Learning the Patterns of Poetry

What rules shape the sounds of a poem?

The List of Verse Forms explains the rules of poetic form through questions and answers. It begins by counting the different forms of poetry. It then examines how many lines make up a verse. The number of syllables in each line is another feature to check.

The first form explained in detail has 6 syllables, or units of sound, in each line. There are also rules for matching the sounds at the beginnings of words. Consonants must match the same consonant. With vowels, the book says that using different vowels sounds more beautiful.

Rules also govern echoes of sound within a line. One pattern matches the consonants after different vowels. Another matches the sounds from the vowel onwards. The book also explains how to compare a sword to a snake. In that image, the scabbard is the snake’s path. It says that switching midway through the poem to a different image, such as a fish, spoils the verse.

Read commentaryHide commentary