Poetic Form
Monostich
A poem consisting of a single line.
Lines1Only one
LengthAnyLong or short
MeterOptionalFree or metrical
SubjectOne ideaNothing follows
About the Monostich
A monostich is a poem of one line. It is the most extreme form of poetic compression, an entire poem in the span of a phrase, with no second line for context, comparison, or relief.
Structure
One line. The line may be long or short, metrical or free, but the form's defining feature is that nothing follows.
A monostich has no rhyme or stanza pattern. What defines it is length: the whole poem is a single line.
A Short History
- AntiquityOne-line poems appear in Latin verse, as in Ausonius.
- 1913Apollinaire's "Chantre" helps bring the one-line poem back.
- 1970sMerwin's "Elegy" (1970) and Ritsos's Monochords (1979).
- TodayA recurring miniature form in modern verse.
Famous Monostichs
- 01"Monochords" (336 one-line poems)Yannis Ritsos
- 02"Chantre"Guillaume Apollinaire
- 03"Elegy" (The Carrier of Ladders, 1970)W.S. Merwin
Questions About the Monostich
The things people ask most, answered in a sentence or two.
A one-line poem is called a monostich. The word comes from Greek for "one line".
Yes. A monostich packs a whole poem into a single line, relying on its title, image and rhythm to do the work.
Not always, but many have one. With only one line to work with, the title often sets the scene.