Many of the recognized Sonnet Variations |
Sonnet Variations - Quick Reference Lead [-] Notes: By no means is this listing exhaustive and if the reader feels I have missed a variant please add in a comment and I will place it in the list. I have included some variants which to say the least are controversial. This is to encourage a sense of experimentation without which the sonnet would not be the wonderful poem we know and love. Unless otherwise stated consistent iambic pentameter or decasyllabic lines are a given parameter but that is open to poetic license. A Alfred Dorn Sonnet – abcabc dd aeaeae American Sonnet – aBacbcbd cdcbdB Arabian Sonnet – aaaabbbb cccddd Asean Sonnet – aaaaaaaa aaaaaa Australian Sonnet – abab cdcd effe gg B Blank Verse – xxxxxxxxx xxxxxx Blues Sonnet – AAa BBb CCc DDd ee Brisbane Sonnet – abcabc defdef gg C Canadian Sonnet (English Structure) – abba cddc effe gg Canadian Sonnet (Italian Structure) – abbacddc effegg Cerispring Sonnet (Alternating tetrameter and trimeter with central couplet in tetrameter) – aba bcb dd cec efe Chivalric Sonnet – xaxa xbxb xcxc dd Choi’s Sonnet – abab bbcc cdcd dd Cornish Sonnet i – Abacbc Dedfef AD Cornish Sonnet ii – abacbC dedfeF CF Cornish Sonnet iii – Abacbc dedfeF AF Cornish Sonnet iv – abacbC Dedfef CD Curtal Sonnet (last line is a spondee or short line) – abcabc dbcdc E Echo Sonnet – a1bba2 acca2 adda2 a1a2 Elemental Sonnet – abab ccddcc fgfg Elfin Stanza Sonnet – abba abab ba baba English (Shakespearian) Sonnet – abab cdcd efef gg Envelope Sonnet – abbacddc efgefg Envelope Sonnet (Caudated) – abbacddc efefef ghhgii F Fatima Stanza Sonnet – ababbcbc cccdcd Flying Bird Sonnet – aaaa bbccbb aaaa Four Kings Sonnet – abbaabba abbaab Freestyle Sonnet i – aaaaaa bbccddee Freestyle Sonnet ii – aabbcddc eefegg Freestyle Sonnet iii – abba cdcd xxxxii French Sonnet i – abbaabba ccdccd French Sonnet ii – abbaabba ccdede French Sonnet iii – abbaabba ccdeed French Sonnet iv – abababab ccdccd French Sonnet v – abababab ccdede French Sonnet vi – abababab ccdeed French Sonnet vii – abababcc ddedde French Sonnet viii – abababcc ddefef French Sonnet ix – abababcc ddeffe G German Sonnet – abbabccb cddcdd H Heroic Sonnet – aabbccdd eeffgg Hierarchal Sonnet – aabbbbcc ccdddd I Indonesian Sonnet – abab abab abab ab Irish Sonnet – abab bcbc cdcd dd Italian Sonnet i – abbaabba cdcdcd Italian Sonnet ii – abbaabba cddcee Italian Sonnet iii – abbaabba cdecde Italian Sonnet iv – abababab cdecde Italian Sonnet v – abababcc defdef Italian Sonnet vi – abababcc dedede J John Dee Sonnet – aabbaabb bcbcbc John Milton’s Caudated Sonnet – abbaabba cdecde effegg K Keats’ Sonnet – abc abd cab cde de Korean Sonnet – aaaaaa bbbbbbbb Kyrielle Sonnet (Iambic tetrameter) – AbaB cbcB dbdB AB L Lunatic Sonnet – aaab bbcc cddd ee Luzvimninda’s Sonnet – aaaa bbbb cccc dd M Mabini Sonnet – abbaccaa ddaeea Malayan Sonnet – aaba bbcb ccdc dd Malayan Sonnet (Caudated) – aaba bbcb ccdc ddde eeff Marshalline Sonnet (9-syllable line) – abab cdcd efef gg Melenesian Sonnet – aabaaaba aababb Mirrored 18-line Sonnet – abbaabba cc abbaabba N New Zealand Sonnet – abab bbcc cdcd ee Nightingale Sonnet (9-syllable lines) – axxb axcb xcxb ac P Pantoum Sonnet – a1b1a2b2 b1c1b2c2 c1dc2d a2a1 Passion Sonnet – a1ba2b1 bcb1c b1dbd a1a2 Philippine Sonnet i – aaaa bbbb aaaa cc Philippine Sonnet ii – aaaa bbbb cccc bb Polynesian Sonnet – aaxa bbxb ccxc dd Pope John XXXIII Sonnet – aaaa bbbb cc dddd Pushkin’s Sonnet – abab ccdd effegg R Romblomanon Sonnet – aaaa bb cccc dddd Rosarian Sonnet i – aabcc ddbee fggf Rosarian Sonnet ii – aabcc ddbee fgfg Rosarian Sonnet iii – aabcc ddbee bbff Rubaiyat Sonnet – aaba bbcb ccdc aa S Sapphic Ode Sonnet (3 quatrains composed of 3 lines of iambic tetrameter and a 4th line of iambic dimeter, closing couplet in iambic tetrameter) – abab cdcd efef gg Saraband Sonnet i – axa bcbc dxd efef Saraband Sonnet ii – axa bcbc dxd effe Saraband Sonnet iii – axa bcbc dxd eeff Saraband Sonnet iv – axa bccb dxd efef Saraband Sonnet v – axa bccb dxd effe Saraband Sonnet vi - axa bccb dxd eeff Saraband Sonnet vii – axa bbcc dxd efef Saraband Sonnet viii – axa bbcc dxd effe Saraband Sonnet ix – axa bbcc dxd eeff Schupan’s Sonnet – abccba deffed gg Shelley’s Sonnet – ababacdc edefef Sicilian Sonnet – abababab cdcdcd Spanish Sonnet i – abababab cdccdc Spanish Sonnet ii – abbaabba cdccdc Spanish Sonnet iii – abababcc dedded Spenserian Sonnet – abab bcbc cdcd ee Swannet – a1bba2 cddc effe a1a2 T Taichi Sonnet (Caudated) – aabb cccc ddee ffff gghh Teacher-Pupil Sonnet – aaaaaaaa bbbbbb Tennyson-Turner’s Sonnet – abab cdcd effe fe Terza Rima Sonnet i – aba bcb cdc ded ee Terza Rima Sonnet ii – aaa bbb cc ddd eee Terza Rima Sonnet iii – aba bcb cc bcb aba Terza Rima Sonnet iv – aba cbc dbd ebe bb Triolet Sonnet (8-syllable lines) – ABaAab ABaAab AB Tuckerman’s Sonnet – abbabcab adeced U Unmirrored 18-line Sonnet – abbaabba cc deeddeed Unnamed Sonnet i – aaa bcbcbcbc aaa Unnamed Sonnet ii – aaaa b aaaa b aaaa Unnamed Sonnet iii – aababbcb cdcdcd Unnamed Sonnet iv – aabaccbc ddbdbb Unnamed Sonnet v –aa bbab ccbc ddcd Unnamed Sonnet vi – aabbbbcc ddddee Unnamed Sonnet vii – aabbccdd ccbbaa Unnamed Sonnet viii – aabcbcdd efefgg Unnamed Sonnet ix – ababbaba abababa Unnamed Sonnet x – ababbaba dedeff Unnamed Sonnet xi – abab cccc dede ff Unnamed Sonnet xii – ababcdcd eefgfg Unnamed Sonnet xiii – ababcdcd efegfg Unnamed Sonnet xiv – ababcdcd effegg Unnamed Sonnet xv – abbaaccadefdef Unnamed Sonnet xvi – abbababa abbaba V Visser Sonnet - Internal rhyme abbaabba cdecde W Walian Sonnet (Iambic tetrameter with a line of iambic dimeter every fourth line, couplet tetrameter and dimeter/both dimeter or both tetrameter – abab bcbc cdcd ee Welsh Sonnet (8-syllable lines) aabbccdd eeffgg Wordsworth’s Sonnet – abba acca dede ff Wyatt’s Sonnet – abba acca dee dff |