Poetiska

Poetiska is a Swedish adjective meaning “poetic” and is used to describe things related to poetry or possessing the qualities associated with poetry. The base form is poetisk; the adjective is inflected to agree with the noun in number and definiteness, for example: poetisk stil (poetic style), poetiska bilder (poetic images), and de poetiska bilderna (the poetic images). In neuter singular constructions you may encounter poetiskt språk (poetic language). The term is common in literary analysis as well as in everyday language when describing poetry, prose, or rhetorical features with poetic characteristics.

Etymology traces poetiska to the Swedish form poetisk, which ultimately stems from the Greek poietikos meaning “making, creating,” through Latin poeticus and Old French poétique, entering Swedish as poetisk. The root emphasizes the craft and artistry of poetry rather than mere decoration.

Usage and connotations: poetiska is often paired with nouns such as bilder (imagery), språk (language), stil (style), form (form), rytm (rhythm), and bildspråk (imagery). In academic writing it may be contrasted with terms like episk (epic) or prosa to discuss how a text employs poetic devices. The term is largely descriptive and neutral, though its evaluative weight can vary with context, ranging from admiration of a text’s beauty to a critical assessment of its conventionality or intensity.

In summary, poetiska serves as a versatile descriptor in Swedish for anything related to poetry, its language, and its stylistic or imaginative qualities.