poesia

Poesia, or poesia depending on language, is the literary art of composing verse to express ideas, emotions, or images through language selected for its sound, rhythm, and density of meaning. Traditionally, poetry is written in lines arranged into stanzas and can follow formal meters and rhyme or appear in free verse. The term covers a wide range of styles and purposes, from personal lyric to public and ceremonial uses.

Core elements include prosody (meter, rhyme, line length), figurative language (metaphor, simile, symbol), and sound devices such as alliteration and assonance. The arrangement of lines and the use of form—sonnet, ode, elegy, epic, ballad, or free verse—shape the poem's tempo and mood. Poets also exploit syntax, imagery, and rhythm to create effects such as ambiguity, intensity, or musicality.

History and tradition: poetry has roots in oral and performance cultures and developed in classical antiquity with lyric, epic, and dramatic forms. In Italian literature, poets such as Dante and Petrarch helped define the vernacular tradition; in Spanish literature, Garcilaso de la Vega, Gongora, and Quevedo shaped the Renaissance and Golden Age. The 19th and 20th centuries brought Romanticism, modernism, and experimentation by poets such as Leopardi, Lorca, Neruda, and Paz. Global poetry includes Japanese haiku, Persian ghazals, and contemporary multilingual verse.

Purpose and reception: poetry can express intimate feelings, explore language itself, reflect social realities, or challenge readers. It is studied in literary curricula, translated across languages, and performed in readings and digital media, continuing to adapt to new technologies and audiences.