Stanza - Wikipedia Stanza From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search This article is about the term in poetry. For other uses, see Stanza (disambiguation). Look up stanza in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. In poetry, a stanza (/ˈstænzə/; from Italian stanza [ˈstantsa], "room") is a grouped set of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or indentation.[1] Stanzas can have regular rhyme and metrical schemes, though stanzas are not strictly required to have either. There are many unique 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 sestinas, can be defined by the number and form of their stanzas. The term stanza is similar to strophe, though strophe sometimes refers to an irregular set of lines, as opposed to regular, rhymed stanzas.[2] The stanza in poetry is analogous with the paragraph that is seen in prose; related thoughts are grouped into units.[3] The stanza has also been known by terms such as batch, fit, and stave.[4] Even though the term "stanza" is taken from Italian, in the Italian language the word "strofa" is more commonly used.[citation needed] In music, groups of lines are typically referred to as verses. Contents 1 Example I 2 Example II 3 References 4 External links Example I[edit] 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.[5] Example II[edit] 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.[6] References[edit] ^ The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. Murfin & Ray pg. 455 ^ The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. Murfin & Ray pg. 457 ^ Literature Reading, Writing, Reacting. Kirszner & Mandell Ch. 18, pg. 716. ^ Cuddon, J.A. A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. ISBN 9781444333275. ^ Dickinson, Emily. "Poems: Three Series, Complete". Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 27 October 2013. ^ "poem: Hard Frost". Retrieved 8 April 2018. External links[edit] Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Stanza" . Encyclopædia Britannica. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 784. v t e Poetic forms Stanzas Alcaic stanza Ballad stanza Biolet Burns stanza Chaubola Cinquain Couplet Ghazal Quatorzain Quatrain Quintain Sapphic stanza Sestain Sestet Sonnet Tercet Triolet Terza rima Verse paragraph Villanelle Rhymes Alliteration Assonance Broken rhyme Consonance Cross rhyme Forced/Oblique Half rhyme Holorime Imperfect/Near Internal rhyme Off-centered rhyme Monorhyme Pararhyme Perfect rhyme Rhyme scheme Semirhyme Syllabic Tail rhyme Weak/Unaccented Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stanza&oldid=1003417258" Categories: Poetic form Stanzaic form Hidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from October 2019 Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Namespaces Article Talk Variants Views Read Edit View history More Search Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item Print/export Download as PDF Printable version Languages Беларуская Беларуская (тарашкевіца)‎ Català Čeština Cymraeg Ελληνικά Español فارسی Français Galego 贛語 Hrvatski Ido Bahasa Indonesia Interlingua Italiano עברית Latina Nederlands 日本語 Português Română Русский Simple English سنڌي Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Suomi Tagalog Українська Tiếng Việt West-Vlams 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 28 January 2021, at 21:59 (UTC). 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