Tercet
Encyclopedia
A tercet is composed of three lines of poetry
, forming a stanza
or a complete poem. English-language haiku
is an example of an unrhymed tercet poem. A poetic triplet is a tercet in which all three lines follow the same rhyme
, a a a; triplets are rather rare; they are more customarily used sparingly in verse of heroic couplet
s or other couplet verse, to add extraordinary emphasis.
Other types of tercet include an enclosed tercet where the lines rhyme in an a b a pattern and terza rima
where the a b a pattern of a verse is continued in the next verse by making the outer lines of the next stanza rhyme with the central line of the preceding stanza, b c b, as in the terza rima or terzina form of Dante Alighieri
's Divine Comedy. There has been much investigation of the possible sources of the Dantesque terzina, which Benedetto Croce
characterised as "linked, enclosed, disciplined, vehement and yet calm". William Baer observes of the tercets of terza rima, "These interlocking rhymes tend to pull the listener's attention forward in a continuous flow.... Given this natural tendency to glide forward, terza rima is especially well-suited to narration and description".
The tercet also forms part of the villanelle
, where the initial five stanzas are tercets, followed by a concluding quatrain
.
A tercet may also form the separate halves of the ending sestet
in a Petrarchan sonnet, where the rhyme scheme is abbaabba cdccdc, as in Longfellow's "Cross of Snow". For example, while "Cross of Snow" is indeed a Petrarchan sonnet, it does not follow the form of abbabba cdcdc. Instead, its form is abba cddc efg efg. A tercet also ends sestinas where the keywords of the lines before are repeated in a highly ordered form.
The tercet was introduced into English poetry
by Sir Thomas Wyatt in the 16th century. It was employed by Shelley
and is the form used in Byron's The Prophecy of Dante.
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, forming a stanza
Stanza
In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. In modern poetry, the term is often equivalent with strophe; in popular vocal music, a stanza is typically referred to as a "verse"...
or a complete poem. English-language haiku
Haiku in English
Haiku in English is a development of the Japanese haiku poetic form in the English language.Contemporary haiku are written in many languages, but most poets outside of Japan are concentrated in the English-speaking countries....
is an example of an unrhymed tercet poem. A poetic triplet is a tercet in which all three lines follow the same rhyme
Rhyme scheme
A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyme between lines of a poem or song. It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme. In other words, it is the pattern of end rhymes or lines...
, a a a; triplets are rather rare; they are more customarily used sparingly in verse of heroic couplet
Heroic couplet
A heroic couplet is a traditional form for English poetry, commonly used for epic and narrative poetry; it refers to poems constructed from a sequence of rhyming pairs of iambic pentameter lines. The rhyme is always masculine. Use of the heroic couplet was first pioneered by Geoffrey Chaucer in...
s or other couplet verse, to add extraordinary emphasis.
Other types of tercet include an enclosed tercet where the lines rhyme in an a b a pattern and terza rima
Terza rima
Terza rima is a rhyming verse stanza form that consists of an interlocking three-line rhyme scheme. It was first used by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri.-Form:Terza rima is a three-line stanza using chain rhyme in the pattern A-B-A, B-C-B, C-D-C, D-E-D...
where the a b a pattern of a verse is continued in the next verse by making the outer lines of the next stanza rhyme with the central line of the preceding stanza, b c b, as in the terza rima or terzina form of Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri
Durante degli Alighieri, mononymously referred to as Dante , was an Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina commedia ...
's Divine Comedy. There has been much investigation of the possible sources of the Dantesque terzina, which Benedetto Croce
Benedetto Croce
Benedetto Croce was an Italian idealist philosopher, and occasionally also politician. He wrote on numerous topics, including philosophy, history, methodology of history writing and aesthetics, and was a prominent liberal, although he opposed laissez-faire free trade...
characterised as "linked, enclosed, disciplined, vehement and yet calm". William Baer observes of the tercets of terza rima, "These interlocking rhymes tend to pull the listener's attention forward in a continuous flow.... Given this natural tendency to glide forward, terza rima is especially well-suited to narration and description".
The tercet also forms part of the villanelle
Villanelle
A villanelle is a poetic form that entered English-language poetry in the 19th century from the imitation of French models. The word derives from the Italian villanella from Latin villanus . A villanelle has only two rhyme sounds...
, where the initial five stanzas are tercets, followed by a concluding quatrain
Quatrain
A quatrain is a stanza, or a complete poem, consisting of four lines of verse. Existing in various forms, the quatrain appears in poems from the poetic traditions of various ancient civilizations including Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and China; and, continues into the 21st century, where it is...
.
A tercet may also form the separate halves of the ending sestet
Sestet
A sestet is the name given to the second division of an Italian sonnet , which must consist of an octave, of eight lines, succeeded by a sestet, of six lines. The first documented user of this poetical form was the Italian poet, Petrarch. In the usual course the rhymes are arranged abc abc, but...
in a Petrarchan sonnet, where the rhyme scheme is abbaabba cdccdc, as in Longfellow's "Cross of Snow". For example, while "Cross of Snow" is indeed a Petrarchan sonnet, it does not follow the form of abbabba cdcdc. Instead, its form is abba cddc efg efg. A tercet also ends sestinas where the keywords of the lines before are repeated in a highly ordered form.
The tercet was introduced into English poetry
English poetry
The history of English poetry stretches from the middle of the 7th century to the present day. Over this period, English poets have written some of the most enduring poems in Western culture, and the language and its poetry have spread around the globe. Consequently, the term English poetry is...
by Sir Thomas Wyatt in the 16th century. It was employed by Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. Shelley was famous for his association with John Keats and Lord Byron...
and is the form used in Byron's The Prophecy of Dante.