Y’all are doing great so far!! Today we will explore 7-lined poems called “septets.” A septet can be a poem of any form or meter as long as it has seven lines. But before you rush off to do that – let’s explore a SPECIFIC type of septet: a RHYME ROYAL. This is actually the most common form of septet poetry and the only 7-lined poem to have its own special name.
A Rhyme Royal was popularized by Geoffrey Chaucer and it began to be called “royal” because James I of Scotland used it for his own verses.
It has VERY SPECIFIC guidelines, which are:
SEVEN LINES, each having EXACTLY TEN SYLLABLES in them.
There is also a SPECIFIC rhyming PATTERN: a·b·a·b·b·c·c
An example can be found in William Wordsworth poem, “Resolution and Independence”
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45545/resolution-and-independence
So your topic can be anything as long as the poem is 7 lines long and each line has 10 syllables in it and the ending rhymes follow the pattern a·b·a·b·b·c·c
And it that makes you crazy, just write any ol’ septet, which is a seven-lined poem of any form you choose, including free verse.
Here is one of my examples of a “Rhyme Royal”:
Being with my family is the best.
Laughing, crying, and playing together.
We have such fun when we are on a quest.
Loving and supporting one another.
Father and mother, sister and brother.
Families can be eternally bound.
This is the way true happiness is found.
© 2019 Stephanie Abney
And here I have broken it down by lines and ending rhymes:
1. Being with my family is the best. A
2. Laughing, crying, and playing together. B
3. We have such fun when we are on a quest. A
4. Loving and supporting one another. B
5. Father and mother, sister and brother. B
6. Families can be eternally bound. C
7. This is the way true happiness is found. C
Okay, YOUR TURN!! Cheers!!
(Photo by kai kalhh from Pixabay)
PLEASE REMEMBER ~ any poetry found on this blog, written by me, is my personal property and may not be used without my permission, other than sharing it as an example in a lesson or to read it to someone. The same goes for any poems that are shared in the comments of this blog or elsewhere online as a result of this challenge. They are the creative property of the person who writes them. These poems are their original work and no one may use them without their permission. It is understood that they own the copyright to them as soon as they create them and especially once they post them. Thanks so much!
*** Also, if you choose to post your poems on your own blog or elsewhere on social media ~ that’s awesome. But PLEASE don’t just copy and paste my daily instructions, but rather post your poem on your blog or your FB wall or wherever AND LINK BACK TO EACH DAY’S SPECIFIC BLOG POST for others to come here to read the instructions. I’ve spent considerable time researching the poetry forms and writing them up to share with you. Thanks for respecting my work.
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