1. Citing a Complete Poem in a Works Cited Page:
* Single-author poem in a book:
```
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. "Title of Poem." *Title of Book*, edited by Editor's Name(s), Publisher, Year, page numbers.
```
Example:
```
Frost, Robert. "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." *The Poetry of Robert Frost*, edited by Edward Connery Lathem, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1969, pp. 260-61.
```
* Poem from an online database (e.g., Poetry Foundation):
```
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. "Title of Poem." *Title of Database*, Publisher, URL.
```
Example: (Note: Always use the most up-to-date URL. This example is illustrative only.)
```
Dickinson, Emily. "Because I could not stop for Death—." *Poetry Foundation*, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46552/because-i-could-not-stop-for-death.
```
* Poem in an anthology:
```
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. "Title of Poem." *Title of Anthology*, edited by Editor's Name(s), Publisher, Year, page numbers.
```
Example:
```
Hughes, Langston. "The Weary Blues." *The Norton Anthology of American Literature*, Volume 1, edited by Stephen Greenblatt et al., 9th ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2018, pp. 1737-38.
```
2. Citing a Portion of a Poem in the Text:
When quoting a portion of a poem, follow these rules:
* Short quotations (fewer than three lines): Integrate the quote directly into your sentence, using quotation marks. Indicate line breaks with a slash (/).
Example: Frost describes the allure of the woods with the line, "Whose woods these are I think I know."
* Longer quotations (three lines or more): Set the quote off as a block quote (indented one inch from the left margin, without quotation marks). Maintain original line breaks. The citation goes *after* the final punctuation mark of the block quote.
Example:
> The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
> But I have promises to keep,
> And miles to go before I sleep,
> And miles to go before I sleep. (Frost 261)
3. In-text Citations:
* In-text citations always follow the quote. They generally consist of the author's last name and page number (or line numbers if page numbers aren't available).
* If you're using line numbers instead of page numbers, use "ll." (lowercase "ell" followed by a period) followed by the line numbers. Example: (Hughes ll. 1-4)
4. Important Considerations:
* Accuracy: Always ensure accuracy in your transcription of the poem.
* Ellipses: Use ellipses (...) to indicate omitted words or lines within a quotation.
* Brackets: Use brackets [ ] to add your own words for clarity within a quotation.
* Italics: Use italics for titles of poems only if they stand alone as the work you're citing (like a long poem published as a book). Otherwise, poem titles are in quotation marks.
* Multiple authors: If a poem has multiple authors, list them all in the order they appear on the publication.
Remember to consult the most recent edition of the MLA Handbook for the most current and comprehensive guidelines. The examples provided here are for illustrative purposes and should be adapted to reflect the specific details of your source.