Poetry

Some Definitions of Poetry

• Poetry is a rhythmical creation of beauty. - Edgar Allan Poe

• Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it

takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility: the
emotion is contemplated till, by a species of reaction, the
tranquility gradually disappears, and an emotion, kindred to
that which was the subject of contemplation, is gradually
produced, and does itself actually exist in the mind. -
William Wordsworth
• Poetry is the thoughts that breathe, and the words
that burn
- Thomas Gray
• Poetry is the art of uniting pleasure with truth.
-Samuel Johnson
• Poetry is the mirror which makes beautiful that which
is distorted.
- Percy Bysshe Shelly
• Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and
the thought has found words. -Robert Frost
Three Types of Poetry
a. Narrative poetry
- this form describes important events in life either real or imaginary.
b. Lyric Poetry
- originally, this refers to that kind of poetry meant to be sung to the
accompaniment of a lyre, but now, this applies to any type of poetry that
expresses emotions and feelings of the poet. They are usually short, simple
and easy to understand.
c. Dramatic Poetry
- like narrative poetry, tells stories. But in dramatic poetry, the poet lets
one or more of the story’s characters act out the story. Many plays are
written as dramatic poetry is a matter of degree. If the dialogue of a play
rhymes, has repeating rhythms, or features of other distinct poetic
elements, the play is considered to be dramatic poetry.
Types of Narrative Poetry
1. Epic. This is an extended narrative about heroic
exploits often under supernatural control. It
may deal with heroes and gods.
Two Kinds of epic poetry:
a. The ancient or popular epic is often without a
definite author and is of slow growth;
b. the modern is with a definite author.
Example of an ancient Philippine epic:
The Harvest Song Of Aliguyon (an excerpt)
(Translated in English verse by Amador T. Daguio)

Aliguyon introduced himself –

“My name id Aliguyon, son of Amtalao, of Hannaga.
I came to renew the hostility between
your father and mine,”
Pumbakhayon nodded and said,
“as you will
 Meet me on the stone floor of the granary
But I will first go home to eat.
For your coming, Aliguyon, is unexpected.”
Pumbakhayon turned to the village to do
What was to be done in Daligdigan,
He caught one of their roosters,
And shouted, “ Come, comrades of our village,
Do what is to be done for you are called;
Our enemies are on the embankments,
Let us fight
Aliguyon, son of Amtalao,”
(Like Aliguyon, Pumbakhayon goes through the ritual of the
rooster and the invocation to the spirits and seeing a good
sign, gathers his men and sets forth to meet his opponent.)
Metrical tale
- This is a narrative which is written in verse and can be
classified either as a ballad or a metrical romance.
- Examples of these are simple idylls or home tales, love tales,
tales of the supernatural or tales written for a strong moral
purpose in verse form.
Ballads
• Of the narrative poems, this is considered the shortest and
simplest. It has a simple structure and tells of a single
incident
Lyrical Poetry
• Originally, this refers to that kind of poetry meant to be sung
to the accompaniment of a lyre, but now, this applies to any
type of poetry that expresses emotions and feelings of the
poet. They are usually short, simple and easy to understand.
Three types of poetry
a. Folksongs (Awiting Bayan). These are short poems
intended t be sung. The common theme is love, despair,
grief, doubt, joy, hope and sorrow.
b. Sonnets. This is a lyric poem of 14 lines dealing with an
emotion, a feeling, or an idea. These are two types: Italian
and the Shakespearean
c. Elegy: This is a lyric poem which expresses feelings of grief
and melancholy, and whose theme is death.
d. Psalms. (Dalit) This is a song praising God or the Virgin Mary
and containing a philosophy of life.
O Mariang sakdal dilag
Dalagang lubhang mapalad
Tanging piniili sa lahat
Ng Diyos Haring Mataas.
 Itong bulaklak na alay
Ng aming pagsintang tunay
Palitan mo Birheng Mahal
Ng tuwa sa kalangitan.

Halina’t tayo’y mag-alay

Ng bulaklak kay Maria
Halina’t magsilapit
Dine sa Birheng marikit
 Ng inang kaibig – ibig
Dakilang Reyna sa langit
Na ampuni’t saklolohan
Tayong mga anak niya.
e. Awit.(song). These have measures of twelve syllables
(dodecasyllabic) and slowly sung to the accompaniment of a
guitar or banduria.
An example of the awit is FLORANTE AT LAURA by Francisco
Balagtas.

f. Corridos. (Kuridos). These have measures of eight syllables

(octosyllabic) and recited to a martial beat.
An example of the corridor is IBONG ADARNA.
Dramatic Poetry
• Like narrative poetry, tells stories. But in dramatic
poetry, the poet lets one or more of the story’s
characters act out the story. Many plays are
written as dramatic poetry. The difference drama
and dramatic poetry is a matter of degree. If the
dialogue of a play rhymes, has repeating rhythms,
or features of other distinct poetic elements, the
play is considered to be dramatic.
Types of dramatic Poetry

a. Dramatic Monologue is a combination of the

words dramatic and monologue. The
“dramatic” says that it could be acted out, and
is a form of drama, while the “monologue”
defines it as a speech that one person makes,
either to himself or to another. It is written to
reveal both the situation at hand and the
character himself.
b. Soliloquy is a long speech in which a character who is
alone on a stage expresses his or her private thoughts or
feelings. It is intended to give the illusion of unspoken
reflections.
c. Melodrama. This is usually used in musical plays with
the opera. Today, this is related to tragedy just as farce is to
comedy. It arouses immediate and intense emotion and is
usually sad but there is a happy ending for the principal
character.
D. Comedy. The word comedy comes from the Greek term
“Komos” meaning festivity r revelry. This form usually is light
and written with the purpose of amusing, and usually has a
happy ending.
E. Tragedy- this involves the hero struggling mightily against
dynamic forces; he meets death or ruin without success and
satisfaction obtained by the protagonist in a comedy.
f. Farce. This is an exaggerated comedy. It seeks to arouse
mirth by laughable lines; situations are too ridiculous to be
true; the characters seem to be caricatures and the motives
undignified and absurd.