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What are the different types of poems and examples?
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Learn about the commonest and most important types of poem, such as lyric, sonnet, blank verse, free verse, and more. See examples of each poem type and how they vary in form, structure, and content.
Aug 4, 2014 · Learn about different types of poems and poetry with this list of 168 poetic forms, from abstract to zejel. Each form has a brief description and a link to more details and examples.
- Lyric Poetry. Unlike narrative poetry that tells a story, lyric poetry is more focused on capturing a particular mood, moment, or sentiment. It is a genre of poetry that expresses personal emotions, thoughts, and observations.
- Narrative Poetry. Narrative poetry is a genre of poetry that tells a story or recounts a sequence of events. It uses poetic language and techniques to convey a plot, characters, and a sense of progression.
- Pastoral Poetry. Pastoral poetry is a genre that idealizes rural life and the beauty of nature. It depicts a romanticized and peaceful natural setting, often populated by shepherds, shepherdesses, and other pastoral figures.
- Dramatic Poetry. Dramatic poetry is a genre that mimics the conventions of theater or dramatic performance through dialogue or monologue. It is driven either by monologues or by dialogue between characters, providing insights into their thoughts, feelings, and interactions.
- 12 Different Types of Poems
- Sonnet
- Villanelle
- Haiku
- Ekphrastic Poems
- Concrete Poems
- Elegy
- Epigram
- Limerick
- Ballad
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Below is a list of some of the most common types of poetry, their main characteristics, and famous examples of each. You may prefer to read certain types of poems, while for other types you may enjoy writing your own! Familiarize yourself with these different styles and see if any spark your imagination.
Sonnets are practically synonymous with Shakespeare, but there are actually two different kinds of this famous poetic form. Having originated in 13thcentury Italy, the sonnet usually deals with love and has two common forms: the Petrarchan (named for its famous practitioner, the poet Petrarch) and the Shakespearean (also known as the English sonnet...
Villanelles have even more specific rules than sonnets. Luckily, many of the lines are repetitions, but this means you’ll have to take care to make those lines meaningful.
You might remember writing a few of these back in grade school, because not only are these poems short, but they can be very fun to write. The haiku originated in 17thcentury Japan. Although they usually refer to nature, the only real rule applies to the number of syllables in each line, so you can let your imagination run wild with this one.
Ekphrastic poems don’t really have specific rules, but they do speak of another work of art. Ekphrasis comes from the Greek word for “description,” and that’s exactly what this poem should do: vividly describe a painting, statue, photograph, or story. One famous example is found in the Iliad, where Homer refers to Achilles’ shield.
Concrete poetry is designed to take a particular shape or form on the page. Poets can manipulate spacing or layout to emphasize a theme or important element in the text, or sometimes they can take the literal shape of their subjects.
The elegy is another type of poem that lacks particular rules, but it usually is written in mourning following a death. They can be written for a particular person, or treat the subject of loss more generally.
Epigrams are short, witty, and often satirical poems that usually take the form of a couplet or quatrain (2-4 lines in length).
Limericks are humorous poems that have a more distinct rhythm. Their subject matter is sometimes crude, but always designed to offer laughs.
Ballads usually take a narrative form to tell us stories. They are often arranged in quatrains, but the form is loose enough that writers can easily modify it.
Learn the characteristics and rules of different types of poems, from sonnets and villanelles to haiku and concrete poetry. See examples of famous poets and how to write your own poems in various styles.
- Sonnet. The invention of the sonnet is first accredited to the thirteenth-century Sicilian poet Giacomo da Lentini, who crafted the form as an ideal way of expressing ‘courtly love’.
- Ode. Ever get so excited about that new book you’ve been waiting to get your hands on, or that new game with amazing graphics, that you just want to tell everyone about it?
- Ballad. While most modern readers may be more familiar with 80s power ballads than the works of middle-English poets — poetry, culture, and music as we know it today will owe a lot to this form.
- Elegy. An elegy is a mournful poetic form, the origins of which can be traced back to a combination of Ancient Greek poetics and Old English scriptures from the 11th Century, written to lament a death.
Let’s explore some of the different types of poems you might come across, including rhymed poetry and free verse poetry, and how experimenting with a poem’s structure can make you a better poet. Why do the different forms of poetry matter?
See the top 10 types of poems and learn about popular forms of poetry like acrostic, haiku, lyric, narrative, and rhyme and more. Learn rhyme schemes, structure, form, stanzas, style, rhythm, and meter, etc. for all forms of poetry.
