| Author | Message | ||
| Howard R
Valued Member Username: writerhoward Post Number: 145 Registered: 01-2009 |
What are the essential differences between an ode, ballad, and lyric poem? | ||
| M
Board Administrator Username: mjm Post Number: 36280 Registered: 11-1998 |
From The Mind's Eye by Kevin Clark: "Many new poets understandably confuse the terms lyric and lyrical. In fact, lyric has two different meanings. In music, the word lyric means the words of a song; yet in literature it refers to the poem that renders the interior life by depicting the intense personal emotions of the speaker. The lyric poem may or may not be musical in style." So, briefly stated, a lyric poem depicts the internal state of the speaker, while a narrative poem usually tells a story. Lyric is a type of poem. An ode and a ballad are specific forms of poems, just as sonnets, villanelles, sestinas, etc., are forms. From The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Poetry by Nikki Moustaki: "An ode is an ancient fixed form invented initially as a commemoration on a victory. The themes for odes were supposed to be exalted and stately, often dealing with elements such as mythology. The ode then changed into a more philosophical, personal form, and now it's a little of everything. Odes are often written to specific objects, i.e., Ode to a Grecian Urn by John Keats. The poet normally asserts a statement about the nature of the world as it relates to the object being discussed -- an ultimate truth is revealed. In the Keats poem, the statement is "Beauty is truth, truth beauty -- that is all / Ye know on Earth, and all ye need to know." The ballad is a traditional fixed form that tells a story, usually a thrilling and tragic tale ending with the death of a lover, family member, and so on. They begin, almost always, at the moment of crisis, when the tragic ending is inevitable, and they often use little effort to describe things -- the emphasis is on the narrative, and the characters often speak, making dialogue the bulk of the poem. The point of view of the ballad is generally the collective or third person -- rarely does a first-person narrator speak. The fixed form of the ballad consists of quatrains." Hope that answers the question, Howard. Love, M | ||
| RGCat
Advanced Member Username: rcat Post Number: 1595 Registered: 03-2008 |
I like 'em with southern sausage: i.e, you ode me dat money bitch or they ballad that mofo out with govment munnie or i can't lyric when ya cover my ears darlin'  That’s it! That’s it! Oops, maybe not. | ||
| Howard R
Valued Member Username: writerhoward Post Number: 146 Registered: 01-2009 |
M, Thanks for all that information. I noticed in your reply that both ballads and odes are fixed forms. Your content stated that "The fixed form of the ballad consists of quatrains." Are there any other common constraints on either a ballad's or an ode's meter, stanzas, or rhyme? Howard | ||
| M
Board Administrator Username: mjm Post Number: 36284 Registered: 11-1998 |
Hi, Howard -- here's what my book says: "Because it's such an old form, the ode has gone through many transmutations, and, like the modern sonnet, it has been liberated from a strict form." I'd say, given that, all bets are off as far as meter, stanzas, and rhyme are concerned. I've seen odes in every possible permutation there is, from structured stanzas with meter/rhyme to free verse. I think an ode is now more about the statement made about the nature of the world as it relates to the object, than any adherence to strict form. Though, if you'd like your ode to have meter/stanzas/rhyme, I doubt many would argue with you. As to ballads, again the book goes on to say this: "The fixed form of the ballad consists of quatrains where lines one and three have four beats (stressed syllables), and lines two and four have three beats and rhyme as well. The ballad began as a short narrative form that was transmitted orally between illiterate or semi-literate peoples. It was orginally a folk song and sung as a means of passing it down through the generations. Ballads relied heavily on plot above all other elements, and didn't have much character development -- the person hearing the ballad had to remember the key points of the plot, and not spend time considering why things were happening in the first place. A great example of a ballad is John Barleycorn by Robert Burns." So, there you have it! Love, M | ||
| Howard R
Valued Member Username: writerhoward Post Number: 147 Registered: 01-2009 |
M, Thank you so much. In your last post, to which book are you referring? Howard | ||
| M
Board Administrator Username: mjm Post Number: 36285 Registered: 11-1998 |
Hi, Howard -- I was referring to the book The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Poetry by Nikki Moustaki. Don't be fooled by the title. It really isn't a frivolous book, and it has a wealth of useful information in it that's easy to locate and easy to digest (particularly for beginners, but pros will find answers in it too). The author, Nikki, is a former college roommate of a very dear friend of mine. So, I've heard that Nikki herself is terrific. You can find this book (along with many other very valuable books on the craft of writing poetry) in our WPF BookShop. Love, M |
