Home › Glossary › Letter P

Prophetic verse

Genre
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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

Poetry that speaks with visionary authority, often foretelling, warning, or revealing spiritual truths

Detailed Definition
Prophetic verse is poetry that assumes a visionary or oracular stance, speaking with moral urgency about future consequences, divine will, or societal transformation; rooted in biblical tradition and revived by Blake and Whitman, it blends lyrical intensity with ethical exhortation, positioning the poet as seer or social conscience.
Example
Example in poetry:
Isaiah’s “swords into plowshares” vision in biblical poetry; William Blake’s “Jerusalem” prophesies spiritual renewal; Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” warns of Moloch’s destruction; Amiri Baraka’s “SOS” calls for revolutionary awakening.
Additional Notes
Prophetic verse claims visionary insight or moral warning, often using elevated diction and apocalyptic imagery; rooted in biblical tradition but revived by Blake and modern activist poets.
Also Known As
Visionary verse apocalyptic lyric oracle poetry seer’s song Augural verse harbinger verse
Skip to main content