A poem is a literary composition.
A poem constitutes a composition of a literary nature that falls within the field of poetry . The text can be developed in verse or prose ; In the latter case, we speak of poetic prose .
In ancient times, all literary compositions were called poems, since the word derives from the Greek verb poesin ( "to make" ). Therefore, the poem was any type of product born from literature .
That person dedicated to writing poems is known as a poet (or poetess, if it is a female exponent). It is considered that the performance of poets is influenced by the cultural tradition of the region where they reside, although poetry can also be universal and deal with themes common to every human being.
The lyric poem
Among poems, the most subjective genre is considered to be the lyric , since the author usually appears inside the text. The poet almost always places himself in the present and his most common means of expression is the short verse , where repetitions of phonic and semantic types and specific syntactic structures can be seen.
The lyric poem has several subgenres, among which the hymn , the ode , the elegy and the satire stand out. We will detail some of them:
The eclogue is poetry that refers to the activity of shepherds. It is characterized by naming nature, bucolic landscapes, and the species that live on earth in an idealized way, comparing them with the sensations that love awakens in two lovers . It can also contain elements of drama and tell stories in the form of poems. Garcilaso de la Vega was a master of this type of poetry.
Poems can be developed in verse or prose.
The epic
The epic poem was one of the popular forms in which the adventures of superhuman heroes who had known how to help people overcome certain tragedies were told. They were stories written in verse but had the characteristic of being narratives. These stories revolved around certain elements of oral tradition ( myths, popular tales, legends ) and were generally accompanied by musical pieces.
In this type of poems, difficult journeys, battles and plots are usually recounted where magic and the supernatural were essential protagonists and helped highlight the heroic nature of the humans who participated in it.
Two of the most famous works that belong to epic poetry are "The Odyssey " by Homer and "The Aeneid" by Virgil , very similar in many aspects but which differ in the way of treating the hero, in the case of Virgil it is not It is not about a warrior who fights tirelessly but rather about a man obedient to the gods who endures everything that comes his way as if it were a destiny that he cannot modify, whereas for Homer the hero is untouchable and unalterable. Furthermore, Virgil introduces for the first time in an epic poem elements of dramatic and lyrical works to achieve a language and expressiveness that border on realism.
Ode, sonnets and other types of poems
The ode was the lyrical expression par excellence in ancient times and consisted of a way of praising some divinity or muse. A song that was moved by a strong passion and that led the poet to express himself through exclamatory words and praise to address a loved one, objects, landscape or divinity. Pablo Neruda gave them a dose of modernity without forgetting the fundamental essence of these poetic songs, his "Ode to the Onion" has been notably acclaimed.
The sonnet is a poem that is composed of fourteen verses of eleven syllables (hendecasyllables). It originates from the Renaissance era and emerged in Italy where its main exponent was the poet Francisco Petrarca. Lovers of symmetrical, harmonious and orderly poetry highly praise this lyrical type, which is organized in two quartets and two tercets that are intertwined.
The madrigal is a short poem where feelings of love are shown, an incorruptible, unique love . They usually have a short length and are a song to love. Among the poets who have cultivated this style is Gutierre de Cetina.
The elegy is a poem that inspires pain and sorrow. In them the poet expresses deep feelings of despair, anguish and helplessness ; They are generally poems that touch on themes related to death or a loss that has left a great void in the poet.
Epigrams, haikus and more subgenres
The epigram is a very short poem (two verses), even shorter than the madrigal, and in them the poet transmits feelings of joy, festivity, joy, mixing these feelings with irony and some sarcastic overtones . There have been many poets who have cultivated it, like Ernesto Cardenal.
Haiku , also called haikai, is of Japanese origin and has also been cultivated in the West since the 20th century. It is a poem written in seven verses that alternate pentasyllabic (1st and 3rd) and heptasyllabic (2nd) meters. In most cases they are poems that evoke some aspect of nature. Nowadays the meter is not so rigorous, the number of syllables and stanzas even varies a lot. Among the Western authors who stand out in this type of poems are Jorge Luís Borges and Octavio Paz . It should be noted that a haiku written at this time can deal with various themes.
Other subgenres that specialists mention are the epithalamio (song that exalts weddings), the epigram (a concise satire), and the paean (a war song).
Videopoems
A videopoem is a creation that combines poetry, soundtrack and video. The Mexican Rocío Cerón , author of numerous poetry books and albums of sound poetry, is an artist who has extensive experience in this type of creations.
Cerón , who can be found on X and Instagram , has won the See America Travel Award and the Gilberto Owen National Literature Award , among other recognitions. Taking into account his outstanding career and knowledge, we asked him what are the essential resources or tools for the development of video poems:
First a series of vision ideas that are not only visual, then raise a camera or cell phone and a video editor that can range from the basic to the most complex.
Rocío Cerón