Couplet, Quatrain & Refrain
By: Harshida Mistry
Couplet
Two consecutive rhyming lines of poetry
Examples
"Blessed are you whose worthiness gives scope,
Being had, to triumph; being lacked, to hope." (Shakespeare)
"So precious are true friends who lend their ears
and give their time to wipe away sad tears." (Joy Saunders)
"A little learning is a dangerous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring." (Pope)
Refrain
Definition
A word phrase, line, or group of lines that is repeated, for effect, several
times in a poem.
Examples
For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride,
In the sepulchre there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea. (Poe)
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep. (Frost)
Quatrain
Definition
a poem consisting of four lines, or four lines of a poem that can be
considered as a unit.
Examples
Lord of DeceitTrapped within a haze of fear,
The Lord of Lies does appear.
Clouded by so much that’s wrong,
Truth gets twisted by his song.
Turning love and joy to pain,
Hidden by the falling rain.
Tragedy becomes the norm
When hate and fear begin to form. (King)
Butterfly Pendant
A butterfly pendant of gold and blue
Sparkled with beauty in the blazing sun.
No matter if it were broken or new,
Its breathlessness could not be outdone.
Blissful was the lady who received this gift,
From her sweetheart, a young college boy.
Never again did she feel this kind of lift,
Which had blanketed her with love and joy. . .(summers)
CLASS ACTIVITY - FIND AN EXAMPLE OF A COUPLET REFRAIN OR QUATRAIN
Bibliography
"Couplet Examples." YourDictionary. Web. 21 Jan. 2015. <http://examples.yourdictionary.com/couplet-examples.html>.
"Refrain - Examples in Poetry." Refrain - Examples in Poetry. Web. 21 Jan. 2015. <http://www.examplesinpoetry.com/refrain-poetry-examples-definition>.
"Shadow Poetry - Poetry Types - Quatrain." Shadow Poetry - Poetry Types - Quatrain. Web. 21 Jan. 2015. <http://shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/quatrain.html>.