Tag Archives: 4 quatrains

The Herrick

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• The Herrick makes use of alternating feminine and masculine end words. It is a verse form named for Robert Herrick (1591-1674) and patterned after his poem To the Virgins to Make Much Time.

The Herrick is:
○ stanzaic, a poem of 4 quatrains. (16 lines)
○ metered, alternating tetrameter and trimeter lines. Odd number lines are tetrameter ,even numbered lines are trimeter.
○ rhyme, rhyme scheme abab cdcd efef ghgh. Odd numbered lines are masculine rhyme, even numbered lines have feminine rhyme.

To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time by Robert Herrick (1st stanza)

Gather ye rose-buds while ye may:
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles to-day,
To-morrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he’s a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he’s to setting.
That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer ;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may go marry :
For having lost but once your prime
You may for ever tarry.
Pasted from http://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/index.php?showtopic=668
My thanks to Judi Van Gorder for years of work on this fine PMO resouce.
My Example poem

Are Caterpillars Cognizant?(The Herrick)

When caterpillars go to sleep
I wonder if they’re knowing
that while their sleep is very deep
their lovely wings are growing?

Is metamorphosis a shock
or is it all expected?
Do larvae young ones watch the clock
and know it’s all connected?

When they crochet that crusty shell
that doesn’t look delicious
and hide in sight so very well
are they themselves suspicious?

Like teenage girls that want a bust
anticipating greatly
do they awake with pride or just
think, “What has happened lately.”

© Lawrencealot, – July 27, 2014
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The Herrick

Quadrilew

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Created by C. G. V. Lewis, the Quadrilew is a form of quatrain poem
with an abab rhyming scheme, repeating lines, and contains an alternating syllable structure.
.
This is a stanzaic, form requiring 4 quatrains.
It is syllabic with two forms, either 5/6/5/6  repeating or 6/5/6/5 repeating.
Minimum 16 lines, No meter specified.
Refrains: The Nth line of the first quatrain is the first line of the Nth quatrain.
In the first verse, the poet may either start with a five or six syllable line.
The poem requires FOUR quatrains
Rhyme pattern: aBAB2 Baba Abab B2aba, when the capitalized letters represent the three refrain lines.
VERSE ONE,
Line 1, 5 syllables.
Line 2, 6 syllables.
Line 3, 5 syllables.
Line 4, 6 syllables.
VERSE TWO,
Line 1, (which is a REPEAT of line 2 of the FIRST verse) has 6 syllables.
Line 2 new line of 5 syllables
Line 3 new line of 6 syllables
Line 4 new line of 5 syllables.
VERSE THREE,
Line 1, (which is a REPEAT of line 3 of the first verse) has 5 syllables.
Line 2 new line of 6 syllables.
Line 3 new line of 5 syllables.
Line 4 new line of 6 syllables.
VERSE FOUR,
Line 1, (which is a REPEAT of line 4 of the first verse) has 6 syllables.
Line 2 new line of 5 syllables.
Line 3 new line of 6 syllables.
Line 4 new line of 5 syllables.
If the first line of verse one has 6 syllables then the pattern is
Verse 1, 6565,
Verse 2, 5656,
Verse 3, 6565,
Verse 4 5656: (the rhyme pattern still being abab.)
If wishing to create a longer poem then the next verse (5)
must be a completely fresh set of four lines,
these being used as before in the following three verses.
Example Poem
My Goat   (Quadrilew)

My goat can’t pedal yet.
My goat likes to ride
when we go to the vet.
He likes apples fried.
My goat likes to ride
buses, trains, and , you bet
cars– on the inside!
(He don’t like gettin’ wet. )
When we go to the vet
He climbs up astride
my back and that’s no sweat.
my goat’s satisfied.
He likes apples fried
if appetite’s been whet.
Laughs he will provide,
he’s more a friend than pet.
© Lawrencealot – Janyary 20,2016

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This is the 5/6 option

This is th 6/5 option

Quatern

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The Quatern is a French form that consists of four quatrains (4-line stanzas),
with 8 syllables in each line.
The first line of stanza 1 is repeated as a refrain line as the second line of stanza 2,
the third line of stanza 3 and the last line of stanza 4.
There is no set meter or rhyme scheme.
 
Possible rime schemes  –  virtually any are ok
i. Abab, cAca, adAd, eaeA
ii. Aabb, aAbb, bbAa, bbaA
iii. Axax, xAxa, axAx, xaxA
Example Poem
Write a Quatern
This line shall serve as a refrain.
Each stanza moves it down again.
This form is in tetrameter,
but may be done pentameter
Though that does go against the grain.
This line shall serve as a refrain.
The first two lines were fine iambs,
But in the next, that meter scrams.
No meter is required at all
which makes choosing good words, a ball.
This line shall serve as a refrain.
Rhyming with refrain is no strain.
Just two more lines will do the trick.
Then we are finished pretty quick
You’re forced to “a” rhyme once again.
This line shall serve as a refrain.
© Lawrencalot – April 1, 2012
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Tempo Composto

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Tempo Composto means “time’s up” in Latin.
A form invented by L. Allen Bacon, aka Allen a Dale of Allpoetry.
The first three stanzas of a “tempo composto” are made up of
1) A Spondee (DA-DA)
2) two lines of Dactyl (DA-da-da)
3) 12 syllables free verse.
The fourth stanza differs in that the final line is only
4 syllables of free verse.
The rhyme pattern is
a-a-x-x
b-b-x-x
c-c-x-x
d-d-x-x
Looks good centered, but that is not a requirement.
Example Poem

Ride in the Country
Roadside
countryside
Lemonade
For sale sign draws me in to find they have just corn.
Quite hot!
Day is shot.
I have got
no lemonade. Drive on looking for the next stand.
Need gas,
Still I pass
twenty-one
stations looking for fruit stand, then run out of gas.
Walk back!
Station sez,
Out of gas,
Got lemonade.
(c) Lawrencealot – May 30, 2012
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