Consisting of two Italian quatrains the Italian octave was used by Petrarch in his poetry. Originally there was no set form or line length and Petrarch used it as a basis for his poems including his sonnets. Spenser later formalised it to iambic pentameter with a rhyme schematic of abbaabba However, English is not a … Continue reading Italian Octave Notes
Category: Octaves (8-Line Stanzas)
Huitain Notes
A very old French verse form the Huitain consists of one eight-line stanza composed of ten-syllable lines. The verse is written over three rhymes and the two popular rhyme schemes are as follows:ababbcbcandabbaacac Example Be thou like a rose by Ryter Roethicle Be thou like a Rose my belovedLet not thy thorns keep me away.When … Continue reading Huitain Notes
Canzonetta Notes
Meter: Meter of first line sets the tempoStructure: Minimum two octavesRhyme Scheme: ababcdcdD or abababaB The canzonetta is a variation of the canzone. It consists of at least two octaves, each using a series of alternating couplets. The last line or phrase is repeated in each subsequent stanza. Example: Hot Summer Nights by Terry Clitheroe … Continue reading Canzonetta Notes
Octave
Octaves are widely known in their strict forms of variant metered rhyme schemas. However, they can also be eight-line stanzas that use one or more alternative poetic devices such as: syllable count, internal rhyme, a couplet in each stanza, meter and so on. For my example I have worked in Iambic Diameter, any rhymes are … Continue reading Octave