arabic: غَزَل‎, Bengali: গজল, Hindi-Urdu: ग़ज़ल/غزَل, Persian: غزل‎, Azerbaijani: qəzəl, Turkish: gazel, Uzbek: gʻazal, Gujarati: ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The ghazal...

Thomas Cole, The Course of Empire, The Arcadia or Pastoral State, 1834

Villanelle

Villanelle A villanelle, also known as villanesque, is a nineteen-line poetic form consisting of five tercets followed by a quatrain. There are two refrains and two repeating rhymes, with the first and third line of the first tercet repeated alternately at the end of each subsequent stanza until the last stanza, which includes both repeated lines. The villanelle is an...

Detached segment of the Deeds of the Zen Masters (紙本墨画禅機図断簡, shihon bokuga zenkizu dankan): Hanshan and Shide (寒山拾得図, kanzan jittokuzu). Handscroll, 35.0 x 49.5 cm. Ink on paper. Located at Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo.

Shi In Poetry

Shi In Poetry Shi (in poetry) and shih are romanizations of the character 詩/诗, the Chinese word for all poetry generally and across all languages. In Western analysis of the styles of Chinese poetry, shi is also used as a term of art for a specific poetic tradition, modeled after the Old Chinese works collected in the Confucian Classic of Poetry. This anthology included both aristocratic poems (the “Hymns”...

William Shakespeare's Sonnet XXX ​as a wall poem in Leiden

Sonnet

Sonnet A sonnet is a poetic form which originated in the Italian poetry composed at the Court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in Palermo, Sicily. The 13th-century poet and notary Giacomo da Lentini is credited with the sonnet’s invention for expressing courtly love. The Sicilian School of poets who surrounded him at the...

Fragment of Tablet II of the Epic of Gilgamesh, Sulaymaniyah Museum, Iraq

Epic Poetry

Epic Poetry An epic poem (Epic Poetry) is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily involving a time beyond living memory in which occurred the extraordinary doings of the extraordinary people who, in dealings with the gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants, the poet and their audience,...

"Justum et tenacem propositi virum" – "a man just and steadfast in purpose", from Horace's Odes, III.3, on the gravestone of Elliot Charles Bovill, Chief Justice of the Straits Settlements, in Fort Canning Green, Singapore

Ode

Ode An ode (ᾠδή, ōdḗ) is a type of lyrical stanza. It is an elaborately structured poem praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally. A classic ode is structured in three major parts: the strophe, the antistrophe, and the epode. Different forms such as the homostrophic ode and the irregular ode also enter. Greek...

Moon Face Night Sky Star Clouds Quarter Moon

Rhyme

Rhyme A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds (usually, exactly the same sound) in the final stressed syllables and any following syllables of two or more words. Most often, this kind of perfect rhyming is consciously used for a musical or aesthetic effect in the final position of lines within poems or songs. More broadly, a...

Stationery Canvas Picture Paper Write Letter

Free Verse

Free Verse Free verse is an open form of poetry, which in its modern form arose through the French vers libre form. It does not use consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any musical pattern. It thus tends to follow the rhythm of natural speech. Definition Free verse does not “proceed by a strict set of rules … is...

Elegy Written in a Country Church-Yard, illustration by William Blake.

Elegy

Elegy In English literature, an elegy is a poem of serious reflection, usually a lament for the dead. However, “for all of its pervasiveness … the ‘elegy’ remains remarkably ill defined: sometimes used as a catch-all to denominate texts of a somber or pessimistic tone, sometimes as a marker for textual...

Children Siblings Happy Hide Play Fun cheeks

I Believe…

I Believe… I Believe is a poem about the importance of friendship. I believe- that we don’t have to change friends if we understand that friends change. I believe- that no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while and you must...

Tigers Cub Snow Trees Forest Mother And Child

When You Thought I Wasn’t Looking

When You Thought I Wasn’t Looking Mary Rita Schilke Korzan wrote When You Thought I Wasn’t Looking to her mother 24 years ago, thanking her for all she had done as a mother, friend, and role model. She gave the poem to her mother and, a few months later, offered it...

A Native American with a wolf

Two Wolves

Two Wolves The story of the Two Wolves is a popular legend of unknown origin, sometimes attributed to the Cherokee or Lenape people that is also known as “Which one do you feed“, “Grandfather Tells“, “The Wolves Within“, and “Tale Of Two Wolves“. It is a story of a grandfather using a metaphor of...

Hand Hands Ascension Community Love Together

God Saw You Getting Tired

God Saw You Getting Tired God Saw You Getting Tired was written in 1939 by Frances M. Coelho for her mother, Frances Medeiros. She took it out again on the 1st anniversary of my father’s death. I got to change 1-1/2 lines, so she wanted my name on the copyright...

Ship Sea Distress Downfall Sos Havarie Storm

Fill My Cup, Lord

Fill My Cup, Lord There are many poems called “Fill My Cup Lord“. These poems are inspired by John 4:1-30, Psalm 81:10, and Psalm 23:5 from the Bible. What Does “Fill Your Cup” mean? To fill your cup means to replenish those stores of mental, emotional, and physical energy. It means that...

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa Poems

Mother Teresa Poems We have collected and put the best Mother Teresa poems. Enjoy reading these insights and feel free to share this page on your social media to inspire others. Saint Mother Teresa, also known as Saint Teresa of Calcutta (26 August 1910  – 5 September 1997), born Anjezë Gonxha Bojaxhiu, was an Albanian-born Indian...

Bill Cash Money Benjamin Franklin Hundred 100

Benjamin Franklin Poems

Benjamin Franklin Poems We have collected and put the best Benjamin Franklin poems. Enjoy reading these insights and feel free to share this page on your social media to inspire others. Benjamin Franklin (17 January 1706 – 17 April 1790) was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A renowned polymath, Franklin was a leading...

Footprints in the sand

Footprints

Footprints “Footprints,” also known as “Footprints in the Sand,” is a popular allegorical religious poem. It describes a person who sees two pairs of footprints in the sand, one of which belonged to God and another to him or herself. At some points the two pairs of footprints dwindle to one; it is explained that this is...

Picture Book Poetry Nature Flower Meadow Dandelion

Outline Of Poetry

Outline Of Poetry This article is an outline of poetry. Poetry is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic qualities, in addition to, or instead of, its apparent meaning. The following outline is provided as an overview of and introduction to poetry: Main Articles: Poetry, Poetry From A Humble Perspective and Quotes About...

Thanksgiving Psalm 118 Bible Christian Religion

Christian Poetry

Christian Poetry Christian poetry is any poetry that contains Christian teachings, themes, or references. The influence of Christianity on poetry has been great in any area that Christianity has taken hold. Christian poems often directly reference the Bible, while others provide allegory. History of Christian poetry Poetic forms have been used by Christians since the recorded history...