The Structure of a Poem

1. Line: A line is a single row of words in a poem. A line does not have to be a full sentence. There can be
any number of lines in a poem, and they do not all need to be the same length.

A line is a subdivision of a poem, specifically a group of words arranged into a row that ends for a reason
other than the right-hand margin. This reason could be that the lines are arranged to have a certain number
of syllables, a certain number of stresses, or of metrical feet; it could be that they are arranged so that they
rhyme, whether they be of equal length or not. But it is important to remember that the poet has chosen to
make the line a certain length, or to make the line-break at a certain point. This line-break, where a reader
has to turn back to the start of the next line, was known in Latin as the versus, which translates as "turn",
and is where the modern English term "verse" comes from. It is one of the strongest points of a line,
which means that words that fall at the end of a line seem more important to a reader (an effect that rhyme
can intensify); other strong points are the start of a line, and either side of a caesura.

Just about every poem in the Archive has lines (prose poems can be argued over - they either don't have
lines, or have really long lines). It has been suggested that a line is supposed to be the length of a breath,
so that a long line should leave you breathless, or a short line should make you feel like you're
hyperventilating. This reason may be debatable, but an alertness to the frequency of the line-endings is
part of reading poetry.

Poets will sometimes use a regular line length, which, naturally, gives a sense of regularity; they may use
different line-lengths for every line, which suggests that each line is set to be the length it is by its
content; or they may use different-length lines that occur in a repeated pattern, which has elements of
both. ('Length' can be measured in a few different ways - see 'Metre' for more on this.)

2. Line break: A line break occurs at the end of a poetic line, indicating where the reader must visually
move to the start of the next line. Line breaks may split a sentence or idea into multiple sections to change
the way a poet’s words occupy visual space on the page. Another purpose of the line break is to cause the
reader to briefly pause before moving to the next line.

A new line can begin with a lowercase or capital letter. New lines beginning with lowercase letters
vaguely correspond with the shift from earlier to later poetry.

Beginning a line with an uppercase letter when the beginning of the line does not coincide with the
beginning of a new sentence is referred to by some as "majusculation". (this is an invented term derived
from majuscule). The correct term is a coroneted verse.

3.1. Stanza: A group of lines in a poem is called a stanza. It is used to describe the main building block of
a poem. It is a unit of poetry composed of lines that relate to a similar thought or topic. pStanzas visually
group a poet’s ideas together. Stanzas are similar to paragraphs in traditional writing.

Every stanza in a poem has its own concept and serves a unique purpose. A stanza may be arranged
according to rhyming patterns and meters—the syllabic beats of a line. It can also be a free-flowing verse
that has no formal structure.
There are not many rules when it comes to stanzas in poetry. A poem can have any number of stanzas,
and each stanza can consist of any number of lines. The stanzas within a single poem can be all the same
length or many different lengths.

The stanza has also been known by terms such as batch, fit, and stave.

A stanza is a group of lines within a poem; the blank line between stanzas is known as a stanza break.
Like lines, there is no set length to a stanza or an insistence that all stanzas within a poem need be the
same length. However, there are names for stanzas of certain lengths: two-line stanzas are couplets; three-
lines, tercets; four-lines, quatrains. (Rarer terms, like sixains and quatorzains, are very rarely used.)
Whether regular or not, the visual effect and, sometimes, the aural effect is one of uniting the sense of the
stanza into one group, so poets can either let their sentences fit neatly within these groups, or create flow
and tension by enjambing across the stanza breaks.

3.2. Stanza Types:

a. Monostich: Single-line poems, powerful in their singularity.

Emily Dickinson's "Hope" or Robert Frost's "Nature's first green is gold."

b. Couplet: Two lines, often rhyming, perfect for epigrams, witticisms, or contrasting ideas.

"To err is human, to forgive, divine," by Alexander Pope, serves as a timeless example.

c. Tercet: Three lines, offering narrative flow, reflection, or vivid description.

Robert Frost's "The woods are lovely, dark and deep..." demonstrates their evocative power.

d. Quatrain: The most common stanza, offering flexibility and diverse rhyme schemes.

Think of Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" for its masterful use of the quatrain.

e. Quintain: Five lines, providing more space for developing complex ideas.

Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias" utilizes the quintain to paint a haunting picture of forgotten
grandeur.

f. Sestet: Six lines, often used for richer narratives or descriptions.

Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind" exemplifies how a sestet can be both powerful and lyrical.

g. Septet: Less common, offering unique rhythm and flow.

h. Octave: Eight lines, frequently used in sonnets and ballads, providing space for complex ideas and
emotional journeys.

Shakespeare's sonnets are iconic examples of the octave's potential.

i. Nonet or Spenserian: Nine Lines

j. Dizain: Ten-Line Poem

3.3. Stanza break: The blank line between stanzas is called a stanza break. This extra space separates one
stanza from another.

4. Form:

The artistic decision-making process that determines the specific rhyme scheme, meter, and stanza
arrangement. It can be restrictive or free-flowing, depending on your desired effect. Experimenting with
form helps poets find their voice and shape the meaning they want to convey.

Form, in poetry, can be understood as the physical structure of the poem: the length of the lines, their
rhythms, their system of rhymes and repetition. In this sense, it is normally reserved for the type of poem
where these features have been shaped into a pattern, especially a familiar pattern.

Another sense of "form" is to refer to these familiar patterns - these can be simple and open-ended forms,
such as blank verse, or can be a complex system of rhymes, rhythms and repeated lines within a fixed
number of lines, as a sonnet or villanelle is.