Lyric Poem, Sonnet, Ode, Elegy & Ballad
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Lyric Poem
A lyric poem is any fairly short poem uttered by a single speaker, who expresses a state of mind or a process of thought or feeling. Originally, the lyric was used to be sung to the accompaniment of a lyre.
The chief quality of a lyric poem is its emotional intensity. It is a cry from the heart of joy, sorrow, surprise etc. As powerful feelings are of short duration, the lyric is short. It is in fact, the purest form of poetry.
The lyric is usually personal i.e. the poet expresses his own feelings in it. In beauty & variety of music, English lyric poetry is supreme. Generally speaking, the lyric poem has three parts-
- In the first part, the theme is introduced.
- In the second part, the theme is enlarged.
- In the third part, the theme reaches its climax.
Spontaneity is an important quality of a lyric poem. The poet sings effortlessly because of an inner urge for self-expression.
Characteristics
- It expresses personal & emotional feelings or thoughts.
- It doesn't tell a story.
- It has song-like qualities.
- It is usually short.
- In olden days, it was sung with a lyre.
- It always uses first person's point of view.
Types
There are many different types of the lyric poem. A few examples are:
- Lovesong
- Patriotic song
- Hymn
- Elegy (a mournful poem)
- Ode (addressed to a person, thing etc.)
- Sonnet (a special 14-line poem)
Sonnet
A sonnet is a 14-line poem that is written in iambic pentameter. The term "Iambic" refers to the type of foot or unit of rhythm which in this case is composed of a weaker syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
"Pentameter" refers to the number of feet in a line, which in case of the sonnet is five. Therefore each line in iambic pentameter consists of five 2-syllabled units of rhythm-essentially "Da dum da dum da dum da dum da dum" in most cases "da" being the weaker syllable & "dum" being the stressed syllable.
Types of Sonnet
Italian Sonnets
Italian sonnets are commonly known as Petrarchan sonnets, after the name of 14th-century Italian poet Petrarca who was also known as Petrarch.
A Petrarchan sonnet consists of an 8-line stanza called an "octave", followed by a 6-line stanza called as "sestet".
This type of sonnet is constructed with a change of thought between the octave & the sestet. E.g. the octave might tell of conflict & sestet telling of the solution.
The rhyme scheme of a Petrarchan sonnet is always abbaabba. The rhyme scheme of sestet may vary but the final two lines do not rhyme.
Shakespearean Sonnet
English sonnets are usually called Shakespearean sonnets, by famous poet & playwright, William Shakespeare. He wrote about 154 sonnets.
This type of sonnet has three 4-lined stanzas called "quatrains" followed by a 2-line stanza called a "couplet". This is the English Sonnet Structure.
The rhyming scheme is abab cdcd efef gg. Each stanza introduces a separate idea but is linked to other stanzas. The turn often comes between the final quatrain & the couplet.
Spenserian Sonnet
Named after 16th century English poet Spenser. Spenserian sonnets are variations of Shakespearean sonnets that contain three quatrains followed by a couplet. Spenserian sonnets, however, in their rhyming scheme, interconnect the sounds of consecutive quatrains: abab bcbc cdcd ee.
Ode Poem
The word "Ode" comes from the Greek word "aeidein" meaning "to sing" or "chant". An Ode is a lyric poem in praise of something or someone.
Originally it was accompanied by music & dance but later it was reserved by the Romantic Poets to express their sentiments. An ode can be serious or humorous but in all instances, it is thoughtful.
Poet explores the important aspects of the thing being praised or makes keen observations about the person. Ode is almost always in rhyme & longer than lyric's proper.
Characteristics
- Relatively speaking, an ode is the longest of all lyric forms.
- The poet apostrophizes a person or a thing. Ode is always in the form of an address to an absent person or thing.
- The ode always expresses lofty & noble sentiments.
- The tone of the ode is always formal. The style is very elevated.
- It has a very elaborate & complex stanzaic structure.
Types of Ode
Historically there are following three types of odes-
- PINDARIC ODES:- Pindar, an ancient Greek poet invented the ode. His poems were originally set to music & they followed a strict format. A poem written in this format is called a "Pindaric Ode". Pindaric odes have three sections, the strophe, the anti-strophe & the epode. These sections are made up of stanzas with the same rhythm & rhyme pattern.
- HORATIAN ODES:- Classical Roman odes are called Horatian odes. This type of ode is named after the poet Horace. These are often more intimate & personal than Pindaric Odes. Whereas Pindaric odes were written in the praise of people, places or events, Horatian odes are written in praise of a friend.
- IRREGULAR ODES:- In general, irregular odes are synonymous with English odes. Poets in England developed the irregular ode in the 17th century. These English odes combine the Pindaric & Horatian form, along with the new innovations. This type of poem is more emotional & personal than its predecessors.
Elegy
The word "elegy" comes from the Greek word "elegos" meaning "song". An elegy is a mournful poem about the death of a person or more rarely a group. Elegy can also express a feeling of loss in a broader sense, such as for a way of life or reflection of human morality.
Characteristics
- It is a type of lyric & focuses on expressing emotions or thoughts.
- It uses formal language & structure.
- It may mourn the passing of life & beauty or someone dear to the speaker.
- It may explore questions about nature of life & death or immorality of soul.
- It may express the speaker's anger about death.
An elegy is not same as a "eulogy" which is a statement written in prose that is read aloud at a funeral, although an elegy might serve as a eulogy. Three elements are found in a traditional elegy-
- Firstly, it begins with mourn, a grief at the loss of something or someone.
- In the second stage, the poet shows admiration, listing qualities & impressive deeds in the person's lifetime.
- The poem then moves to the third stage of consolidation. This last element may be more religious.
The Ballad
The word "Ballad" has been derived from the French word "Ballare" meaning "to dance". Fundamentally, “a ballad is a poem that tells a fairly simple story” (narrative). Thus a story is what a ballad trying to convey Ballads are often used in songs & have a musical quality in them.
How Many Stanzas in a Ballad?
Ballad Stanza, the most famous type of ballad has four stanzas. The basic form of the ballad is iambic heptameter (seven sets of unstressed & stressed syllables per line), in sets of four with the second & fourth line rhyming. The rhyme scheme of the ballad is usually abab or aabb.
13 Characteristics of a Ballad
- It is a song that tells a story.
- The beginning is often surprising.
- Its language is simple.
- It concentrates on a single episode.
- The theme is often tragic & sad.
- The story is told through dialogue & action.
- It lacks specific detail.
- It has a surprising ending.
- It includes some sort of repeated lines.
- It has rarely moral.
- It has 4-line stanzas, the first & third lines have four stresses & fourth line has three stresses.
- It has an orientation, complication & resolution.
- It can have a question & answer format. One stanza presents the question & the next stanza answers the question.
