3 Best ABAB CDCD EFEF GG Poems

The ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme forms a Shakespearean sonnet, consisting of three quatrains and a final rhyming couplet. Each quatrain develops a theme or argument, while the couplet delivers a conclusion or twist. This structured form supports emotional depth, rhetorical progression, and lyrical balance in just 14 lines.

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Sonnet 14

by William Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 14’ ‘Not from the stars do I my judgment pluck,’ prophesies the end of the fair youth’s truth and beauty if they don’t procreate.

The rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG is the traditional rhyme scheme used in English sonnets, a form that emerged during the 16th century with the works of Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard; however, Shakespearean sonnets standardized this form and rhyme scheme in literature. The first three quatrains follow an alternating rhyme scheme, adding musicality and complementing the iambic pentameter's 'da-DUM' rhythm, as both support the tension created by the speaker. The sonnet ends with a concluding rhyming couplet, establishing a break with the quatrains, emphasizing the final resolution.

Not from the stars do I my judgement pluck;

And yet methinks I have Astronomy,

But not to tell of good or evil luck,

Of plagues, of dearths, or seasons' quality;

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Sonnet 106

by William Shakespeare

In Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 106,’ ‘When in the chronicle of wasted time,’ the speaker exalts the Fair Youth’s beauty to quasi-divine status unmatched in history.

Like all other Shakespearean sonnets, 'Sonnet 106' employs the typical rhyme pattern of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG used in English or Shakespearean sonnets. The first three quatrains follow an alternate rhyme, while the concluding rhyming couplet gives a sense of closure. The alternate rhymes in the quatrains create a sense of balance amid the enjambed flowing lines, while their ebb and flow complement the back-and-forth movement of past and present that takes place in the speaker's narration. The final rhyming couplet seems to musically round up, exuding a sense of closure, thus complementing the speaker's final resolution as they admit that the present poets, including them, cannot articulate the Fair Youth's beauty.

When in the chronicle of wasted time

I see descriptions of the fairest wights,

And beauty making beautiful old rhyme,

In praise of ladies dead and lovely knights,

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Loving Someone You Can't Have

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Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art

by John Keats

‘Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art’ is one of John Keats’ best-loved poems. It uses a star as an image of steadfastness to depict the enduring nature of a lover’s heart.

The rhyme pattern in this sonnet is structured and exact, matching the traditional Shakespearean sonnet form. Each quatrain follows a clear alternating rhyme, with a final rhyming couplet at the end. This careful arrangement adds to the poem’s smooth sound and helps guide the emotional build-up. While the form is well-crafted, the poem is not as widely recognized as Keats’s more famous odes, which is why this tag earns a solid but not overly high rating.

Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art—

Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night

And watching, with eternal lids apart,

Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite,

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3 Best ABAB CDCD EFEF GG Poems

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3 Best ABAB CDCD EFEF GG Poems

Sonnet 14

by William Shakespeare

Sonnet 106

by William Shakespeare

Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art

by John Keats

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