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Introductory poem

Form
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A poem placed at the front of a collection or work to provide thematic entry

Detailed Definition
An introductory poem is placed at the start of a collection or larger work, serving as a thematic gateway or prologue, often setting expectations for subsequent pieces.
Example
Example in poetry:
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 1 serves as introductory poem to the Fair Youth sequence; Dante’s “Inferno” Canto I functions as introductory poem to the Divine Comedy; Contemporary poet Ocean Vuong’s “Threshold” serves as introductory poem to “Time Is a Mother”; Emily Dickinson’s “I’m Nobody! Who are you?” acts as introductory poem to her outsider persona; Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” serves as introductory poem to his thematic concerns; Claudia Rankine’s “Citizen” opens with racial microaggression as introductory poem to the collection.
Additional Notes
Introductory poem opens a sequence or collection, establishing motifs or voice. Related to opening piece and title page verse. Often reappears thematically—read it last to appreciate how the whole work reframes its initial promise.
Also Known As
Proem Preliminary poem Prelude verse Frontispiece
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