What is Stanza?
A '''stanza''' is a related group of lines or [[verse (poetry)|verses]] in a [[poem]]. A stanza also can be a verse in [[paragraph]] [[form]]. They can keep on going without [[punctuation]]. It may also be a line poem. Two most important features of a stanza is the number of lines and the [[rhyme scheme]]. There are many kinds of stanza. * Two-line stanza (aa). * Three-line stanza (aaa). * Four-line stanza (aaaa, aabb, abab, abba) * Five-line stanza (for example ababb) * Six-line stanza (for example ababcc) * Seven-line stanza (for example ababbcc, it is called [[rhyme royal]]) * Eight-line stanza (for example abababcc, it is Italian [[ottava rima]]) * Nine-line stanza (for example ababbcbcc, it is [[Spenserian stanza]]) * Ten-line stanza (for example ababccdeed) An Italian [[sonnet]] consists of two four-line stanzas and two three-line stanzas: * abba abba cdc dcd A French ballad is composed of three eight-line stanzas and a four-line one: * ababbcbc ababbcbc ababbcbc bcbc Some stanzas are named after poets, who invented or often used them. An example is [[Sapphic stanza]] that was named after famous Greek woman poet Sappho. == Bibliography == Joseph Berg Esenwein, Mary Eleanor Roberts, ''Art of Versification''. Revised edition. Springfield: 1920. {{lit-stub}} [[category:poetry]]