Awit

The awit is a form of Filipino poetry. Its literal translation into English is "song," although in the context of poetry, it is closer to the narrative.

Form
The following are characteristic of the awit:


 * 1) 4 lines/stanza;
 * 2) a rhyme scheme of AAAA (in the Tagalog manner of rhyming described by Jose Rizal in Tagalische Verskunst);
 * 3) a slight pause on the sixth syllable;
 * 4) each stanza is usually a complete grammatically-correct sentence;
 * 5) each stanza is full of figures of speech (according to Fernando Monleon, Balagtas used 28 types in 395 instances throughout the poem);
 * 6) the author is usually anonymous;

Famous Awits

 * Florante at Laura