In
poetry
Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
, a stanza (; from
Italian ''stanza'', ; ) is a group of
lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or
indentation. Stanzas can have regular
rhyme
A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds (usually the exact same phonemes) in the final Stress (linguistics), stressed syllables and any following syllables of two or more words. Most often, this kind of rhyming (''perfect rhyming'') is consciou ...
and
metrical schemes, but they are not required to have either. There are many different
forms of stanzas. Some stanzaic forms are simple, such as four-line
quatrains. Other forms are more complex, such as the
Spenserian stanza.
Fixed verse poems, such as
sestina
A sestina (, from ''sesto'', sixth; Old Occitan: ''cledisat'' ; also known as ''sestine'', ''sextine'', ''sextain'') is a fixed verse, fixed verse form consisting of six stanzas of six lines each, normally followed by a three-line envoi. The wor ...
s, can be defined by the number and form of their stanzas.
The stanza has also been known by terms such as ''batch'', ''fit'', and ''stave''.
The term ''stanza'' has a similar meaning to ''
strophe
A strophe () is a poetic term originally referring to the first part of the ode in Ancient Greek tragedy, followed by the antistrophe and epode. The term has been extended to also mean a structural division of a poem containing stanzas of var ...
'', though ''strophe'' sometimes refers to an irregular set of lines, as opposed to regular, rhymed stanzas.
Even though the term "stanza" is taken from Italian, in the Italian language the word "strofa" is more commonly used.
In music, groups of lines are typically referred to as ''
verses''. The stanza in poetry is analogous with the
paragraph
A paragraph () is a self-contained unit of discourse in writing dealing with a particular point or idea. Though not required by the orthographic conventions of any language with a writing system, paragraphs are a conventional means of organizing ...
in
prose
Prose is language that follows the natural flow or rhythm of speech, ordinary grammatical structures, or, in writing, typical conventions and formatting. Thus, prose ranges from informal speaking to formal academic writing. Prose differs most n ...
: related thoughts are grouped into units.
Example 1
This short poem by
Emily Dickinson has two stanzas of four lines each:
I had no time to hate, because
The grave would hinder me,
And life was not so ample I
Could finish enmity.
Nor had I time to love; but since
Some industry must be,
The little toil of love, I thought,
was large enough for me.
Example 2
This poem by
Andrew John Young has three stanzas of six lines each:
Frost called to the water Halt
And crusted the moist snow with sparkling salt;
Brooks, their one bridges, stop,
And icicles in long stalactites drop.
And tench in water-holes
Lurk under gluey glass-like fish in bowls.
In the hard-rutted lane
At every footstep breaks a brittle pane,
And tinkling trees ice-bound,
Changed into weeping willows, sweep the ground;
Dead boughs take root in ponds
And ferns on windows shoot their ghostly fronds.
But vainly the fierce frost
Interns poor fish, ranks trees in an armed host,
Hangs daggers from house-eaves
And on the windows ferny am bush weaves;
In the long war grown warmer
The sun will strike him dead and strip his armour.
References
External links
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{{Poetic forms
Poetic forms
Stanzaic form