Introduction to Verse and Poetry
Verse
Definition
Verse text is characterized by musicality and rhythm, achieved through various resources, unlike prose text.
Characteristics of Verse
Meter
Meter is the measure applied to words to organize them into verses with a consistent number of syllables. The calculation of syllables is affected by the word’s accent:
- If the verse ends with a stressed word (oxytone), add one syllable.
- If the verse ends with a proparoxytone word, subtract one syllable.
- If the verse ends with a paroxytone word, the calculation remains unchanged.
Sinalefa
If a word ends in a vowel and the next one begins with a vowel, both are pronounced as one syllable.
Hiatus
Hiatus is the opposite of sinalefa; it prevents the final vowel of a word and the initial vowel of the next from being combined into a single syllable.
Umlaut
Umlaut is the separation of a diphthong into two separate syllables.
Syneresis
Syneresis is the opposite of umlaut; it involves combining two vowels into a single syllable that does not form a diphthong.
Types of Lines
Minor Art
- Two syllables: Bisyllabic
- Three syllables: Trisyllabic
- Four syllables: Tetrasyllabic
- Five syllables: Pentasyllabic
- Six syllables: Hexasyllabic
- Seven syllables: Heptasyllabic
- Eight syllables: Octosyllabic
Major Art
- Nine syllables: Eneasyllabic
- Ten syllables: Decasyllabic
- Eleven syllables: Heroic verse (Hendecasyllable)
- Twelve syllables: Dodecasyllabic
- Thirteen syllables: Tridecasyllabic
- Fourteen syllables: Alexandrine
Verses with twelve or more syllables are considered compound verses, consisting of two simple verses (hemistiches) separated by a short pause (caesura).
Rhyme
Rhyme is the repetition of ending sounds in each verse, starting from the last stressed vowel. It can be assonance or consonant rhyme.
Assonance
If only the vowel sounds are repeated from the last stressed vowel, it is assonance.
Consonant Rhyme
If both vowel and consonant sounds are repeated from the last stressed vowel, it is consonant rhyme.
Special Cases
- In a diphthong, the weak vowel (i, u) does not count for rhyme.
- The middle vowel does not count when the last word is proparoxytone.
Stanza
A stanza is a set of verses with a fixed pattern of rhymes (assonance or consonant).
Two-Line Stanzas
Detached Verse
Two major art lines, usually with consonant rhyme, but assonance is also possible.
Three-Line Stanzas
Tercets
Three-line stanzas (triplets) linked together in a series, where the second line of each triplet rhymes with the first and third of the next.
Soleá
A stanza of at least three lines of minor art, where the first line rhymes in assonance with the third. It is a popular Andalusian form.
Four-Line Stanzas
Quartet
Four lines of major art, often heroic verse, with consonant rhyme following the ABBA pattern.
Redondilla
Similar structure to the quartet, but with minor art verses.
Serventesio
Four lines of major art, with ABAB rhyme.
Quatrain
Same structure as the serventesio, but with minor art verses.
Cuaderna Vía
Four lines of fourteen syllables, divided by a caesura into two hemistiches, with the same rhyme.
Seguidilla
Four verses where the odd lines have seven syllables and the even lines have five. Even verses rhyme, and assonance is free in the odd verses. It is a popular form.
Copla
Four lines of at least eight syllables, often with rhyming pairs in assonance. It is also a popular form.
Five-Line Stanzas
Limerick
Five lines of at least minor art with a combination of free and rhyming lines, following these rules:
- No more than two consecutive lines rhyme.
- The last two lines do not form a couplet.
- No verse is left without a rhyming counterpart.
Quintet
Similar to the Limerick, but with major art lines.
Lira
A stanza of Italian origin, introduced to Spanish literature by Garcilaso de la Vega. The first, third, and fourth lines are heptasyllabic, and the second and fifth are hendecasyllabic. There is a consonant rhyme between the first and third lines, and between the second and fifth.
Six-Line Stanzas
Sextet
Six lines of major art with rhyme, usually a serventesio followed by a couplet or a quatrain. When using minor art, it is called a sextuplet.
Copla de Pie Quebrado (Manriqueña)
Six verses where the first, second, fourth, and fifth are octosyllabic, and the third and sixth are tetrasyllabic. Consonant rhyme in the first and fourth, the second and fifth, and the third and sixth.
Eight-Line Stanzas
Octava Real
Eight lines of heroic verse with consonant rhyme. The first line rhymes with the third and fifth, the second with the fourth and sixth, and the seventh with the eighth.
Copla de Arte Mayor
Eight verses with the rhyme scheme ABABBCCB or ABBAACCA, usually in twelve-syllable verses divided into two hemistiches of six syllables.
Ten-Line Stanzas
Décima (Espinela)
Ten lines of at least minor art with consonant rhyme, following the scheme abbaaccddc.
Strophic Poems
Definition
Poems composed of a fixed set of verses.
Sonnet
Fourteen hendecasyllabic lines with consonant rhyme, distributed in two quatrains and two tercets. The rhymes of the tercets are free. Variations include modernist sonnets with altered quatrain rhymes or serventesios. Some sonnets may also include a “bizarre,” an extra verse or series of lines added to the fixed structure.
Strophic Poem with Indefinite Verses
Definition
Poems consisting of an indefinite succession of verses grouped into stanzas.
Silva
An indefinite series of heroic and heptasyllabic verses arranged freely by the poet, usually with free consonant rhyme.
Romance
An indefinite series of octosyllabic verses with assonance rhyme in pairs and free verse in odd lines. Romances originated from epic poems, where 16-syllable lines were divided into two hemistiches with a single assonance rhyme. Romances composed of heptasyllabic lines are called “romance,” those composed of hexasyllabic lines are called “romancillo,” and those composed of hendecasyllabic lines are called “heroic romance.”