The Quatern

[Tinker]

Explore the Craft of Writing Poetry
French Verse

The Quatern (Latin = 4 each) is a French verse form, possibly from the Middle Ages since it is so close to the Retourne and Kyrielle which also came from that period. The Quatern like so many other French forms employs a refrain. The defining feature is the movement of the refrain within the quatrain from stanza to stanza.

The elements of the Quatern are:

1. a verse form, written in 4 quatrains.
2. syllabic, usually written in lines of 8 syllables.
3. rhymed at the poet's discretion. Possible rhyme schemes are Axax xAxa axAx xaxA x being unrhymed and the cap A being the refrain. Or Aabb aAcc ddAa eeaA or any combination the poet chooses as long as the refrain is in the proper position.
4. composed with a kind of rolling refrain that is repeated as

   L1 of the first stanza   L2 of the second stanza L3 of the third stanza L4 of the fourth stanza A a b b a A c c d d A a e e a A or A x a x x A x a a x A x x a x A . . x being unrhymed

   The Pen Whispers by Judi Van Gorder My pen hesitates on the page when I sit to write this letter, unsure just how I can assuage your reaction to my ramblings. We have talked about this before. The pen hesitates on this page and whispers how much I love you, better I shout it from a stage. Instead I hide inside a cage fearing you will never hear me. The pen hesitates on the page hoping these words won't go ignored. We have travelled long together yet grow no closer as we age. My romantic dreams unfinished this pen hesitates on the page.

Quatern Sonnet is simply replacing the 4th quatrain of the Quatern with a Heroic Couplet, suggested by Australian poet Bruce Henderson.  The elements would be the same as the Quatern above except the final  couplet would carry the "a" rhyme and the last line is a repeat of L1 of the poem.

[Tinker]

Illusive I count, I breathe, I pray for sleep, the blessed, healing, cleansing, boost for renewed clarity and to strip my tired brain of worry and care. I slide into cool, fragrant sheets, I count, I breathe, I pray for sleep, my thoughts recreate past events, rewrite scripts, climb mountains too steep. Fear of unknowns can make me weep, trying not to dwell on past pain. I count, I breathe, I pray for sleep. No drink or pills will lead the way. The past is passed, no changing now. Live in the moment, this I'll keep. Tonight I try over, one more time. I count, I breathe, I pray for sleep.                              ~Judi Van Gorder