Ballad A Ballad may be defined as a poem set to music; thus, more often than not, it is a story told in a song. Historical accounts, fairy tales, basically any myth form may be told as a ballad. It usually has foreshortened, alternating four-stress lines- called the Ballad Meter-and simple repeating rhymes often with a refrain. Ballads may also be based on a religious or political theme; a ballad may also be a hymn. Forms of Ballads Literary Ballad- Literary ballads are those composed and written formally. The form, with its connotations of simple folkloric authenticity, became popular with the rise of Romanticism in the late 18th Century, though there are precedents for this kind of literary attraction to ballad in earlier literature, such as the 15th Century pastourelle Robene and Makyne. Literary ballads may be set to music. In Romantic opera, a ballad set into the musical texture may emphasize or play against the theatrical movement. Sonnet The sonnet is one of the poetic forms that can be found in lyric poetry from Europe. The term ‘sonnet” derives from the Occitan word “sonnet” and the Italian word “sonetto”, both meaning “little song.” Sonnets may be described as poems consisting of fourteen lines that follow a strict rhyme scheme and a specific structure. The conventions associated with the sonnet have evolved over its history. The writers of sonnets are sometimes called ‘sonneteers’ although the term can be used derisively. One of the best known sonnet writers was William Shakespeare who composed over 154 sonnets in his time. Traditionally, when composing sonnets, poets usually employ iambic pentameter. In the Romance languages, the Hendecasyllable and Alexandrine meters are most widely used. Occitan Sonnet English Sonnet Shakespearean Sonnet Modern Sonnet Lyric Poetry which takes in the form and musical quality of a song, or a short poem which expresses personal feelings, is...