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Stanza Classes in Spanish Poetry: A Comprehensive Guide

Posted on Sep 19, 2024 in Spanish

Stanza Classes in Spanish Poetry

Theory: Classes of Stanzas

Stanzas are grouped by the number of verses they contain. Here’s a breakdown of common stanza classes in Spanish poetry:

2 Verses

NAME	EXAMPLE	SCHEME	FEATURES
Detached Couplet	What more consolation do you seek, since with life you turn?	8a8a	Verses may be of major or minor art (longer or shorter lines). The rhyme may be consonant or assonant.

3 Verses

NAME	EXAMPLE	SCHEME	FEATURES
Triolet	Which will not bear the way, cantoresque aspen and brown ribera, inhabited by nightingales.	11A11-11A	Three verses of major art (longer lines). Consonant rhyme.

4 Verses

NAME	EXAMPLE	SCHEME	FEATURES
Quartet	Dolores, a seamstress from home, years of my house, old friend, was your heart migade crisp bread were grilled slowly your eyes.	11A11B11B11A	Four verses of major art. Consonant rhyme.
Redondilla	It has fallen to one clavel, today aurora breast: what is the glorious hen, because it has fallen on him!	8a8b8b8a	Four lines of minor art (shorter lines). Consonant rhyme.
Serventesio	It was a sigh, sonorola languid voice of the sea that afternoon …; the day, not wanting to die, with claw Orodara cliffs are lit.	11A11B11A11B	Four verses of major art. Consonant rhyme.
Quatrain	And a whole chorus singing Travel, See lesson hundred thousand times, a hundred thousand, a thousand times a thousand, a million.	8a8b8a8b	Four lines of minor art. Consonant rhyme.
Cuaderna Via	There was a man in a land grid used more labrador, than otherwise worked, loved the land more than its creator, and man was nonetheless mixer.	14A14A14A14A	Four Alexandrine verses (14 syllables). Consonant rhyme.

5 Verses

NAME	EXAMPLE	SCHEME	FEATURES
Quintet	Sun sinking your hard refulgente, after the blue sea plain, tranquil giving room at night, what with its dark imprudente, lends crime equally to the asylum mantle and pain.	11A11B11A11A11B	Five verses of major art. Consonant rhyme. No more than 2 consecutive verses with the same rhyme. No verse without rhyme. The last two verses do not rhyme with each other.
Limerick	I dreamed brillosombras history, glory and power, I was lord of the gallows and cuchillo, under the castle, the castle of Bellver.	8a8b8a8a8b	Five verses of lesser art. Consonant rhyme. Variable scheme.
Lira	Searching my love, I will go by these mountains and shores, or pick the flowers, nor fear the strong, pass fierce borders.	7a11B7a7b11B	Two hendecasyllable verses (11 syllables). Three seven-syllable verses. Consonant rhyme.

6 Verses

NAME	EXAMPLE	SCHEME	FEATURES
Broken-foot Verse	Remind your soul round bed stoke the brain and wake uperte providesando how he spends hisleg v how come the muerte, so callando;	8a 8b 4c 8a 8b 4c	Verses of minor art. Consonant rhyme.

8 Verses

NAME	EXAMPLE	SCHEME	FEATURES
Ottava Rima	About Tagus alone amena, of green willows are thickura, all covered with ivy and llena, the trunk that goes to the altura and thus the spins up and encadena, that the Sun is no way to verdure; water bathing the meadow aregone pleases the eye and orgone.	11A 11B 11A 11B 11A 11B 11C 11C	Eight verses of major art. Consonant rhyme.
Copla de Arte Mayor	Twenty prthose Weecho h toecho desp of inglés and havebeen rend its pendones, born one hundredones mypi.	4a 4a 4a 4b 4a 4c 4c 4b	Eight verses of lesser art. Consonant rhyme. Variable scheme.

10 Verses

NAME	EXAMPLE	SCHEME	FEATURES
Décima	Ría manning a uncertain and ang entryosta, on a rock in the coast night sea beating día, stands, giant shadowIa ar seculo broad tower a king ordered to buildar a kind ofgoverness atal to defend the playa against the wrath of the mar.	8a 8b 8b 8a 8a 8c 8c 8d 8d 8c	Verses of minor art. Consonant rhyme.

14 Verses

NAME	EXAMPLE	SCHEME	FEATURES
Sonnet	Beautiful nymphs, who met on the river trips, dwell in the mor happy adas of glittering stones fabricadas glass columns and goings bra; Agora carving embellishes ye gone, or weaving delicate fabrics adas; now each other apart tuples narrate the loves and goings v; let’s work a while, alz ando mir blond heads to your arm, and not much as I’m detendréis; that or you can not pity who heard arme, or become water’m here llor slowly beyond consol you can assemble.	11A 11B 11B 11A 11A 11B 11B 11A 11C 11D 11C 11D 11C 11D	Fourteen verses of major art. Two quartets and two triplets. Consonant rhyme.

Variable Number of Lines

NAME	EXAMPLE	SCHEME	FEATURES
Romance	Who had such good luck on the waters of mtor as was the infant Arnaldos San Ju mornington! Going in search of hunting for Falcon cebr, he saw a galley land that wantstor; silk brought candles torz gold riggingtol, anchors has silver cor thin boardstol (…)	8a 8a 8a 8a 8a 8a 8a 8a 8a 8a 8a 8a	Indefinite number of verses. Generally octosyllabic (8 syllables). Assonant rhyme in pairs. Odd verses are unrhymed.
Silva	Solitude siguiendo, fort surrendered myone, I’m on the road toECENofr, they spreadersendo my complaintsoneby one the wind, which carries parECEN do;	7a 7b 11C 7a 7b 11C	Indefinite series of verses. Hendecasyllable and heptasyllable verses. Rhyme scheme is at the poet’s discretion.