Poet's Glossary
Every craft has its vocabulary, and poetry's is one of the most beautiful. This glossary explains the forms, meters, rhymes and devices poets reach for, in plain and warm language. Whether you are decoding a sonnet or naming a technique you already use by instinct, start with a letter below.
Terms starting with X
Xenia
In the classical world, short poems accompanying gifts to guests, a tradition from the Roman poet Martial. The word survives as a reminder that a poem itself can be a gift.
All letters
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