Quatrain

Pro Tip 1/3

Rhyme Scheme

Quatrains often follow a rhyme scheme such as ABAB where the first and third lines rhyme, and so do the second and fourth.

In the quatrain, 'When I do count the clock that tells the time, / And see the brave day sunk in hideous night; / When I behold the violet past prime, / And sable curls all silvered o'er with white.'

Pro Tip 2/3

Rhythmic Patterns

Quatrains can have varied rhythms, typically following stressed and unstressed syllables.

The quatrain 'To dance upon the soft green grass' has a rhythm that you can tap to.

Pro Tip 3/3

Literary Context

Quatrains are used in many famous poetic forms, including sonnets and ballads.

Shakespeare's sonnets are made of three quatrains followed by a couplet.