How to Write a Poem in Quatrains: 10 Steps

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How to Write a Poem in Quatrains: 10 Steps
How to Write a Poem in Quatrains: 10 Steps
Anonim

Have you ever heard "Roses are red" singing? In this case, you've already heard a quatrain poem. A quatrain is a stanza with four lines and a rhyming pattern. While a quatrain is a single verse, a quatrain poem can contain any number of quatrains (even just one). Fortunately, the rhyming patterns can be extremely varied, making these poems particularly adaptable and accessible. To create a unique quatrain poem, simply choose a topic and a rhyming scheme, then find words that rhyme.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Exploring the Quatrain Structure

Write a Quatrain Poem Step 1
Write a Quatrain Poem Step 1

Step 1. Practice writing a single quatrain in meter

A quatrain is a verse made up of four lines with a rhyming pattern or a meter. A metric pattern indicates that each verse has the same number of syllables and that the accents are repeated on the same syllables. In iambic pentameter poems for example, each verse has five (penta) iambic feet (ta-TUM), for a total of ten syllables.

  • Shakespeare's "Sonnet 18" is written in iambic pentameters: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"
  • "In Memoriam A. H. H." Tennyson's is written in iambic tetrameters: 4 iambic feet consisting of 8 syllables per line. "Thou madest Life in man and brute"
Write a Quatrain Poem Step 2
Write a Quatrain Poem Step 2

Step 2. Experiment with rhyming patterns

Rework your test quatrain using different rhyme schemes. This exercise will help you figure out which sounds you prefer. Later, you can apply that rhyming scheme to the poem you want to write. There are no rules on the rhyme scheme of a quatrain poem, so experiment!

  • Rhyming schemes are usually denoted by letters (ABCD). Each time a line of the poem ends with a new sound, it is assigned a letter. Therefore, if the last word of the first line is "love", the letter A is assigned to all rhymes with "-ore" ("heart", "warmth", etc.). The next unique sound (and all its rhymes) will be "B", the following "C" and so on. Below you will find some of the more common patterns used in quatrains:
  • ABBA: this rhyme is called crossed, because the rhyme B is inside the two lines with rhyme A.
  • This quatrain has often been used by classical sonnet authors such as Petrarch.
  • ABAB: This rhyming scheme is called alternating.
  • AABB: The kissed rhymes scheme gives two very strong rhymes to the quatrain. If you're going to use this rhyming scheme for a long poem though, the rhymes may start to sound like a chant. be careful!
  • You can also put a third sound in a quatrain, even if it won't have a rhyme: ABCB, ABCA, ABAC, etc.
Write a Quatrain Poem Step 3
Write a Quatrain Poem Step 3

Step 3. Develop a complete thought in your quatrain

A quatrain poem consists of two or more quatrain stanzas. Each verse should express a single thought, as well as a paragraph of a story or relationship.

  • Practice composing single quatrains before writing an entire poem.
  • Don't worry about writing something that can be developed into a complete poem; use this exercise as a workout.
  • Try to develop a complete thought in four lines of writing in metrics.
Write a Quatrain Poem Step 4
Write a Quatrain Poem Step 4

Step 4. Read and study the poems written in quatrains

Some rhyming patterns have ancient traditions that you should study, but you don't have to follow any "rules". Learn the history of the patterns, but feel free to choose the one you prefer.

  • Tennyson said his grief took the form of the stanzas in his poem "In Memoriam A. H. H" when his friend Arthur Hallum died. That's why it uses the tetrameter, which sounds like an incomplete pentameter. Sound A is the first, then returns to the end of each verse. This symbolizes the poet's inability to overcome his friend's death.
  • Thomas Gray wrote "Elegy Written in a Country Courtyard" in Sicilian quatrains.
  • A. E. Housman used the kissed rhyme in his poem "To an Athlete Dying Young" to mimic the cheerful tone of a cheering crowd. This contrasts with the death that closes the poem.

  • An example of a repeated ABCD rhyme scheme (where none of the first four lines rhymes with the lines of the first quatrain, but instead rhymes with the lines of the following one) is given by the first two quatrains of John Allan Wyeth's "Souilly: Hospital":

    Fever, and crowds --- and light that cuts your eyes--TO

    Men waiting in a long slow-shuffling lineB.

    with silent private faces, white and bleak.C.

    Long rows of lumpy stretchers on the floor.D.

    My helmet drops --- a head jerks up and criesTO

    wide-eyed and settles in a quivering whine.B.

    The air is rank with touching human reek.C.

    A troop of Germans clatters through the door.D.

    Part 2 of 2: Writing a Poem in Quatrains

    Write a Quatrain Poem Step 5
    Write a Quatrain Poem Step 5

    Step 1. Choose a subject for your poem

    What's on your mind lately? What problems bother you, or what made you happy? Are you in love, or are you stressed out from too much work? Did you just get a new dog, or did your dog just die?

    • By choosing a topic that you have thought about a lot, you will ensure that you have a lot of material to write about.
    • You may not have anything special to write about. In this case, start with a generic topic, such as nature or emotions, and try to develop a specific thought about it.
    • Observation is a great way to find topics for your poems. Go to a crowded place, like a shopping mall or train station, and watch the people. Try to imagine the lives of the people you see, where they come from and where they go. Take notes to help you remember the most interesting things you've noticed. You will be able to transform the people you meet into characters for narrative poems or dramatic monologues.
    Write a Quatrain Poem Step 6
    Write a Quatrain Poem Step 6

    Step 2. Choose a rhyming scheme

    You experimented with different rhyming patterns when you wrote test quatrains. Choose a rhyming pattern that seems to fit the topic of the poem you want to write, or that you liked the sound of. For example, if you are writing a poem about grief or the loss of something, use cross-rhyme.

    • Now that you work with more than one quatrain, you can think about chaining the rhymes. This occurs when a verse sound is repeated in the following: ABBA BCCB CDDC and so on.
    • The most famous example of chained rhyme are the triplets of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. The whole work is written with the ABA BCB CDC rhyme scheme etc.
    • Make the rhyming scheme more interesting by using multiple styles. A poem that follows the AABA BBCB CCDC scheme is more interesting to the reader and engages him more. Although the first lines B and C seem solitary, they are repeated in the following stanzas. The single D rhyme breaks the pattern and reminds the reader that not every verse must end with a rhyme.
    Write a Quatrain Poem Step 7
    Write a Quatrain Poem Step 7

    Step 3. Write a verse to begin

    The first verse is the basis of your poem, because it is not linked by any rhyme. Of course, it is also one of the hardest to write. If you have a verse in mind that you like the sound of - even if it doesn't make sense right now - write it down so you can start building poetry around it.

    Write a Quatrain Poem Step 8
    Write a Quatrain Poem Step 8

    Step 4. Write lines around the original to create your quatrain

    Keep the rhyming pattern in mind and think in advance of the words to end the lines with. Remember, a quatrain must express a complete thought, like a paragraph.

    • Use rhymes or a thesaurus and antonyms if you're stuck and can't find a rhyme or word.
    • Write a list of words that rhyme with the last word of the verse you wrote, but that are related to the topic.
    • Starting from the words you wrote, make up a whole quatrain. If you are a beginner, try to write lines of similar length.
    • Feel free to use assonances, consonances, or other imperfect rhymes when you can't find a perfect rhyme.
    • Emily Dickinson was a master of imperfect rhymes. In the poem "Because I could not stop for Death -" he rhymes away with civility, chill with tulle, and day with eternity.
    Write a Quatrain Poem Step 9
    Write a Quatrain Poem Step 9

    Step 5. Read your quatrain aloud to make sure it is fluent

    You should be able to read it aloud naturally, as if the rhythm and rhymes make it a song. If the poem doesn't flow smoothly, you'll have to rework it. Shorten short lines and lengthen ones that are too short, so that the rhymes have the right rhythm.

    Write a Quatrain Poem Step 10
    Write a Quatrain Poem Step 10

    Step 6. Write more quatrains

    Evaluate what you just wrote, then decide how to continue after the first verse. Remember that each quatrain should be independent and develop its own concept. It should also be linked to the stanzas that follow and precede it.

    Add depth to the poem by including a change of direction. It is a verse that begins with a word like "but" or "but" and has a different tone from the rest of the poem. It often introduces a new element (such as a dilemma, question, solution, or something else that the reader doesn't expect)

    Advice

    • You'll write better poetry with practice - you won't become a poet by just writing a poem!
    • Reread your poem before you say it's over. You can always find ways to better express your message.
    • Keep a journal of general ideas you want to communicate. Highlight keywords, find rhymes or think about those related to this idea. The more you brainstorm ahead of time, the easier it will be for you to write.

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