Help:Editing poetry
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| This page provides help on editing poetry. |
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[edit] Line indentation and linebreaks
A software extension on Wikisource simplifies indentation and linebreaks. Wrap a poem inside <poem> tags; the linebreaks and indentation will be displayed as it is written. For example, see this poem excerpt and background code:
And oft by yon blue gushing stream
Shall Sorrow lean her drooping head,
And feed deep thought with many a dream,
And lingering pause, and lightly tread,–
Fond wretch! as if her step disturb'd the dead!
<poem>
And oft by yon blue gushing stream
Shall Sorrow lean her drooping head,
And feed deep thought with many a dream,
And lingering pause, and lightly tread,–
Fond wretch! as if her step disturb'd the dead!
</poem>
[edit] Line numbering
For long works without numbered stanzas, it may be useful to add line numbers to the text for the convenience of those readers who wish to cite particular lines or passages. No single standard for this kind of markup has emerged on Wikisource yet. One method (used in Hellas for example) is to mark each fifth line in a small blue font, to the right of the end of the line (so as not to interfere with the indentation). Each line number also includes an HTML anchor to facilitate direct linking — e.g. [[Hellas#line300]]. For example:
<poem>
...
If night is mute, yet the returning sun {{pline|295}}
Kindles the voices of the morning birds;
Nor at thy bidding less exultingly
Than birds rejoicing in the golden day,
The Anarchies of Africa unleash
Their tempest-winged cities of the sea, {{pline|300}}
To speak in thunder to the rebel world.
...
</poem>
...
If night is mute, yet the returning sun 295
Kindles the voices of the morning birds;
Nor at thy bidding less exultingly
Than birds rejoicing in the golden day,
The Anarchies of Africa unleash
Their tempest-winged cities of the sea, 300
To speak in thunder to the rebel world.
...
[edit] Punctuation
Online sources often disagree on punctuation in a poem. Most poems are roughly grammatically correct; if you find a passage with no punctuation, you should check against multiple sources or an authoritative published source.
