Among the most common forms of poetry, the most famous is the sonnet which was adopted and personalised by William Shakespeare; its form is developed in another course.
An epic poem is a lengthy, narrative work of poetry which describes extraordinary adventures of characters from the past. The word “epic” comes from the ancient Greek term “epos”, which means “story, word, poem.” It is written in a formal style and it contains third-person narration and an omniscient narrator.
A pastoral poem, whatever its form, focuses on idyllic country life. It originated in the Greek period. The poet Theocritus wrote about shepherds living rich and fulfilled lives in rural settings as in a bucolic utopia. As a whole, rural life is seen as superior to urban life but it doesn’t focus on reality.
An ode is a short lyric poem written as a tribute to praise someone’s quality, or even an idea or an event. It expresses strong emotions and uses rich descriptive language. Its structure is divided into three stanzas: the strophe, the anti-strophe and the epode.
A ballad is a melodious form of storytelling, it can be poetic or musical. Its form varies according to its topic but it is usually made up of a pattern of rhymed quatrains following the scheme ABCB.
A limerick is a short five-line poem with the following rhyme scheme: AABBA. Its subject consists in a short tale or description. Its topics are generally trivial and are aimed at having fun, yet some can be rather crude in tone. Edward Lear (1812-1888) is a famous composer of limericks; he published A book of Nonsense in 1848.
An elegy is a poem of lament for someone’s death or a poem of meditation about death and the passing of time. Its main themes are loss, mourning and reflection. It dates back to an ancient Greek tradition. The English poets of the Renaissance revived this type of poetry.
As for lyric poetry, it deals with feelings and emotions and opposes epic and dramatic poetry.
Lengthy : long
A shepherd : un berger
Fulfilled : rempli, épanoui
A tribute : un hommage
Crude : cru, grossier
Mourning : le deuil
