Quatern Sonnet

The original Quatern was a French form consisting of three,
four line stanzas and containing a couplet refrain.
As is normal with French poetry it was constructed using eight syllable lines.
No meter or rhyme scheme was specified.
The Refrain is the first line of the first stanza,
and becomes the second line of the second stanza,
the third line of the third stanza and
finally the last line of the last stanza.
The well known Australian poet Bruce Henderson
suggests replacing the final quatrain with a couplet,
thus making it "a little song".

Quatern Sonnet Template
Note: NO Rhyme required, but ANY permitted,  I have shown common choices.


Example Poem:

Let's write a new Quatern Sonnet

Eight syllables four of which slide
from each stanza by line they glide.
No rhyme required but here I tried.

No meter was specified, yet
for this single Quatern Sonnet
I've used iambic meter tet!
Insulted some back there I'll bet.

Refrains can play like Quaterns do.
Hence naming should make sense to you,
but "sonnet" in Quatern Sonnet
Means fourteen lines in this guy's  view.

We had the thought in our bonnet;
now we've penned a Quatern Sonnet.

(c) Lawrencealot - June 25, 2012


Visual Template: