QUATRAIN
HEY!! Does anybody have a quarter? What's a quarter have to do with this type of poetry? Well, a quarter is 1/4 of a dollar. The word quatrain comes from Latin and French words meaning "four." See the connection?
The quatrain is a poem or stanza of four lines. It is a very popular form of poetry. Famous poets like William Blake and T. S. Eliot used quatrains. Read these examples:
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
-From William Blake's "The Tyger"
Did you notice that a quatrain is formed by two rhyming couplets? Easy! This pattern is called a a b b. The first line rhymes with the second (sky and by) and the third line rhymes with the fourth line (edge and ledge). Other quatrain patterns are (a b a b), (a b b a), and (a b c b).
Identify the patterns in the following quatrains.
"The Mountain" by Donna Brock
The mountain frames the sky
As a shadow of an eagle flies by.
With clouds hanging at its edge
A climber proves his courage on its rocky ledge.
"Summer's Song" by John Ciardi
By the sand between my toes,
By the waves behind my ears,
By the sunburn on my nose,
By the little salty tears
That make rainbows in the sun
When I squeeze my eyes and run,
By the way the seagulls screech,
Guess where I am? At the . . .!
By the way the children shout
Guess what happened? School is . . .!
By the way I sing this song
Guess if summer lasts too long:.
You must answer Right or . . .!
"Down Behind the Dustbin" by Michael Rosen
Down behind the dustbin
I met a dog called Ted.
'Leave me alone,' he says,
'I'm just going to bed.'
Down behind the dustbin
I met a dog called Roger.
'Do you own this bin?' I said.
'No. I'm only a lodger.'
Down behind the dustbin
I met a dog called Sue.
'What are you doing here?' I said.
'I've got nothing else to do.'
See if you can identify the pattern in the quatrain and fill in the blanks.
"Fireworks" by James Reeves
They rise like sudden fiery flowers
That burst upon the night,
Then fall to earth in burning showers
Of crimson, blue and ___________. white
Like buds too wonderful to name,
Each miracle unfolds
And Catherine wheels begin to __________. flame
Like whirling marigolds.
Rockets and Roman candles make
An orchard of the sky,
Where magic trees their petals__________ shake
Upon each gazing__________. eye
1. Read "Sick" by Shel Silverstein.
2. Let's use his poem as a guide for our own poem that uses the same pattern. Let's start. Here are Shel's famous first lines:
"I cannot go to school today."Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
a gash, a rash and purple bumps."
3. Create your own couplets that match Shel's rhythm and rhyme pattern. Each quatrain should list one or more imaginary ailments. You'll have to do some brainstorming--coming up with a list of phony injuries, ailments, bumps, and bruises. You'll have to duplicate Shel's rhythm and rhyme pattern; otherwise, your poem won't read or sound right.
4. Finally, add the ending. You may use Shel's ending or make one of your own.
What's that? What's that you say?You say today is...Saturday?
G'bye, I'm going out to play!"
"The People Upstairs" by Ogden Nash
The people upstairs all practise ballet
Their living room is a bowling alley
Their bedroom is full of conducted tours.
Their radio is louder than yours,
They celebrate week-ends all the week.
When they take a shower, your ceilings lead.
They try to get their parties to mix
By supplying their guests with Pogo sticks,
And when their fun at last abates,
They go to the bathroom on roller skates.
I might love the people upstairs more
If only they lived on another floor.
1. Do you think that the poet admires the people who live in the flat above him or not? Give some reasons for your answer.
2. What sort of person do you think the poet may be?
3. It is always easier to complain about people than to praise them. Consider the 'people who live upstairs' and write about them in a way that makes them seem pleasant.
Hope you're inspired because now it's time for you to create an original quatrain. Write a poem about the people who live near you. You may write a poem of praise or criticism. Let the title of your poem be 'My Neighbours'.
- Think of images, descriptive words, and figurative language that best describe your neighbors.
- Jot them down in web form or in a list as you think of them.
- Turn your ideas into a poem.
- Revise the lines until they look, feel, and sound right to you. Draft, revise, and edit.
- Now, for the real test, read it ALOUD. Does it really paint a clear picture of your neighbors?
- Share your poem with someone else. Listen to his or her critique of your poem. A critique is when someone tells you the strengths and weaknesses of your work. DON'T GET MAD, LISTEN to the suggestions. Revise your work. Remember, the BEST writers are REWRITERS!
- Give your poem a title.
- Type and choose a font that adds to the look of your poem.
- Illustrate your poem.
