TYPES OF POETRY

TYPES OF POETRY

1. BALLAD

Ballad is a poem that tells a story similar to a folk tale or legend which often has repeated lines. It is often sung or recited.

• COUPLET

This type of poem is usually two lines which may or may not have a rhyme scheme.

• ELEGY

Elegy is a sad and thoughtful poem about the death of an individual; a poem of lamentation.

• DIRGE

It is a mournful poem or a piece of music usually sung or chanted as a memorial to a dead person.

• LYRIC

Lyric is a poem that expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet usually sung. Many songs are written using this type of writing.

• NARRATIVE

Narrative poem is a type of poem that tells a story.

• EPIC

Epic is a long narrative poem, a serious poem that tells the story about a heroic figure. It celebrates the feats of a deity or demigod or other legendary or traditional hero.

• EPIGRAM

This type of poem is a short, ironic, witty poem usually written as a brief couplet or quatrain.

• EPITAPH

It is a commemorative inscription on a tomb or gravestone written to praise the deceased.

1. LULLABY

This is a type of poem that soothes children and lulls them to sleep. It is also known as cradle song.

1. QUATRAIN

Quatrain is a stanza or poem consisting of four lines. Lines 2 and 4 must rhyme while having a similar number of syllables.

1. SONNET

Sonnet is a lyrical poem that consists of fourteen lines which usually have one or more rhyme schemes. 

ASSIGNMENT

1. Explain the meaning of Poetry.
2. Explain at least five types of Poetry.