Ode
A formal, elevated lyric poem addressed to a subject of weight.
About the Ode
An ode is a formal lyric poem of address, traditionally directed to a person, abstraction, or natural phenomenon. The tone is elevated, the subject treated with reverence, and the form has produced some of the most enduring lyric poetry in any language.
Structure
Three principal traditions. The Pindaric ode (strophe, antistrophe, epode) imitates Greek choral verse. The Horatian ode uses uniform stanzas in a quieter, contemplative register. The irregular ode, common in English from Cowley to the Romantics, varies stanza length and meter across the poem.
The ode has no single rhyme pattern. It is defined by its elevated address to a subject, in one of three traditions: Pindaric, Horatian or irregular.
A Short History
- 5th century BCPindar writes choral odes for Greek victors.
- 1st century BCHorace shapes the quieter Latin ode.
- 1819Keats writes his great odes; Shelley the West Wind.
- 1950sPablo Neruda writes odes to everyday things.
- TodayPoets still write odes to anything they love.
Famous Odes
- 01"Ode to a Nightingale"John Keats
- 02"Ode to the West Wind"Percy Bysshe Shelley
- 03"Ode to My Socks"Pablo Neruda
Questions About the Ode
The things people ask most, answered in a sentence or two.