compilations shorter narrative poems related individual episodes much narrative poetry scottish english ballads baltic slavic heroic poems performance poetry roots preliterate oral tradition speculated features distinguish poetry prose meter alliteration kennings served memory aids bards recited traditional tales notable narrative poets included ovid dante juan ruiz william langland chaucer fernando de rojas lu de cam es shakespeare alexander pope robert burns adam mickiewicz alexander pushkin edgar allan poe alfred tennyson anne carson lyric poetry
Humanities Languages and literature Poetry