Quoting a poem in MLA style can seem intimidating at first, but it is actually quite simple once you understand the basic principles. Here are some guidelines to help you properly quote a poem in MLA style:
Begin the quotation with the poet's name and the title of the poem in quotation marks. For example: "In 'The Road Not Taken,' Robert Frost writes..."
When quoting lines of poetry, use a forward slash (/) to indicate line breaks. For example: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I / took the one less traveled by" (Frost 1-2).
If you are quoting more than three lines of poetry, you should indent the quotation and omit the quotation marks. For example:
In "The Road Not Taken," Robert Frost writes: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. (1-4)
- If you are quoting a poem that is more than one stanza, you should start each new stanza on a new line and indent it. For example:
In "The Road Not Taken," Robert Frost writes: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and Iâ I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. (1-10)
- If you are quoting a poem that is written in a foreign language, you should include the original text as well as the translation. For example:
In "Le Dormeur du Val," Arthur Rimbaud writes: "Le sommeil de la vallĂ©e m'a bercĂ©. J'ai vu, dans des rĂȘves trĂšs frais, descendre / Des vertes montagnes, des paleurs d'automne, / Des soleils roux, des enfants, des bĂȘtes, / Des prisons, des forĂȘts, des refuges roses, / Des rivages, des maisons, des fers, des rochers, / Des Ăźles, des villes, et des mers". ("The Sleepers in the Valley have rocked me to sleep. I have seen, in very fresh dreams, descending / Green mountains, autumn pale colors, / Red suns, children, beasts, / Prisons, forests, pink refuges, / Shores, houses, iron, rocks, / Islands, cities, and seas." (1-7)
- When you are citing a poem in your works cited page, you should include the author's name, the title of the poem, the title of the book or anthology in which it was published, the editor of the anthology (if applicable), the publication year, and the page number(s). For example:
Frost, Robert. "The Road Not Taken." The Poetry of Robert Frost, edited by Edward Connery Lathem, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1969, pp. 3-4.
By following these guidelines, you can easily quote a poem in MLA style and properly credit the poet for their work.
