Standard Sonnets

Standard Sonnets ( Count as of 1/12/2016 = 107)

The renowned sonneteer Jose Rizal M. Reyes of the Philippines has suggested that there are three classes of sonnets, namely sonnets of the head, of the heart, and of the hand. Sonnets of the hand have some mechanistic feature or formulation that differentiates the sonnet by more than rhyme pattern, meter, line length or volta placement. I have in this blog decided to refer to this class of sonnet, as “Gadget” sonnets, and leave the other sonnets classed a “standard” at this time.

I feel the distinction of sonnets by head is merely a matter of content and has nothing to do with sonnet form. Here I will list those sonnets which most poets would consider standard, although there are some who will consider anything but English, French, and Italian to be otherwise. To jump to the specifications, poem example and template, click on sonnet name.

American Forte abab bbcc cdcd dd
American Libre abab bbcc cdcd ee
Arabian Sonnet aaaa bbbb ccc ddd
Asean Royal Flush Sonnet aaaaaaaa aaaaaa
Balanced Sonnet Stanzaic       Two septets  (7 line stanzas)
Meter:         Iambic pentameter
Volta          Not specified.
Rhyme Scheme:  ababcbc ededfef
Betwixt Sonnet  abba cbbc dbbd bb
Beymorlin Sonnet abab cdcd efef gg
Blank Verse Sonnet No rhyme; Strict Iambic Pentameter
Bowelsian Sonnet  abba cddc effe gg
Brisbane Sonnet abcabc defdef gg
Byron’s Sonnet abba acca ded ede
Canadia Sonnet-Italian Structure abba cddc eff egg
Channing’s Sonnet abbaabba cde cde

abbaacca dee dff, and others
Capped Sonnet xxxxxxxxxxxxaa

abbaacca dee dff, and others
Choi’s Sonnet abab bbcc cdcd dd
Chivalric Sonnet xaxa xbxb xcxc dd
Clare Sonnet aabbccddeeffgg
Countess’ Grief 1
It consists of three quatrains and a couplet, but the couplet itself does not rhyme. The Rhyme scheme is:  abba cddc eefg gf
Couplet Sonnet aa bb cc dd ee ff gg
Cyhydedd Fer Sonnet aabbccddeeffgg
Divino Sonnet aabb dccd eff egg
Dorn Sonnet abcabc ee aeaeae or abcabc dd efefef
Double  Sonnet Any standard sonnet doubled in one of three ways,
Dueces Sonnet Rhyme Scheme: abba abba baab aa
Dutch Sonnet ababaaccdxdfxf
English Sonnet abab cdcd efef gg
Envelope Sonnet An otherwise normal sonnet with rhyme scheme
abbacddc efgefg or abbacddc efefef.
Fatima Stanza Sonnet abab bcbc cc cdcd
 French Canadian  Sonnet abba cddc ee fggf 
Flying Bird Sonnet aaaaa bbccbb aaaa
Four Epoch Sonnet abba cdcd efge hh 
Four Kings Sonnet abbaabba abbaab
Fourteener Alexandrine meter, any rhyme
French Canadian  Sonnet abba cddc ee fggf 
French Sonnet abba abba ccdeed or abba abba ccdccdor abba abba ccdede

Germanic Sonnet abbabccb cddcdd
Gloria cum Noynoy Sonnet – Italianic abba abba cddc dd
Glorionic Sonnet aabbbccc ddedee
Grammarian Sonnet
Stanzaic , consisting of alternate quintains and couplets
Meter is iambic pentameter
Rhyme scheme: abbba cc deeed ff
Harrisham Sonnet ababab cdcdcd ee
Indonesian Sonnet abab abab abab ab
Italian or Petrarchan Sonnet abbaabba cdecde or abbaabba cdccdc or abbaabba cdcdcd

abababab cdecde or abababab cdccdc or abababab cdcdcd
ababacca cdecde  or ababacca cdccdc  or ababacca cdcdcd
Irish Sonnet abab bcbc cdcd dd
Ivorian Sonnet Composed of a progression of stanzas, couplet, tercet, quatrain and quintet.
Rhymed aabcbdede, then a quintet which rhymes each letter.
Japanese Sonnet  aaaa bbbbbb aaaa
Jeffery’s Sonnet aabccb ddeffe ge
Kal’s First Fireburst The same as Kal’s Wondercloth Weave Sonnet, except the rhyme scheme: abcb bcdc cded de, requires line 3 in each quatrain to be feminine rhyme.
Kal’s Wondercloth Weave Sonnet  abcb bcdc cded de
Kangaroo Pause  abab ccdd efef gg
Keats Sonnet abc abd cab cde de 
Kilmer’s Sonnet abba baab cdc dcd
Kindergart Klas Sonnet abca bcab cabc dd
Kiwi Pause abba ccdd effe gg or ababccdddedeff
La Germania
rhyming pattern: abba acca cddc dd

format: English (quatrain, quatrain, quatrain, couplet)

Lannet 10 syllables per line. No End Rhyme Allowed
 Lazy Day Sonnet Created by Rebecca Kerr:  Rhyme pattern aabbccdddeeeff
Lunatic Sonnet aaab bbcc cddd ee
Luzvimninda Sonnet aaaa bbbb cccc dd
Mabini Sonnet abbaccaa ddaeea
Malayan Wave Sonnet –  English Format aaba bbcb ccdc dd
Marshalline Sonnet abab cdcd efef gg
Mason Sonnet abcabcbc dbadda
Maylayan Fireburst aababbcbccdcdd
Maylayan Wave Sonnet aababbcbccdcdd
Melanesian Sonnet aabaaaba aababb
Miltonic Sonnet abbaabbacdecde
Mirrored Seven Sonnet Rhyme scheme: ababcdeedcbaba
Isosyllabic:  7 syllable per line.
PGMA Sonnet Form created by Jose Risal M. Reyes in honor of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

rhyming pattern: abba abba cddc dd
Philippine Sonnet  aaaa bbbb aaaa cc
Philippine Stanza Sonnet aaaa bbbb cccc dd
Polynesian Wave
Invented and named by Jose Rizal M. Reyes of the Philippines.   Meter is iambic pentameter

Rhyme Scheme: aaxa bbxb ccxc dd

Pope John XXIII Sonnet aaaa bbbb cc dddd
Pushkin Sonnet abaccdd eff egg
Reasonnet Four tercets plus a couplet
rhyme scheme aaa bbb ccc ddd ee
Invented by Ruth Poteet.
Rime Royal Sonnet ababbccdedeeff
Romblomanon Sonnet aaaa bb cccc dddd
Rosarian Sonnet aabcc ddbee fggf
Rubaiyat Sonnet  aaba bbcb ccac aa
Russia’s Twin Eagles
 Invented and named by Jose Rizal M. Reyes of the Philippines.  Meter is iambic pentameter
Rhyme Scheme: aba bccb ded effe
Salamander’s Fireburst Rhyme pattern is abcb acdc aded ae, where the c and d rhymes must be feminine.
Sapphic Ode Sonnet abab cdcd efef gg
Saraband Sonnet – English Style aaa abab aaa abab, aaa abab aaa abcb

axa abab axa abab, axa abab axa abcb
aaa abcb aaa abab, aaa abcb aaa abcb
axa abcb axa abab, axa abcb axa abcb
Saraband Sonnet – French Style aaa bbcc aaa bbcc or aza bbcc aza bbcc (where “z” lines must  rhyme with each other, but can have any value, inclueding a-c.)

Saraband Sonnet – Italian Style aaa baab aaa baab or axa baab axa baab
Saraband Sonnet – Spanish Style aaa bcbc aaa bcbc or axa bcbc axa bcbc
Sephallian Reverse Sonnet When read in the normal fashion, the poem has a pessimistic tone, but when read from bottom to top, it becomes and optimistic poem.  The rhyme scheme is abcdeedcbaffa and may optionally be written as a refrain sonnet as A1bcdeedcbA2ffA2A1.
Scupham Sonnet
Two  Scupham stanzas (sextets) followed by a couplet
Metered: Iambic Pentamter
Rhymed: abccba deffed gg
Sicilan Sonnet abababab cdccdc  or abababab cdecde
Solihull Sonnet ababababababcc, created by Barry Hopkins
Sonnenzio A poem which must repeat a word from a line of another sonnet in each of its own lines.  It may be blank verse or any rhyme scheme, as long as it concludes with a rhyming couplet.
Sonnet Rounds, Crowns, and Sonnet Redoublé Here Lies this poet’s proudest work.
And just added, the best composition I’ve ever read.
South African Quilt It is defined by the Rhyme scheme: aabb ccdd efg efg
Spenserian Forte abab bcbc cdcd dd
Spenserian Sonnet abab bcbc cdcd ee

Stefanile Triadic Sonnet aba bccdbbde efe 
Storm Sonnet abcc deff ghii jj
Teacher-Pupil Equation Rhyme Pattern: aaaa aaaa bbbb bb
Teddybard Sonnet Rhyme Pattern: 
Tennyson-Turner’s Sonnet abab  cdcd  effe  fe
Tuckerman’s Sonnet abbabcab adeced  or abbabcba bdeced
Turkey’s Delight

abba ccdd efef gg

Vaughanet A form which uses near rhyme, in the volta coming at L5-6
Rhmye Scheme: abab cc dede fgfg 
Visayan Splash Stanzaic: 3 quatrains and a couplet.
Rhyme Scheme: abcb bcdc cdad da
Visser Sonnet Internal rhyme only Octet + Sestet -Usually Iambic PentameterInternal Rhyme scheme abbaabba cdecde
Originated by Audrea Visser
Volcanic Fireburst Stanzaic: 3 quatrains and a couplet.
The rhyme scheme is: abba ccDD eeDD ff, where the capital letters indicate feminine rhyme.
Volcanic Workshop Stanzaic: 3 quatrains and a rhyming couplet.
Rhyme Scheme: abBB ccBB ddBB ee, where the capital letters indicate feminine rhyme.
Weaver’s Sonnet
Created by Tim Weaver, aka Poeticweaver on Allpoety
Rhyme pattern: aabb cdcd efef gg
Volta/Meter/Line length optional
Wordsworth Sonnet

abbaacca dede ff.
Wreathed and Unwreathed Sonnet a(a/b)(b/a)(a/b)(b/c)(c/d)(d/c)(c/d)e(e/f)(b/e)(e/b)(b/e)(e/f)
a specific internal rhyme scheme.
Wyatt/Surrey

abbaabba cddc ee

Comments are closed.