你一定知道诗歌是一种重要的文学形式，那你知道诗歌有哪些基本特征吗？它又有哪些类型呢？
Poetry is one of the important art forms of literature, and is an easy way to express our feelings. Moreover, everyone understands it in his or her own way. Some find relief in poems; some read poems simply for peace; some read poems for simple artistic pleasure.
There are some special features of poetry, which make it quite different from other forms of literature. First of all, poems have rhythmic patterns. Generally most parts of a poem follow the same form of rhythm. Poems may have rhyme, but they don't have to. The lines are neatly arranged together so that they express a particular feeling or emotion.
There can be various types of poems but according to the pattern or the form, there are mainly three types：
Lyrics: Lyrics mainly concentrate on human thoughts and emotions rather than a story. Lyrics always bear songlike appeal. These are mainly short poems. Popular lyric poem forms are the elegy, the ode and the sonnet. William Shakespeare, Edmund Waller and Keats are some of the greatest lyric writers of all times.
Narrative poems: This type of poetry tells a story. Narrative poems are usually long poems. Epics and ballads fall under this type. Some of the greatest epic poets are John Mihon, Dante, Edgar Allan Poe, Alexander Pope, William Shakespeare，etc.
Dramatic poems: Any drama that is written in verse is a dramatic poem. These poems generally tell a story. Blank verse, dramatic monologue (独白) and closet drama belong to this type. William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson are some of the greatest dramatic poets.
Whatever the form is, one thing, which cannot be denied, is that poetry is one of the most powerful tools to express our feelings.
