Poetry terms

Poetry Terms and Definitions

Pastoral

• Definition: A poem about nature, often idealizing rural life and landscapes.

Carpe Diem

• Definition: Latin phrase meaning "seize the day"; used to urge someone to make the most of the present moment and not to worry excessively about the future.

Quatrain

• Definition: A stanza consisting of four lines, often with a specific rhyme scheme.

Allusion

• Definition: A reference to a well-known person, place, event, or thing, either directly or indirectly.

Apostrophe

• Definition: A literary device where the speaker directly addresses a person or entity that is not present, or an idea or object that cannot respond.

Connotation

• Definition: The implied or suggested meaning of a word or phrase, distinct from its literal definition.

Shakespearean Sonnet

• Definition: Also known as the Elizabethan sonnet; a poetic form consisting of 14 lines, typically in iambic pentameter, following a specific rhyme scheme.

Couplet

• Definition: A pair of consecutive lines of verse that usually rhyme and have the same meter, forming a complete thought.

Epitaph

• Definition: A phrase or statement written in memory of a deceased person, often inscribed on a tombstone.

Proverb

• Definition: A short, pithy saying that encapsulates a general truth or piece of advice, often used in everyday language.

Haiku

• Definition: A traditional Japanese poem consisting of 17 syllables arranged in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables, typically evoking images of nature.

Oxymoron

• Definition: A figure of speech in which seemingly contradictory terms are combined to create a paradoxical effect.