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 | abab ccdd 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: aaaabbccddeeff |
| 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
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| 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 |