Meters & Rhythms

  Epics - 2 As has been seen in the previous chapter, epic poetry is a form of narrative poetry that tells the story of a hero’s journey. It is typically a long poem that tells a story of a hero's adventures, battles, and challenges. Epic poems are often used to convey cultural values and beliefs, as well as to entertain and inspire audiences. Epic poetry traditionally utilizes specific poetic meters to create a rhythmic and musical quality in the verse.   Some of the poetic meters commonly used in epic poetry are: Dactylic Hexameter : This meter consists of six feet per line, where each foot contains a long syllable followed by two short syllables e.g., "This is the | forest pri- | me-val, the | murmuring | pine and the | hem-locks", from "Evangeline" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Homeric Hexameter : Also known as the "dactylic hexameter," it is the meter used in ancient Greek epic poetry, including Homer's works. It follows the same pattern as d

  Epics Epic poetry is a form of account verse that tells the story of an adventure told by a legend. Usually, it is a long poem detailing the exploits, battles, and challenges of a hero. Epic poems are widely used to entertain, uplift, and share cultural values and ideas with audiences. The antecedents of epic poetry may be traced to outdated city centres of India, Greece, and Italy among others. The Epic of Gilgamesh, a prehistoric Mesopotamian poem that chronicles the life of Gilgamesh, the ruler of Uruk, is the first known example of an epic poem. The poem is the earliest surviving piece of literature in the world and is thought to have been composed in the early 21st century BC. The Bible, the Odyssey, and the Aeneid are just a few of the subsequent literary works that have been greatly influenced by the Epic of Gilgamesh. Epic of Gilgamesh : Gilgamesh, a strong and haughty ruler who is challenged by the gods, is the subject of the epic. In order to understand the value of friends

  Ballad A ballad is a type of narrative poem or song that tells a story, often of a romantic, sentimental or adventurous nature. The purpose of ballads is to tell a tale in a memorable fashion. Who is not familiar with the charming altruistic Robin Hood? If songs from the 14th century hadn't preserved the story of him in a ballad form, one may not have known about him. Lithe and listen, gentleman, That be of freeborn blood; I shall you tell of a good yeoman, His name was Robin Hood. (A Gest of Robyn Hode,  ed. Francis James Child). Although the term was made popular by British and Irish bards, it really comes from the mediaeval French  Chanson balladée , which means "dance songs." It is easy to hear the similarities between the rhythm and structure of this style and contemporary music. The structure of a ballad is in any length, usually written in quatrains. The meter is traditional, written in alternating lines of iambic tetrameter (eight syllables) and iambic trimeter

  Haiku Sonnets, Haiku, Ballads, Epics, Limericks, Elegy, Idyll, Narratives, Blank verse, Odes, Sestina, Rhyming couplets, Free verse, Tanka, Acrostic, Lyric, Villanelle,, Satire, Epigram, Fable, Tribal, Didactic, Pastoral, Renga, Cinquain, Prose poetry, Shape poem, Blues poetry, Luc Bat, Monoku, Clerihew, Found poem, List poem, Object poem, Imitation, Ghazal, Sher-o-Shayri and many other types of poetry are the categories of verse a hard-wired aficionado poet comes across. Every type of poetry has a distinctive structure and set of qualities, but they all share a dedication to the craft of language and a reverence for the expressive power of words. Even though it has been a part of human society for thousands of years, poetry is still a dynamic and alive art form that captivates and inspires us today for the sheer magic that the words conjure up. Let us take a look at one of the beautiful formats of poetry that has its origin in Japan, known as  Haiku , which, because of its simple fo

  Poetry: Not Everyone's Cup of Tea. (Part 1) Poetry is a literary form that employs language to elicit intense sensory experiences, communicate complicated ideas, and elicit emotional reactions through the use of skillfully chosen words, cadence, and images. It is frequently distinguished by using similes, analogies, and other symbolic languages, as well as literary techniques like alliteration, rhyme, and meter. Poetry is what a poet does. A lyricist creates poetry. Since only humans can write poetry, a poet must possess a certain set of personal qualities. This is because poetry is fundamentally an art form that seeks to explore and communicate human experiences, feelings, and viewpoints. Poets use language in an aesthetically appealing and cognitively stimulating manner to convey their thoughts, emotions, and insights. Poets are able to elicit strong emotions from their audience and communicate their thoughts and feelings in a way that is both unique and enduring through