What is ODE?

The ode is a kind of lyrical poem in which the poet addresses someone to express his inner grief. It ends with hope and consolation.

There are three types of odes- the pindaric ode or regular ode, or public ode, the Horatian ode or the private ode, and the irregular ode.

The Pindaric ode has three parts: a strophe, an antistrophe, and an epode. Thomas Gray’s “The Progress of Poesy” is an example of this kind of odes.

A Horatian ode has regular stanzas. It deals with the personal grief of the poet. Keats’ “To Autumn” is an example. In this poem, there are eleven lines in each of the three stanzas. Though the poem appears to be objective, there runs pathos in Keats’ acceptance of the painful law of birth and death.

The odes which are not written in regular stanzas are called irregular odes. This kind of ode may deal with public issues or private topics. Wordsworth’s “Ode: Intimation of Immortality” is an irregular ode.