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Assignment #1: Examples of Lyrical Poetry

Lyric – poetry that expresses the poet’s thoughts and feelings. It does not tell a complete story, as narrative poetry does, but creates a mood through vivid images. It uses very descriptive language and often the lyric poem has a “musical” quality. Often sensory images are used. Lyric poems can be made up of even stanzas or uneven stanzas. The majority of poetry is lyrical; however, there are also many subcategories of lyrical poetry.

Rhyming, with even stanzas and parallelism

“Four Little Foxes” “When Sue Wears Red” by Lew Sarett Rhyme scheme by Langston Hughes uses end Speak gently, Spring, and make no sudden sound; a rhyme & imperfect When Susanna Jones wears red For in my windy valley, yesterday I found a rhyme Her face is like an ancient cameo New-born foxes squirming on the ground— a (gently, Turned brown by the ages. softly, Come with a blast of trumphets, Jesus! Speak gently. b lightly)

for the last word When Susanna Jones wears red Walk softly, March, forbear the bitter blow; c in each A queen from some time-dead Egyptian night Her feet within a trap, her blood upon the snow, c stanza. Walks once again. The four little foxes saw their mother go— c Blow trumphets, Jesus! Walk softly. b And the beauty of Susanna Jones in red Burns in my heart a love-fire sharp like a pain. Go lightly, Spring, oh, give them no alarm; d Sweet silver trumphets, Jesus! When I covered them with boughs to shelter them from harm, d The thin blue foxes suckled on my arm— d No set rhyme, but strong figurative Go lightly. b language, sensory imagery, repetition, and parallelism Step softly, March, with your rampant hurricane; e Nuzzling one another, and whimpering with pain, e Hughes was one of the masters of jazz The new little foxes are shivering in the rain— e poetry that came out of the Harlem Step softly. b Renaissance movement.

“The Courage That My Mother Had” by Edna St. Vincent Millay The courage that my mother had a Went with her, and is with her still: b Rock from New England quarried; c Now granite in a granite hill. b

The golden brooch my mother wore d Millay’s poem has slightly uneven She left behind for me to wear; e stanzas and rhythm, end rhyme I have no thing I treasure more: d (including eye rhyme), repetition, Yet, it is something I could spare. e and figurative language.

Oh, if instead she'd left to me f Rhyme scheme uses end rhyme & eye The thing she took into the grave!— g rhyme for certain pairings such as That courage like a rock, which she f “grave” and “have.” Has no more need of, and I have. g

“Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou “The Sea” by James Reeves You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, The sea is a hungry dog, You may trod me in the very dirt Giant and grey. But still, like dust, I'll rise.

He rolls on the beach all day. Does my sassiness upset you?

With his clashing teeth and shaggy jaws Why are you beset with gloom? Hour upon hour he gnaws 'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells The rumbling, tumbling stones, Pumping in my living room. And ‘Bones, bones, bones, bones!’ The giant sea-dog moans, Just like moons and like suns, Licking his greasy paws. With the certainty of tides, Just like hopes springing high, And when the night wind roars Still I'll rise. And the moon rocks in the stormy cloud, He bounds to his feet and snuffs and sniffs, Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes? Shaking his wet sides over the cliffs, Shoulders falling down like teardrops,

And howls and hollos long and loud. Weakened by my soulful cries?

But on quiet day in May or June, Does my haughtiness offend you? When even the grasses on the dune Don't you take it awful hard Play no more their reedy tune, 'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines With his head between his paws Diggin' in my own backyard. He lies on the sandy shores, So quiet, so quiet, he scarcely snores. You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, In the lyrical poem “The Sea,” the poet uses You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I'll rise. rhyming couplets and strong personification,

alliteration, and figurative language. Does my sexiness upset you? Does it come as a surprise That I dance like I've got diamonds “The Rose That Grew From Concrete” At the meeting of my thighs? by Tupac Shakur Out of the huts of history's shame Did you hear about the rose that grew I rise from a crack in the concrete? Up from a past that's rooted in pain Proving nature's law is wrong it I rise learned to walk without having feet. I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide, Welling and swelling I bear in the tide. Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams, Leaving behind nights of terror and fear it learned to breathe fresh air. I rise Long live the rose that grew from concrete Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear when no one else ever cared. I rise Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. Shakur uses some end rhyme and a singular I rise internal rhyme to establish the rhythm, along I rise with strong figurative language. It’s a I rise. powerful short poem set in only one stanza, which helps to demonstrate that poems do not Angelou uses structured end rhyme and repetition (in the have to be lengthy to capture a mood or form of refrain), along with occasional alliteration and impart a message to the reader. parallelism to set a clear tone within her lyrical poem.

Not all lyrical poems need to be serious…many have either a light or humorous tone. Here are a few examples below.

“Daddy Fell Into the Pond” by Alfred Noyes “Rebecca” By Hilaire Belloc (Who Slammed Doors For Fun And Perished Everyone grumbled. The sky was grey. Miserably) We had nothing to do and nothing to say. We were nearing the end of a dismal day, A trick that everyone abhors And then there seemed to be nothing beyond, In little girls is slamming doors. Then A wealthy banker's little daughter Daddy fell into the pond! Who lived in Palace Green, Bayswater (By name Rebecca Offendort), And everyone's face grew merry and bright, Was given to this furious sport. And Timothy danced for sheer delight. "Give me the camera, quick, oh quick! She would deliberately go He's crawling out of the duckweed!" Click! And slam the door like billy-o! To make her uncle Jacob start. Then the gardener suddenly slapped his knee, She was not really bad at heart, And doubled up, shaking silently, But only rather rude and wild; And the ducks all quacked as if they were daft, She was an aggravating child... And it sounded as if the old drake laughed. Oh, there wasn't a thing that didn't respond It happened that a marble bust When Of Abraham was standing just Daddy fell into the pond! Above the door this little lamb Had carefully prepared to slam, And down it came! It knocked her flat! “Learning” by Judith Viorst It laid her out! She looked like that.

Her funeral sermon (which was long I’m learning to say thank you. And followed by a sacred song) And I’m learning to say please. Mentioned her virtues, it is true, And I’m learning to use Kleenex, But dwelt upon her vices too, Not my sweater, when I sneeze. And showed the deadful end of one And I’m learning not to dribble. Who goes and slams the door for fun. And I’m learning not to slurp. And I’m learning (though it sometimes really hurts me) The children who were brought to hear Not to burp. The awful tale from far and near And I’m learning to chew softer Were much impressed, and inly swore When I eat corn on the cob. They never more would slam the door, And I’m learning that it’s much -- As often they had done before. Much easier to be a slob.

“Go Wind” by Lillian Moore

Go wind, blow Go wind, blow Be sure to check out Push wind, swoosh. Push things the numerous Shake things wheee. Literary Artist take things Winners who have make things No, wind, no written both serious fly. not me – and not so serious not me. lyrical poems. Ring things swing things fling things high.