Alcaic stanza four lines; the first two lines are divided into two parts by a caesura after the fifth syllable. The metrical pattern of an Alcaic stanza would look like this: Horace frequently used the Alcaic stanza in his Odes, as can be seen from this example : An English translation, which suggests the metre, is : A famous example of English Alcaics is Tennyson's "Milton": <poem style="margin-left:2em"> O mighty-mouth'd inventor of harmonies, O skill'd to sing of Time or Eternity, </poem> The Alcaic stanza was adapted to use in English and French during the Renaissance. It was very frequently used in
Quatrain quatrain form to deliver his famous prophecies in the 16th century. There are fifteen possible rhyme schemes, but the most traditional and common are: AAAA, ABAB, and ABBA. <poem style="margin-left:3em"> The curfew tolls the knell of parting day, The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea, The plowman homeward plods his weary way, And leaves the world to darkness and to me. </poem> <poem style="margin-left:3em"> Come, fill the Cup, and in the fire of Spring Your Winter garment of Repentance fling: To flutter—and the Bird is on the Wing. </poem> Quatrain A quatrain is a type of stanza, or a