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For take thy ballaunce if thou be so wise, And weigh the winds that under heaven doth blow; Or weigh the light that in the east doth rise; Or weigh the thought that from man's mind doth flow.
~~Edmund Spenser, 16th Century English poet.
So passeth, in the passing of a day,
Of mortall life the leafe, the bud, the flowre,
~~Edmund Spenser
A brief discussion of the poet Edmund Spencer and the form he invented -
The Lesser-Known Sonnet - the Spenserian Sonnet
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When discussing poetry forms written in accentual meter, especially iambic meter, perhaps the most notorious is the sonnet. In a past issue of the poetry newsletter "Poetry Newsletter (December 26, 2007)" , Kate - Writing & Reading  examined the three major forms of the sonnet or 'little song.' Of the three sonnet forms, the least known and practiced is the Spenserian Sonnet.
Edmund Spenser, a sixteenth century English poet, invented the sonnet form which is named for him. Though he was not born of a wealthy family, Spenser lived the major part of his life in nobility; among his peers was William Shakespeare. Being inventively creative, he enjoyed writing in various poetry forms and his works inspired many poets who followed him. At one point, his poetry led him into trouble with the hierarchy.
He left behind him masterful essays in every genre of poetry, from pastoral and elegy to epithalamion and epic. Although his prose treatise on the reformation of Ireland was not published until 1633, it showed even then a shrewd comprehension of the problems facing English government in Ireland, and a capacity for political office as thorough as his literary ability. Milton was later to claim Spenser as 'a better teacher than Aquinas', and generations of readers, students, and scholars have admired him for his subtle use of language, his unbounded imagination, his immense classical and religious learning, his keen understanding of moral and political philosophy, and his unerring ability to synthesize and, ultimately, to delight.
http://www.english.cam.ac.uk/spenser/biography.htm
Edmond Spenser was well-respected among his peers, who dubbed him the poet's poet. At one time, he lived in Ireland as a government official, but was forced to return to England, with his wife and children, when his home was burned down during a period of unrest. Though a nobleman, Spenser died in England in abject poverty.
It is reported that his funeral was attended by peers Jonson, Beaumont, Fletcher, and Shakespeare. Apparently they all wrote elegies for Spenser which they threw into the grave along with their pens.
http://www.poetsgraves.co.uk/spenser.htm
The Spenserian sonnet emerged from the stanza pattern Spenser employed in writing The Faeire Queene, an epic romantic poem created to celebrate Queen Elizabeth I and an ideal England.
Similar in format to the English or Shakespearean sonnet, the Spenserian has three quatrains and a closing sonnet, which are sometimes combined as one complete stanza. The primary difference between the two sonnet forms is the rhyme pattern and the purpose of the closing couplet. In the Shakespearean sonnet form, the closing couplet, or volta, is a turn or resolution for the preceding quatrains. In the Spenserian sonnet form, this in not required of the closing couplet; the rhyming scheme interweaves the stanzas.
The Spenserian, like the Shakespearean, is most commonly written in iambic pentameter. Iambic pentameter is five iambs (feet) or 10 syllables combined in pairs (or feet) of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. With (x) being an unstressed syllable and (/) a stressed syllable, here is how a line of iambic pentameter (5 iambs – 10 syllables) would scansion:
x / x / x / x /x /
(x /) = 1 iamb (unstressed syllable + stressed syllable).
The rhyme scheme for the Spenserian sonnet is:
a b a b | b c b c | c d c d | e e.
The 'b' rhyme in lines 2 and 3 of the first quatrain (4-line stanza) carry over into lines 1 and 2 of the second quatrain.
The 'c' rhyme in lines 3 and 4 of the second quatrain carry over into lines 1 and 2 of the third quatrain.
The closing stanza, which is not required to offer a resolution, is a rhyming couplet, employing its own unique rhyme.
Following is a Spenserian sonnet composed by Edmund Spenser. Though most commonly displayed as one complete stanza, I have taken the liberty to break it down into three quatrains and a couplet to more clearly show the rhyming scheme. The interlocking rhymes will be in blue and green font colors. Keep in mind that some of the language is Sixteenth Century English.
Sonnet 75 from the Amoretti
One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came the waves and washed it away:
Again I wrote it with a second hand,
But came the tide, and made my pains his prey.
Vain man, said she, that doest in vain assay
A mortal thing so to immortalize,
For I myself shall like to this decay,
And eek my name be wiped out likewise.
Not so (quoth I), let baser things devise
To die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
My verse your virtues rare shall eternize,
And in the heavens write your glorious name.
Where when as Death shall all the world subdue,
Out love shall live, and later life renew.
http://www.nisd.net/healthcareers/english/Copeland/p5/Hannah/indexauthor.htm
A line in this poem points out something interesting about iambic meter. In the first line of stanza two, Spenser uses “Vain” as an unstressed syllable in the opening word of this line, then repeats the word “vain” toward the end of the line in a stressed syllable position. This shows that a word is not always a set 'stressed' or 'unstressed' word, but the stress depends upon the placement in the context of the line. This is one reason iambic meter and other accentual meters cannot be considered a 'pure science.'
While researching for this newsletter, I found the following statement:
The Spenserian sonnet (after Edmund Spenser, he of the Faerie Queene) is often claimed to be a compromise between Italian and English sonnet forms; it rhymes ababbcbc/cdcdee. The alert reader will notice that its rhyming scheme is every bit as demanding as that of an Italian sonnet. Hardly anyone other than Spenser himself has ever used this form.
http://www.noggs.dsl.pipex.com/vf/sonnet.htm
When I read things like the last sentence of the above statement, I am instantly challenged. On another site, I read that the Spenserian sonnet is rarely used among modern poets of distinction. Much like the mountain climber seeks a greater challenge in the more formidable mountains, something inside me begins to stir at such a challenge as a poetry form which few attempt. So, I invite you to accept the challenge along with me and create a Spenserian sonnet. If you wish, you may post your completed sonnet in a non-contest activity for creating poetry written to specific forms -
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Poetry places for inspiration
A muse about sonnets
Revanche poems in response to the March challenge, posted in "Invalid Item"
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Written for kansaspoet's Poetry Scratch Pad
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Thanks to all who read the Poetry Newsletter and to those who have created poems to the challenges I post each month.
Here are a couple reponses to my last newsletter.
Erik Stark 
The Revanche looks like a challenging form which is long enough to get something said too. Not that shorter poems can't say something - I usualy prefer shorter (so far). I will have to try one of these poems soon. Thanks for the great explanation of what a revanche is and how it is constructed. If I am lucky enough to come up with anything worthwhile, I'll drop by the scratchpad. Great newsletter!
Erik
Thanks Erik, I really enjoyed playing around with Revanche form and plan to write another poem to this form. The poets who posted in the Poetry Scratch Pad enjoyed the form.
Larry
A thinker never sleeps
I think I'm going to have print all this poetry information you're giving us. It's too valuable. I remember Homer's `The Odyssey' is usually translated into Iambic hexameter. Poor Homer supposedly had to memorize it all.
Thanks Thinker
I truly enjoy researching poetry forms and meter and finding new challenges. At one time accentual meter 'scared the daylights out of me;' I still have much to learn but I am beginning to enjoy writing metered poetry.
The Poetry Newsletter editors appreciate your support in reading the newsletters; your feedback is always important.
Poetry Newsletter editors:
Stormy Lady 
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larryp
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Poetry: March 26, 2008 Issue [#2299]
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