Glossary of Poetic Terms E - O Options

[Tinker]

E - O Poetic Terms	Definitions are simplified and limited to their use within the scope of poetic study. I recommend the use of a good dictionary for more complete explanation.
E	Also see Poetic Genre and Verse Forms E
eclogue	A short custodial poem, a caring dialogue. A poetic genre.
eclogue débat	A lyrical argument between 2 persons who care for one and another. A sub genre of eclogue.
ecphrastic or ekphrastic	A poem inspired by another piece of art such as a painting or sculpture. This genre should be a lucid self contained description.
elegy	A sustained, formal verse genre composed as a lamentation or sad meditation on the occasion of a death or other solemn event.
ellipsis	Punctuation marks . . . or - - - inserted within or at the end of a line suggesting a pause or an omission.
encomium or panegyric	A poetic genre, Greek choral lyric celebrating a person's achievements.
end-rhyme	Words at the end of a line rhyming with words at the end of other lines.
end-stopped	Strong pause at the end of a line directed by punctuation.
English Verse Forms	Verse forms originating in England.
enjambment	No stop or pause at the end of a line.
epic	A long narrative verse which focuses on a single hero or heroic group and the impact that such heroes have on a historical event, mythical or real.
envelope rhyme	Rhyme enclosed or surrounded by other rhyme, such as abcba or abba or abccba.
envelope verse	Any stanza or poem that begins and ends with the same word or line. It is a devise to bring the verse full circle. The ancient Celts called it dunadh and it is a defining feature of Celtic verse.
envoi or envoy	In French or English, a half stanza at the end of a larger series of stanzas. It is meant to sum up the previous stanzas. It usually carries the same pattern as the verse form to which it is attached.
Epicedium	Lyrical verse honoring the dead. In ancient Rome this genre was meant to be sung before the corpse and was usually composed in elegiac couplets.
epigram	A short poem with a humorous twist.
epigraph	A brief quotation which precedes and establishes a theme for a poem.
Epinicion	Greek- Poetic genre, song or ode celebrating a victory in games or war.
epistle	An instructive or didactic poem written in the form of a letter.
epistrophe	Repetition of a word in a successive line.
Epithalamion or Epithalamium	An ode celebrating the wedding night and the morning after written in 3 parts.
epode	The 3rd section of a formal verse such as an ode. Usually it is a coming together of the first 2 sections, written in a different structure or frame and often shorter than the previous 2.
epyllion	Greek -(little epic or scrap of poetry) is a short narrative poem in dactylic hexameter. These poems often included a love interest. This genre was a favorite of the Hellenistic era and featured vivid descriptions and a tendency to psychoanalyze.
escondig	Occitan - a genre of verse practiced by the troubadours, expressing a lover's apology.
euphony	The harmonious sound when sounds of words connect with the connotation in a way to please the ear and mind. The opposite of cacophony.
exact rhyme	Full or true rhyme when the sounds following the initial letters of the word are identical in sound.
Exemplum	A poem giving an example, an illustrative or moralizing tale.
explication	"unfolding" an in depth analysis of a poem, examining the entire poem in explained detail.
Exquisite Corpse	A group poetry exercise. 1 person writes some words then folds the paper to hide all or part of the words, passes it to the next person who without unfolding, adds more words then folds again and passes it to another person and so on.
extended metaphor	A metaphor that goes beyond the usual word or phrase but continues throughout a stanza or poem.
eye or sight rhyme	Rhyme that has the same spelling but sound differently. e.g. laughter / daughter idea/flea
F	Also see Poetic Genres and Verse Forms F
fable	A narrative poem telling a fictional tale (often using animals as the characters) which ends with a moral.
fabliau	13th century French, the jongluers short narrative verse, most often comic, bawdy or satirical. Common subjects, cuckold husbands, bungling peasants and greedy clerics. Chaucer reinvented some of the French fabliaux in his Canterbury Tales. The genre fizzled out by the 16th century.
falling meter	Trochaic or dactylic meters in which the first syllable is accented or stressed followed by one or more unaccented or stressed syllables. Accentual syllabic Su or Suu ~ Quantitative Ls or Lss
feminine rhyme	A rhyme of 2 or more syllables in which the stress is on other than the last syllable such as moral / quarrel or healthiest / wealthiest
figurative language	Saying one thing but meaning or suggesting something else. eg. metaphor, personification, symbol, simile etc.
fixed form	Traditional verse form requiring predetermined elements of structure which can include # of lines, # of stanzas, measure of the line, rhyme etc.
foot	Unit of measure of the line, usually consisting of 2 or 3 syllables with at least 1 syllable accented.
form	The construct or framework by which the poet expresses meaning. The elements of the structure of the verse.
Fourteener	A line written in 2 parts separated by caesura. It is patterned in iambic heptameter (7) and grew to popularity in 16th century English poetry. Most often the caesura occurs sometime after the 3rd foot.
frame rhyme or para-rhyme	Consonance occurring front and back of the word. back/bike boat/bait
French Verse Forms	Verse forms originating in France.
G	Also see Poetic Genres and Verse Forms G
Galician Verse	Galician verse from the western region of what we now know as Spain was the first Hispanic lyrical poetry and dominated Hispanic literature from the 12th century to the 14th.
Genethliamcum	Poem in honor of a birth, ode or occasional verse.
genre	Generally a tradition or classification of poetry based on subject matter or style rather than on structure.
Georgian Verse	Verse originating in Georgia
Georgic	A poem using the theme of rural or farming work as opposed to Pastoral or Idyllic verse which centers on the simplicity of country life or bucolics which is a more lofty aristocratic view of country life. Modern day Georgic verse is "how to" poetry instructions for the arts and sciences.
German Verse Forms	Verse forms originating in Germany
geste	Old French-Romantic narrative verse telling of heroic exploits
Gleeman	Old English minstral who recited his own verse as well as that of troubadours.
Gnome	Short verse stating a proverbial truth.
grammatical parallelism	An independent clause presenting parallels or opposites in balance. The line employs the same grammatical elements for each side of the parallel. This pattern is often used in prose poetry. Its use dates to biblical times. Probably one of the best known example of "grammatical parallelism" is Matthew 5:3-11, commonly known as The Beatitudes, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
Greek Verse Forms	Verse forms originating in Greece
H	Also see Poetic Genres and Verse Forms H
head and tail	First and last, usually referring to the first and last word in a line.
hemistich	Half line, signaled at the end of each half by caesura.
hendecameter	11 metric feet
heptameter	7 metric feet
heroic octave	In English, a poetic unit of 8 iambic pentameter lines linked by rhyme. A Sicilian octave, Italian octave, Heroic Rispetto and the Ottava Rima are all heroic octaves.
heroic verse or meter	Named for its use in Epic poetry, in which the "deeds of brave men are narrated", Isidore of Seville NPEOPP, verse written in elevated language. In English verse written in iambic pentameter lines linked by rhyme, in French it is analexandrine lineand in Greek and Latin it is the dactylic hexameter. Heroic verse is called the staple of English poetry.
hexameter	6 metric feet
homostrophic	A poem made up of same structured stanzas created specifically for that poem.
hymn	Verse meant to be sung.
Hudibrastic	A humorous, mocking line named for the poem and character Hudibras published in England in 1663 by Samuel Butler.
hyperbole	Overstatement.
I	Also see Poetic Genre and Verse Forms I
iambic	Metric foot of an unstressed syllable followedby a stressed syllable. eg. uS - today - da DUM
identical rhyme	Perfect or same rhyme. Rhyme that is the same vowel and consonant sound of the stressed syllable.
identity rhyme	Ordinary rhyme beginning a step backward. The sounds start being matched before the last stressed vowel. All 3 sounds of the syllable are echoed in identity rhyme, as in foul/fowl as compared to ordinary rhyme growl/fowl. Identity rhyme, also called rime riche or rich rhyme is more commonly used in French prosody than in English.
image	Mental picture.
Imagism	Poetic movement founded by Ezra Pound which attempted to intensify an emotion through a precise and focused image.
imperfect rhyme	Shared similar consonant sounds but different vowel sounds as in season and raisin or sometimes only the last consonant sound such as fame and room. Also off rhyme, near rhyme, slant rhyme or consonance
implied metaphor	A metaphor when no connective or verb "to be" is used. e.g. Jenny clucked over the red headed toddlers. "clucked" implies Jenny is a mother hen.
imprecation	Poetic genre, verse requesting divine assistance against an enemy.
incantation	Poetic genre, verse meant to be chanted or sung to perform a magical purpose.
incremental refrain	When the words of a refrain change slightly each time it appears.
Indian Verse Form	Verse forms originating in India.
interlaced rhyme	A word in the middle of one line rhymes with a word in the middle of another.
internal refrain	A refrain that repeats within the stanza. The position generally remains the same from stanza to stanza.
internal rhyme	A word within a line rhymes with another word within the line whether or not it is at the end of the line.
Invented Verse Forms	Verse form whose structure has been developed recently in workshops and on-line and has been emulated by contemporary poets.
inverted refrain	A writing technique in which the syntax of the line is inverted. eg the Sapphic line - 'I know not what to do." also a verse form Inverted Refrain
invocation	A prayer in verse that calls upon a higher being.
Irish Verse Forms	Verse form originating in Ireland.
irony	A literary device in which a contradiction of meaning is hidden beneath the surface of the language used.
isometric verse	Verse in which every likne is the same length and meter.
isostrophic verse	Verse in which each strophe or stanza is the same pattern as the other strophes or stanzas.
Italian Verse Forms	Verse forms originating in Italy.
Italianate lines	Any verse that uses a combination of 7 syllable and 11 syllable lines.
J	Also see Poetic Genres and Verse Forms J
Japanese Verse Forms	Verse forms originating in Japan.
jongleur or juggler	Middle Ages Occitan minstrel who merely performed another's composition. This is to be distinguished from the troubadour who was also the composer of verse.
K	Also see Poetic Genres and Verse Forms K
kenning	Old Norse: A metaphor using 2 substitute nouns. Sea horse= ship
Korean Verse Forms	Verse forms originating in Korea.
L	Also see Poetic Genres and Verse Forms L
Latin Verse	Verse forms developed mostly by clerics in the early Christian church.
Latvian Verse Form	Verse forms originating in Latvia.
Leonine	A line written with 2 syllable rhyme midway and at the end of the line. Originally employed to rhyme at a midway caesura and line end, found in ancient Latin writing. "They took some honey and plenty of money." ---- Edward Lear, Owl and the Pussycat
light rhyme	The rhyming of a stressed syllable with an unstressed syllable, like some / ransom
Light Verse	A short poem of any verse form which is meant to be light, humorous or satirical. e.g. Limerick, Little Willie etc.
Lyrical Verse	One of the 3 directions or categories of poetry. Verse originally meant to be sung. Lyrical verse is usually written in the first person as an emotional or subjective (emphasizing the personal or individual) response to an experience. The other 2 divisions are Narrative and Dramatic Verse.
M	Also see Poetic Genre and Verse Forms M
Madrigal	A short secular verse using a combination of 2 types of rhythms in a line. It originated in 14th century Italy and is often composed around love or pastoral themes.
Malaysian Verse Form	Verse form originating in Malaysia.
Maldit	(Occitan-curse) a troubadour's song complaining about a lady's character.
Maldit-comiat	(Occitan - curse-dismissal) a popular Catalan troubadour's verse renouncing a lady or a lover but it can be taken another step to complaining about or rejecting someone other than a lady or lover, like a commander or employer.
mantra	A prayer song, but in a more complicated definition, it is a formula, comprising words and sounds which are believed to possess a magical or divine power. The mantra is meant to transpose the speaker to a spiritual union with the divine.
masculine line ending	A line that ends on a stressed syllable.
masculine rhyme	Rhyme in a 1 syllable word or on the accented last syllable of a multi syllable word.
metaphor	The transfer of meaning, explaining one thing by describing another. The transfer is direct. Love is a rose.
meter	The rhythmic measure of a poetic line.
metonymy	When something is so closely associated with another thing that its name can be substituted for the name of the other. Suit = executive
mixed metaphor	2 or more incompatible metaphors used in verse which contradict or confuse each other. e.g. He was such a tower of strength that he breezed through the battle. towers can't breeze
monody	"singing alone" An elegy meant to be sung by a single mourner.
monologue or soliloquy	Old English verse, a single person's dramatic discourse.
monometer	1 metric foot.
mono-rhyme	Verse with a single rhyme, rhyme scheme aaaa.
mote	A sentence, often written in single line, especially when the sentence is short. It expresses a complete statement or thought, used at the beginning of a poem to be expanded upon in the body of the poem.
muse	Spirit of inspiration.
N	Also see Poetic Verse Form N
Narrative Verse	The main focus of the verse is to tell a story. It is one of the 3 directions of poetry which includes Lyrical Verse and Dramatic Verse.
Nasher	A satirical couplet of wrenched rhyme, creating puns, or twisted words to create a rhyme. The lines themselves may be of any meter or not at the discretion of the poet. The couplet is named for the 20th century American poet, Ogden Nash.
near rhyme	Shared similar consonant sounds but different vowel sounds as in season and raisin or sometimes only the last consonant sound. e.g. fame/room. Same as off rhyme, imperfect rhyme, slant rhyme or consonance
nonce	A structured form unique to and developed for one specific poem.
nonometer	9 metric feet in the line.
Nonsense Verse	The words are pretty self explanatory, verse that is nonsense. e.g. Madsong or Barzaletta etc.
Norse Verse	Verse form originating in Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark.
Nursery rhyme	Rhymed verse meant for children.
O	Also see Poetic Genre and Verse Form O
obsequy	Funeral song.
Occasional Verse	Verse are written in honor of a particular event or person. Occasional poetry may be written in any structural pattern including some of the Ode patterns.
Occitan	The dominant language of southern France between 1000 A.D. and 1300. This is the language of the troubadours who had a major influence on French, Italian and Spanish verse.
octameter	8 metric feet in the line.
octave	Any poem or stanza in 8 lines.
ode	A lyrical poem that praises, exalts, elevates or favorably contemplates a subject.
off rhyme	Shared similar consonant sounds but different vowel sounds as in season and raisin or sometimes only the last consonant sound such as fame and room. Also near rhyme, imperfect rhyme, slant rhyme, or consonance.
onji	Japanese metric measure which translates "sound syllable". The onji is impossible to emulate in English so we default to the closest English equivalent, the syllable. e.g. the Japanese word for Japan is Nippon, in English we count Nip-pon, 2 syllables, the Japanese would count ni-p-po-n, 4 onji.
onomatopoeia	A word that imitates the sound associated with its meaning
Open Form	Verse that has no prerequisites in the frame or structure of the poem. Also Free Verse.
open verse	Not end-stopped.
oxymoron	Expression or consecutive words that contradict each other. eg pretty ugly / clearly confused / living dead/ alone together

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