5 Must-Read Spenserian Stanza Poems

The Spenserian Stanza consists of nine lines: eight in iambic pentameter followed by one alexandrine line (a line of poetry that contains twelve syllables, usually divided into two halves of six syllables each, with a caesura, or pause, in the middle.). With a rhyme scheme of ABABBCBCC, this structure enhances narrative depth and lyrical beauty, allowing poets to craft detailed, flowing verses that blend complexity and rhythm seamlessly.

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Adonais: An Elegy on the Death of John Keats

by Percy Bysshe Shelley

‘Adonais’ is a lament for the untimely death of the mystical figure Adonais, symbolizing the young and talented John Keats.

Shelley used the Spenserian stanza to structure ‘Adonais’, which means each stanza has nine lines with a specific rhyme pattern. The first eight lines are written in iambic pentameter, and the last line is longer, using six beats instead of five. This form helps the poem feel steady and flowing, while the longer last line in each stanza gives a sense of finality and emphasis. It suits the poem’s serious tone and thoughtful pace.

I weep for Adonais—he is dead!

Oh, weep for Adonais! though our tears

Thaw not the frost which binds so dear a head!

And thou, sad Hour, selected from all years

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Plant a Tree

by Lucy Larcom

‘Plant a Tree’ by Lucy Larcom is a nature and religion-themed poem that speaks about the benefits of planting trees.

'Plant a Tree' by Lucy Larcom is a poem that highlights the good things about planting trees, like hope, peace, and joy. Each stanza links the growth of trees to personal and spiritual growth, showing that planting trees helps both nature and people. The poem encourages planting trees as a simple way to make the world and our lives better.

He who plants a tree

Plants a hope.

Rootlets up through fibres blindly grope;

Leaves unfold into horizons free.

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Imitation of Spenser

by John Keats

In ‘Imitation of Spenser’, Keats paints a lush, romantic landscape in Spenserian style, describing a serene morning, vibrant nature, and an idyllic lake setting.

This poem qualifies as a Spenserian poem due to several key features because it utilizes the Spenserian stanza, comprising nine lines with a rhyme scheme of ABABBCBCC. The poem also echoes Spenser's elaborate and descriptive style, describing a natural scenery.

Now Morning from her orient chamber came,

And her first footsteps touch'd a verdant hill;

Crowning its lawny crest with amber flame,

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Apostrophe to the Ocean

by Lord Byron

‘Apostrophe to the Ocean’ by Lord Byron is an excerpt from Byron’s long, epic poem ‘Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage.’ The excerpt includes seven stanzas from the poem, starting with stanza CLXXVIII, or 178, and ending with stanza 184.

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,

There is a rapture on the lonely shore,

There is society where none intrudes,

By the deep Sea, and music in its roar:

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Sonnet 54

by Edmund Spenser

‘Sonnet 54’ is part of Spenser’s Amoretti and is a Spenserian sonnet, formed by three interlocked quatrains and a couplet.

Of this worlds Theatre in which we stay,

My love lyke the Spectator ydly sits

Beholding me that all the pageants play,

Disguysing diversly my troubled wits.

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5 Must-Read Spenserian Stanza Poems

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5 Must-Read Spenserian Stanza Poems

Adonais: An Elegy on the Death of John Keats

by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Plant a Tree

by Lucy Larcom

Imitation of Spenser

by John Keats

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