My way of celebrating National Poetry Month
Who knew that A Poetry Handbook would be good for so many new words?
- Words to describe the sounds that letters make
- Words to describe the rhythm of a poem
This week, I learned words that describe rhyme from page 59 of A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver.
I would have guessed couplet — that’s just when line 1 rhymes with line 2 and line 3 rhymes with line 4 (aa bb cc dd, etc). Tercet, or triplet is the same, only with three rhyming lines (aaa bbb ccc ddd, etc).
I remember the word quatrain, but I didn’t remember the rhyming pattern — it’s abab cdcd, etc.
I don’t recall ever hearing the term terza rima (according to Wikipedia, I would have if I’d ever studied Dante). The scheme is aba bcb cdc ded, etc. That looks like it would be fun to write, or a big head ache, depending on the mood of the poet.
Did you remember these terms? Or ever learn them in the first place?
