Explore our comprehensive glossary of poetry terms. Whether you're a student, teacher, or poetry enthusiast, our glossary will help you understand key concepts, definitions, and examples that are essential in the study of poetry.
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| Term | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Yarn | A long, often elaborate narrative poem or story, typically of adventure or a fantastical nature. | The old sailor spun a yarn of his adventures on the high seas, full of peril and excitement. |
| Yearning | A deep emotional desire or longing, often used in poetry to express unfulfilled love, loss, or a wistful sense of longing. | The poem was filled with yearning, as the speaker pined for the return of their lost love. |
| Yellow | A color often used in poetry to symbolize warmth, sunlight, cowardice, or decay, depending on the context. | The fields of yellow daffodils danced in the breeze, a cheerful harbinger of spring. |
| Yeoman | A freeholder or a minor landowner in historical England, often idealized in poetry for their hard work, loyalty, and rustic virtues. | In medieval ballads, the yeoman is often depicted as a stalwart defender of the common people. |
| Yew | A type of tree often associated with death and mourning in poetry due to its dark, evergreen foliage and long life. | The yew tree stood sentinel in the graveyard, its somber presence a reminder of mortality. |
| Yggdrasil | In Norse mythology, the great ash tree that connects the nine worlds; used in poetry to symbolize the interconnectedness of life and the cosmos. | The poet likened the ancient oak to Yggdrasil, its roots and branches reaching across the universe. |
| Yield | To give way, surrender, or produce, often used in poetry to convey themes of submission, fertility, or inevitability. | In the end, the hero yielded to fate, accepting the path laid out before him. |
| Yoke | Symbolically used in poetry to represent burden, bondage, or a connection, often between individuals or ideas. | The poet spoke of the yoke of tradition, binding the new generation to the ways of the past. |
| Yoke-fellow | A companion or partner, often used in poetry to signify someone with whom one shares a significant bond or burden. | The knight and his yoke-fellow rode into battle, united by honor and a shared cause. |
| Yonder | A poetic term meaning "over there" or "in the distance", often used to evoke a sense of longing or mystery. | The poet gazed yonder, where the mountains met the sky, lost in thoughts of far-off lands. |