CHINESE
POETRY
Poetry
in China became widely popular during the Tang Dynasty.
In fact, poetry composition was even added to the Civil Service
Examination during the Tang Dynasty. The poetry of this era is called Shih
poetry and was the dominant Chinese poetic form from the second through the
twelfth centuries A.D. The main formal characteristics of Shih poetry are:
1)
There are an even number of lines
2)
Each line has the same number of words (in most cases 5 or 7)
3)
Rhymes occur at the end of even numbered lines
4)
The use parallelism—or couplets* that are similar in structure or meaning
In
Chinese, Shih poems have the same number of characters and syllables per
line. In the original Chinese form, Chinese poems were written with characters
that each represented just one word. Chinese poetry is open to wide ranging
interpretations because of the unique grammatical structure of the Chinese
language. In classical Chinese, there are no indications of pronoun gender or
verb tenses, and connecting words and even the subjects of sentences are
omitted. So when connecting the symbolic meaning of the characters, there is a
lot of room for interpretation.
Traits
of Chinese Poetry
Poetry
Hints:
A
couplet is two lines of a poem
( Information
from World Literature, Holt Rinhart and Winston, 1993)
Poetry
Terms
(Adapted from Sound and Sense by Perrine and
Arp)
Types
of Poems
Allegory:
A narrative or description having a second meaning beneath the first one.
Ballad:
A relatively short poem that tells a story.
(Folk ballads are meant to be sung; literary ballads are meant to be
read.)
Dramatic
Monologue: A type of poem in
which the speaker addresses a listener who does not answer. The speaker usually discusses a crucial problem in his/her
life.
Elegy:
A poem mourning the death of an individual, usually talking about the
difficulties of life in general.
Ode:
A lyric poem has a lofty and dignified subject and style of speaking.
Sonnet:
A lyric poem of 14 lines, usually written in iambic pentameter.
Sonnets have two different types of rhyme schemes: Shakespearean or
Italian.
Structure
of Poems
Blank
Verse:
Unrhymed poetry where each line has ten syllables and every other
syllable is stressed. Usually blank
verse is written in iambic pentameter.
Couplet:
Two successive line of poetry, usually rhymed, which for a unit of verse.
Free
Verse:
A type of poetry written with no orderly rhythm or meter.
Meter:
An organized rhythmic pattern created by the repetition of the same foot
throughout the poem.
Refrain:
A repeated word, phrase, line or group of lines, that usually appears in
the poem at fixed positions.
Rhyme
Scheme:
A fixed pattern of rhymes used in a stanza or an entire poem.
Rhythm:
The repetition of stressed and unstressed syllables in a regular and
organized manner. When a pattern of
rhythm is perfectly organized, we call it meter.
The
Sound of Language in Poems
Alliteration:
The repetition of sounds (usually consonant sounds) at the beginning of
words in the same lime or in successive lines.
Assonance:
The repetition of vowel sounds followed by different consonants.
These may appear in the same lines or in successive lines.
Consonance:
The repetition of final consonant sounds or strong consonant sounds in
words close together in a poem.
Onomatopoeia:
The use of words that imitate natural sounds (“bang”)
Rhyme:
The repetition of two words reasonably close to one another in sound.
Usually the last vowel and last consonant sounds are the same.
Ways
of Speaking in Poems
Apostrophe:
The direct address to a deceased or absent person as if he/she were
alive, or to an animal or thing as if it were able to understand the speaker.
(often used with personification).
Figurative
Language: Language
that is not meant to be taken literally. This
includes things such as metaphors, similes, hyperbole,
Imagery:
The use of words or phrases that bring a picture to a
reader’s mind; usually they appeal to the five senses.
Irony:
Contrast between what appears to be and what really is.
Verbal
Irony: The actual meaning of a
statement is different from or the opposite of, what the statement says.
Situational
Irony:
Refers to an occurrence that is contrary to what is expected or intended.
Dramatic
Irony:
A situation when facts are not known to the character but are known to
another character or the reader.
Metaphor:
A comparison made between two unlike things to show a hidden connection
between them.
Personification:
Giving human attributes to an animal, object or idea.
Simile:
A comparison of two unlike things using the words “like” or “as”
to show a deeper connection between them. (Less
powerful than a metaphor)
Symbol:
Use of something (person, object, situation, and action) to mean more
than what it is. It can be read
literally or metaphorically
