Catalogue
verse is verse that records the names of several persons, places, or things in
the form of a list. It is common in epic poetry, where the heroes involved in a
battle are often enumerated. Other types of catalogue verse record genealogical
or geographical information. Walt Whitman created a new kind of catalogue verse
in his Song of Myself (1855), which celebrates the huge variety of peoples,
places, and occupations in the United States in the form of long lists.