tercet + quatrain + tercet + quatrain
Four stanzas
Volta at Line 8
Stanza 1 a tercet, rhyme axa or aaa
Stanza 2 a quatrain, any quatrain form or rhyme
The stanza forms may be mixed
Note my lables and templates do not consider mixed forms.
- English: abab or abcb
- Italian: baab
- Spanish: bcbc
- French: bbcc
Stanza 3 a tercet, same tercet form as stanza 1
a sonnet with a French tercet requires
line 2 of both tercets to rhyme.
Stanza 4 a quatrain, any quatrain form and
rhyme
Any metrical foot
Any metrical line
Some authorities insist on eight syllables but this is not cut and dried
Rhyme scheme: depends on the form chosen.
The volta the first line of the second tercet.
aaa bcbc aaa bcbc
axa bcbc axa bcbc
Example Poem:
Tell Me of Your Anger in Whispers (Sarabande Sonnet)
If you should speak in anger, dear
first speak where only you can hear
to be assured your meaning’s clear.
If meaning’s clear then is it fair?
is blame essential to be found?
Are words intended to repair,
and will they guide toward common ground?
Perhaps they ought to disappear
until your anger is not here,
for thrown, they travel like a spear.
The ripples spread out everywhere.
Use whispers closely, late tonight.
Just say you’re angry- for I care.
And honey I will make it right.
(c) Lawrencealot
Visual Template: (Early on I found the spelling shown below, but have intentionally chose to opt for the more commonly found “Saraband”.
