Stanza - wikipedia Stanza This article is about the term in poetry. For other uses, see Stanza ( disambiguation ). Look up stanza in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. In poetry, a stanza ( / ˈstænzə / ; from Italian stanza ( ˈstantsa ), `` room '' ) is a grouped set of lines within a poem, usually set off from other stanzas by a blank line or indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme and metrical schemes, though stanzas are not strictly required to have either. Even though the term `` stanza '' is taken from Italian, in the Italian language the word `` strofa '' is more commonly used. There are many unique forms of stanzas. Some stanzaic forms are simple, such as four - line quatrains. Other forms are more complex, such as the Spenserian stanza. Fixed verse poems, such as sestinas, can be defined by the number and form of their stanzas. The term stanza is similar to strophe, though strophe sometimes refers to irregular set of lines, as opposed to regular, rhymed stanzas. The stanza in poetry is analogous with the paragraph that is seen in prose ; related thoughts are grouped into units. In music, groups of lines are typically referred to as verses. The stanza has also been known by terms such as batch, fit, and stave. Example This short poem by Emily Dickinson has two stanzas of four lines each. I had no time to hate, because The grave would hinder me, And life was not so ample I Could finish enmity. Nor had I time to love ; but since Some industry must be, The little toil of love, I thought, Was large enough for me. Example This poem by Andrew John Young has three stanzas of six lines each Frost called to the water Halt And crusted the moist snow with sparkling salt ; Brooks, their one bridges, stop, And icicles in long stalactites drop. And tench in water - holes Lurk under gluey glass like fish in bowls. In the hard - rutted lane At every footstep breaks a brittle pane, And tinkling trees ice - bound, Changed into weeping willows, sweep the ground ; Dead boughs take root in ponds And ferns on windows shoot their ghostly fronds. But vainly the fierce frost Interns poor fish, ranks trees in an armed host, Hangs daggers from house - eaves And on the windows ferny ambush weaves ; In the long war grown warmer The sun will strike him dead and strip his armour. References Jump up ^ The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. Murfin & Ray pg. 455 Jump up ^ The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. Murfin & Ray pg. 457 Jump up ^ Literature Reading, Writing, Reacting. Kirszner & Mandell Ch. 18, pg. 716. Jump up ^ Cuddon, J.A. A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. ISBN 9781444333275. Jump up ^ Dickinson, Emily. `` Poems : Three Series, Complete ''. Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 27 October 2013. Jump up ^ `` poem : Hard Frost ''. Retrieved 8 April 2018. Poetic forms Stanzas Alcaic stanza Ballad stanza Chaubola Cinquain Couplet Quatrain Quintain Sapphic stanza Sonnet Stanza Tercet Triolet Terza rima Ghazal Verse paragraph Villanelle Rhymes Alliteration Assonance Broken rhyme Consonance Cross rhyme Forced / oblique Half rhyme Holorime Imperfect / near Internal rhyme Monorhyme Off - centered rhyme Pararhyme Perfect rhyme Rhyme Rhyme scheme Semirhyme Syllabic Tail rhyme Weak / unaccented Commons Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stanza&oldid=840384295 '' Categories : Poetic form Stanzaic form Talk About Wikipedia Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Català Čeština Ελληνικά Español Français Galego 贛 語 Hrvatski Ido Interlingua Italiano עברית Latina Nederlands 日本 語 Português Română Русский Simple English سنڌي Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Suomi Українська Tiếng Việt West - Vlams 中文 22 more Edit links This page was last edited on 9 May 2018, at 14 : 58. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what is the meaning of stanza in poetry
Answer: a grouped set of lines within a poem