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Poetry Handbook


Echo
Repetition of certain sounds, syllables, words in poetry, as in echo verse.

Echo Verse
Verse in which the final words or syllables of a line or stanza are repeated as a response, often with an ironic effect.

Eclogue
A pastoral poem (relating to shepards or rural country life), usually in the form of a dialogue between shepherds.

Ekphrasis
The art of creating poetry based on viewing art or photographs.

Elegiac
A dactylic hexameter couplet, with the second line having only an unaccented syllable in the third and sixth feet; also, involving elegy, mourning, or expressing sorrow for the dead.

Elegy
A poem or song composed especially as a lament for a deceased person composed in elegiac couplets.

Elision
Omission of an unstressed vowel or syllable.

Ellipsis
The omission of a word or words necessary to complete a grammatical construction, but not necessary for understanding by the reader. The marks "..." may indicate an omission or pause.

Emphasis
Special attention or effort directed toward something usually writin in italic or underlined.

End Rhyme
A rhyme occurring in the terminating word or syllable of one line of poetry with that of another line, as opposed to internal rhyme.

End-Stopped
Ending of a line or verse usually marked with a period, comma, or semicolon.

Envelope
A poetic device in which a line, phrase, or stanza is repeated to enclose other material.

Envoi, Envoy
A short final stanza of a poem

Epic
An Epic is a long narrative poem celebrating the adventures and achievements of a hero...epics deal with the traditions, mythical or historical, of a nation.

examples: Beowulf, The Iliad and the Odyssey, and Aeneid

Epigram
Epigrams are short satirical poems ending with either a humorous retort or a stinging punchline.

Used mainly as expressions of social criticism or political satire, the most common forms are written as a couplet: a pair of rhymed lines in the same meter. See example.

Epistrophe
A repetition of the ends of two or more successive poetic verses.

Epitaph
A brief poem inscribed on a tombstone praising a deceased person, usually with rhyming lines. See example.

Epithalamium
A lyrical ode or song in the honor of a bride and bridegroom.

Epitrite
A metrical foot consisting of three long syllables and one short syllable.

Epode
A type of lyric poem characterized by couplets in which a long verse is followed by a shorter one, or the third and last part of an ode.

Epyllion
A brief narrative work in classic poetry written in dactylic hexameter. One subject commonly included mythology laced with romance and vivid description in an elevated tone.

Eulogy
A poem or speech written in tribute or praising usually about someone who has died.

Euphemism
An act of substituting a mild or indirect term for one considered harsh or offensive.

Euphony
A pleasing sound or pronunciation of letters and syllables which is pleasing to the ear for a poetic effect.

Extended Metaphor
A metaphor which is drawn-out beyond the usual word or phrase to extend throughout a stanza or an entire poem, usually by using multiple comparisons between the unlike objects or ideas.



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