Stanza
Literary term · say it STAN-zuh
A stanza is a group of lines in a poem, usually set apart by a blank line. It gives the poem a visible shape and can gather one thought, image, or stage of a story.
Two common stanza forms
Quatrain
A quatrain is a stanza of four lines. Its lines may follow a rhyme pattern, but rhyme is not required.
The opening stanza of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner has four lines in which an old sailor stops one of three wedding guests.
In The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Six-line stanza
A six-line stanza is also called a sestet. It can hold a short scene or develop a thought before the next stanza begins.
In Poems in Two Volumes, the opening six-line stanza of the poem commonly called Daffodils moves from a lonely walk to the sight of flowers beside a lake.
In Poems in Two Volumes by William Wordsworth
How to spot a stanza
- Look for blank spaces between groups of lines.
- Count the lines in each group.
- Notice whether each new group shifts the thought, image, or scene.
What is the difference between a stanza and a paragraph?
A stanza groups lines of poetry, while a paragraph groups sentences in prose. Both can mark a change of focus, but a stanza may also follow a repeated pattern of line lengths, beats, or rhymes.
Does a stanza have to rhyme?
A stanza does not have to rhyme. Some stanzas follow a regular rhyme scheme, while others use unrhymed lines. In free verse, spacing and shifts in thought or imagery can help show where one stanza ends and another begins.
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