The phrase "wax poetic" is used to characterize someone's remarks. This term is frequently used in a pejorative tone. Someone uses it to bring attention to someone else's over-the-top or long-winded remarks.
Poetic language is, in essence, the language most usually associated with poetry. It frequently involves figurative language, since poets frequently employ figures of speech to make commonplace words and phrases appear more exceptional and intriguing, as well as to better convey their message. Poets also often use allusion, which is a reference made by one text or idea to another, sometimes distant past or future, event, or person. Finally, poetic language may include internal rhyme, assonance (the repetition of sounds but not words), and consonance (the repetition of tones).
In addition to these elements, poetic language may also contain symbolism. This is when one thing is understood to stand for another without saying so directly. Authors use symbols this way because it can be difficult to explain something without using exact words or phrases. For example, an author could say that her character "is frightened" rather than saying he or she is afraid. The reader understands that frightened means panic-stricken.
Finally, poetic language may be embellished with superlatives or negatives. With positives, authors add more flavor to their words by using large adjectives or adverbs. This makes readers want to read on because they want to know what kind of flavor the author has in mind. With negatives, authors remove things from their vocabulary to make their point. For example, if someone said his character was not scared then that would mean he was terrified.
Poetic diction refers to the language style, terminology, and metaphors employed in the composition of poetry. It was despised by twentieth-century Modernist poets, who asserted once more that there was no such thing as a "prosaic" term inappropriate for poetry. The American poet Allen Ginsberg called poetic diction "a moribund style".
In contrast, contemporary poets tend to regard poetic diction with favor. It is often considered an important part of any good poem. Many believe it creates a sense of intimacy between reader and poem, and offers protection against misinterpretation.
Poetic diction includes figures of speech and grammatical structures exclusive to poetry. These include similes, personification, metonymy, synecdoche, and paradox. More recently, trisyllabic lines have become popular again; this form is known as "trochaic trimetry".
Similes are comparisons using "like" or "as": "A house like a house on fire" or "A star like glittering sand." Similes can also contain information not found in the original object: "A nail like a finger waiting to be hammered home."
Personification is the anthropomorphization of inanimate objects: "The wind sang a lullaby," or "Ocean's waves danced to the music of a rock band."
Poetic diction refers to the working language of poetry—a language used in a way that distinguishes poetry from other types of speech or writing. It includes the language, phrasing, and syntax that are regarded proper or unfit for poetry at various eras.
Diction is the use of words well; they give life to thoughts and convey ideas properly. Diction includes such elements as style, which relates to the overall sound and feel of a piece of writing; tone, which describes the emotional quality of what you say; and form, which refers to the structure that allows ideas to be expressed clearly and effectively. The main purpose of using poetic diction is to write in a manner that captures the attention of the reader through the use of rhythm, rhyme, and meter.
When writing in a traditional style, it is important to understand that these are the only devices by which poems can be judged. If you write solely in iambic pentameter without any regard for grammar or vocabulary, your work will be dismissed as amateurish even if it contains many beautiful lines. However, if you do both correctly and elegantly, you will find that the formal nature of your poem prevents it from being considered literary fiction.
Traditional styles are highly regulated and rigid. They include English, French, and Italian poetry. These forms have been largely unchanged since their inception many centuries ago.