Strophe facts for kids

A strophe is a word used in poetry. It first described the opening part of a special song called an ode in Ancient Greek tragedy plays. After the strophe came the antistrophe and then the epode.

Today, "strophe" can also mean a section of a poem. This section often has stanzas (groups of lines) that can be different lengths. Poems with strophes are different from poems written line-by-line without stanzas, like Greek epic poems.

In ancient Greece, the strophe, antistrophe, and epode were like musical parts of a song. A Greek chorus would sing the strophe while moving from right to left on the stage.

What Does "Strophe" Mean?

The word "strophe" comes from the Greek word strophē. This word means "turn," "bend," or "twist." In poetry, it can mean a turn from one rhythm pattern to another. It also refers to the movement of a chorus from one side of the stage to the other.

How Strophes Are Used in Poems

In a broader sense, a strophe can be a pair of stanzas that have a repeating pattern. This pattern forms the basic structure of a poem. In modern poetry, the strophe is often the same as a stanza. Its unique arrangement of lines and rhymes gives the poem its special feel.

Ancient Greek strophes could be very complex. For example, the odes (long, lyrical poems) by Pindar and the songs in Greek drama used very detailed strophe forms.

A simple type of Greek strophe is the Sapphic strophe. Like all Greek poetry, it uses a pattern of long and short syllables. Here is how it looks: — u — x — u u — u — — — u — x — u u — u — — — u — x — u u — u — x — u u — — (Here, — means a long syllable, u means a short syllable, and x means it can be either.)

In choral poetry, a strophe is often followed by an antistrophe. The antistrophe has the exact same rhythm pattern as the strophe. Sometimes, an epode follows them. The epode has a different rhythm. This creates an AAB pattern in the poem.

The History of Strophes

Some say that Archilochus was the first to create the strophe by joining groups of two or three lines. However, it was the Greek ode-writers who truly developed strophe-writing on a large scale. The art of arranging an ode with a strophe, antistrophe, and epode was perfected by Pindar.

Different Kinds of Strophes

As Greek prosody (the study of poetic rhythm) grew, many special strophe forms became popular. Famous poets used them often. Some of these forms include the Sapphic, Elegiac, Alcaic, and Asclepiadean strophes. These were important in both Greek and Latin poetry. The shortest and oldest strophe is the dactylic distich. It has two lines with the same rhythm, where the second line sounds like a musical answer to the first.

Strophes in Modern Poetry

In modern English poetry, you can see forms that are similar to ancient ode strophes. Examples include the detailed rhymed stanzas in poems like Keats' Ode to a Nightingale or Matthew Arnold's The Scholar-Gipsy.

A strophic form of poetry called Muwashshah also developed in Andalucia (a region in Spain) as early as the 9th century CE. This form then spread to North Africa and the Middle East. Muwashshah was usually written in classical Arabic, but the repeating part (refrain) was sometimes in the local language.

Strophes Today

Today, the word "strophe" is used in modern literary studies. It often refers to "long, irregular units" of verse. The term "stanza" is used for more regular groups of lines.

See also

In Spanish: Estrofa para niños

• Strophic form