Stanza
A stanza is a grouped set of lines in a poem or song, usually set apart from other groups by spacing or a pause. Its pattern of length, meter, or rhyme can shape the work’s structure.
Linked from 18 pages
PoetryBroader topic: Stanzas divide a poem into units that can shape its development.
HymnRelated: Hymn stanzas organize verses into repeatable units for singing.
OdeNarrower topic: Stanzas give many odes their recurring formal structure.
Strophic formBroader topic: Each stanza receives the same musical setting in strophic form.
TroubadourRelated: Repeated stanza patterns gave songs a structure suited to singing.
If—Narrower topic: Four sixteen-line stanzas divide the poem’s extended list of tests into stages.
Poetic formBroader topic: Stanzas organize lines into larger units within a poem.
Christmas carolRelated: Carols commonly tell a story or develop an idea across successive stanzas.