Poetic Structure and Lyrical Devices: Meter, Rhyme, and Figures of Speech

The Lyrical Genre

This poetic discourse is characterized by the expressive use of language, the centrality of musical rhythm, and the harmony achieved through the combination of pauses and accents. The rhythm in poetry is achieved through meter and rhyme, which distinctively use semantics to exalt feelings or emotions. The lyrical genre is inherently subjective.

Notions of Verse

Verse Definition

A Verse (Verso) is the unit of rhythmic breaks, usually marked by a series or sequence of metrical feet.

Versification: Accentuation Rules

The sorting of syllables based on accentuation affects the final count:

• If the last accented syllable is an acute word (oxytone): Add one syllable (+1 syllable).
• If the last accented syllable is a plain word (paroxytone): The count remains the same (= syllable count).
• If the last accented syllable is a proparoxytone word (esdrújulo): Subtract one syllable (-1 syllable).

Diction Resources for Syllable Counting

These resources are used to adjust the metric count of a verse:

1. Synalepha (Sinalefa): The union of the final vowel of one word with the initial vowel of the next word (subtracts one syllable).
2. Hiatus: Used intentionally to break the synalepha (adds one syllable).
3. Diaeresis (Diéresis): Separates vowels that belong within a word diphthong (adds one syllable).
4. Syneresis (Sinéresis): Combines two adjacent vowels within a word to form a diphthong in one syllable (subtracts one syllable).

Fundamentals of Metrics

• The resources of versification and metrics are essential for analyzing the verse structure.
• Metrics is the measurement of the verses.
• To measure a line, one must consider antecedent diction resources and accentuation rules.

Metrics Classification

According to the number of syllables in a verse, metrics are classified as:

• Regular Metrics
• Irregular Metrics
• Free Metrics

Poetry Classes Based on Verse Length

Depending on the number of syllables in a verse:

• Minor Art Verses (Arte Menor): When the line has 8 syllables or fewer.
• Major Art Verses (Arte Mayor): When the line has 9 to 16 syllables.

Rhyme

Concept

Rhyme is the total or partial coincidence of sounds starting from the last accented syllable of the verse.

Rhyme Classification

• Assonance Rhyme
• Consonant Rhyme
• Blank or Loose Verse

Types of Rhyme

Assonance Rhyme: The coincidence of only vowel sounds starting from the last accented syllable of the verse.

Consonant Rhyme: The coincidence of both vowel and consonant sounds starting from the last accented syllable of the verse.

Blank or Loose Verse: Lines that have no rhyme.

Stanzas

Stanzas are groups of verses.

Figurative Language and Connotation Resources

• Metaphor: Speaking figuratively or assigning a name to one thing based on analogy or resemblance to another.
• Hyperbaton: Consists of altering the normal word order to force the reader to reconstruct the idea.
• Anaphora: The repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of a verse or clause.
• Enjambment (Overlap): The development of an idea across two or more lines of verse.
• Personification: Attributing human qualities or characteristics to inanimate objects or abstract things.
• Hyperbole: The exaggerated or lessened description of something.
• Synesthesia (Sinestesia): The combination or blending of two or more sensory images.