Burden
A burden is a repeated line or phrase that returns at regular points in a poem, especially in ballads and older lyric forms. It works much like a refrain or chorus, giving the poem a musical pattern and reinforcing its central feeling or idea.
Unlike a simple repeated word or sound, a burden is usually a full line or set phrase that readers expect to hear again.
Example
The river keeps the old town name,
The river keeps the old town name;
Through winter ice and summer flame,
The river keeps the old town name.
Related Definitions
[n] weight to be borne or conveyed
[n] an onerous or difficult concern; "the burden of responsibility"; "that's a load off my mind"
[n] the central idea that is expanded in a document or discourse
[n] the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work
[v] impose a task upon, assign a responsibility to; "He charged her with cleaning up all the files over the weekend"
[v] weight down with a load
Links
- See poems containing the word: Burden.
- See quotes containing the word: Burden.
- How many syllables are in Burden.
- What rhymes with Burden?
Synonyms
burthen, charge, core, effect, encumbrance, essence, gist, incumbrance, load, load, loading, onus, saddle, weight, weight down
Related Terms
accommodation, add, adjoin, affix, afflict, affliction, agglutinate, agitate, albatross, allegiance, amount, anacrusis, annex, antistrophe, append, arraignability, arraignableness, assigned task, attach, bag, bale, bane, barrel, basis, bass, bass passage,