kvæða

Kvæða is an Icelandic term that refers to poetry in its broad sense. In verb form, kvæða means to compose poetry or to recite verses; it is used both in historical contexts and in modern Icelandic. The related noun kvæði denotes a poem or a ballad, an individual piece of verse that may be lyrical, narrative, or sung.

Historically, kvæði is central to Icelandic literary tradition and to the broader Norse poetic heritage. Many medieval poems were composed by skalds and preserved in sagas and eddic material as kvæði. These poems were often associated with particular metres and poetic devices characteristic of Old Norse and Icelandic verse, though the term today also encompasses contemporary forms of poetry that are written to be read or performed.

In contemporary usage, kvæði continues to denote poetry or song lyrics. People speak of writing kvæði or reciting kvæði, and the word appears in educational, cultural, and literary contexts such as anthologies, poetry collections, and school work. The term thus functions both as a description of the act of versification and as the label for the resulting poetic artifacts within Icelandic language and literature.