quatrain
- noun
- /ˈkwɑːtreɪn/
- Literature
- In the first quatrain, lines 11-14, the word intaha ("ended" or "vanished") has three different meanings.
- the first quatrain
- the last quatrain
- the second quatrain
Examples
-
The two quatrains of Garcilaso's poem feature the language and the themes of the epic.
Academic text (1998) -
The underlined quatrains are written in the traditional abudhiyya of the vernacular poetry of southern Iraq.
Academic text (1997) -
And here again, the rhymed quatrain appears to be an especially responsive structure.
Academic text (2010) -
The second quatrain expresses a state of total confusion and persecution.
Academic text (1995) -
Each line is written in iambic trimeter, and each set of four lines constitutes a quatrain.
Academic text (2009) -
Here, the fiery horse is recognizably part of the catalogue of knightly accoutrements begun in the first quatrain.
Academic text (2003) -
George Saintsbury contends that the "ballad quatrain" is "perhaps the most definitely English-blood and bone, flesh and marrow of all English metres."
Academic text (2016) -
The poem is structured in quatrains, with each stanza containing four lines.
-
In her latest book, the author includes a beautiful quatrain that captures the essence of spring.
-
He composed a heartfelt quatrain to express his feelings about friendship.
Synonyms
A four-line stanza with ten syllables per line and an abab rhyme used in epic poems
A group of four lines in a poem with ABAB rhyme often used for poems about loss
How Many
- Literature
- Literature
- Literature
- Literature
Surface Forms
Etymology
Quatrain comes from the French word quatre, meaning 'four', and so it names a group of four lines in a poem. Think of quartet or quadruple, both about 'four', to remember that a quatrain has four lines.