SONNET

     The sonnet is a lyric poem of 14 lines which follows one or another of several set conventions.  In contest material, the writer is advised to adhere to convention, to follow rules strictly and not use less recognized sonnet formats (like the Beymorlin, Miltonian, and Visser).  True, William Butler Yeats wrote a thirteen-line sonnet and got away with it, but again, it was William Butler Yeats.

     Iambic pentameter is the required meter. Each line must have ten syllables, with stresses falling on the even numbers.

     The Shakespearean (English) sonnet has four divisions:  three quatrains, each with a rhyme pattern of its own, and a rhymed couplet. The typical rhyme scheme for the Shakespearean sonnet is abab cdcd efef gg.  The ending couplet should be a commentary on what has gone before, or a summary. The intention is an epigrammatic close. The brevity of the form is thought to lend itself well to the concentrated expression of an idea or passion.

     The subject matter of the sonnet is usually serious in nature, although modern poets have, on occasion, used lighter subjects and even some humor. Love is a popular sonnet subject. 

     It should be mentioned that some judges object to the use of contractions in sonnet and dorsimbra poetry contests, feeling that those are very formal modes of poetic expression -- classical, if you please. The contestant is advised to avoid using contractions in sonnet and dorsimbra contest entries.  

     Here's a sample from a very modern and innovative poet.  This was a Festival winner in 2011, the contest sponsored and judged by Peggy Vining, Poet Laureate of Arkansas.

BARTER DAY IN TENNESSEE HISTORY CLASS, 1955

(a Shakespearean sonnet)

"In early Tennessee, the pioneer,"

my teacher said, "would barter oats for corn

and ham for beef.  To make the concept clear,

we'll have a barter day tomorrow morn."

I picked six comic books. Prepared to trade,

I wore my Davy Crockett coonskin cap.

Was I the shrewdest kid in seventh grade?

I thought so, merchandise displayed on lap.

I sat there waiting for a pocket knife

or brand new basketball to come my way.

I was humiliated. For the life

of me, I thought I had the best display.

Could even John Sevier find barter joy

by trading Superman or Superboy?

                                Russell H. Strauss

(I am aware of the contraction in line 4.  Please note, Russell is using light subject matter, tending toward humor.  Also he is in quotation marks in that line, which is conversational.  Even so, he was taking a chance by sending a sonnet containing a contraction.   

The Petrarchan sonnet divides into an octave and a sestet, 8 and 6 lines of iambic pentameter, respectively.  Re subject matter, the octave might ask a question which is answered in the sestet.  The octave might describe a problem, which is solved in the sestet.  The rhyme scheme of the Petrarchan sonnet is abba abba in the octave, which contributes to the difficulty experienced with this form. Experts say that some freedom is allowed in the sestet to make up for the difficulty in the octave.   The poet might elect to use cde cde, or cd cd ee, or cc dd ee, or other combinations. 

Here is an example by Betty Heidelberger of Lexa, Arkansas. 

TREE HOUSE

(A Petrarchan sonnet)

The Tree House filled my life with books and peace;

I read and thought and doubted without end.

It was a place where I could ask a friend,

and time for both of us would always cease.

With books and friends, this tree house was release

from things that I could never seem to mend.

It was a place on which I could depend

as sure as sun would rise up from the east.

The Tree House kept me pacified for hours

while reading books and watching scenes below.

It had a roof that kept me safe from showers,

and in its shade a little girl could know

the peace that calm and happiness empowers

to one who seeks and finds and asks to grow.

The Miltonian sonnet was created by John Milton (1608-1674), and it is best illustrated by his poem On his Blindness. It employs the Petrarchan rhyme scheme, and is identified by a break about midway in line 8.  Thus, in a Miltonian sonnet, the octave is 7 1/2 lines long, leaving 6 1/2 for the sestet.  Here's the famous poem:

ON HIS BLINDNESS

When I consider how my light is spent
Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,
And that one talent which is death to hide
Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest He returning chide,
"Doth God exact day labour, light denied?"
I fondly ask.  But Patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, "God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts. Who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
Is kingly: thousands at his bidding speed,
And post o'er land and ocean without rest;
They also serve who only stand and wait." 

     The Visser sonnet was created by Audrae Visser, who was Poet Laureate of South Dakota (1974-2001).  The meter is usually iambic pentameter.  The rhyme scheme is internal only, with pattern abbaabba cdecde in an octet (8 lines) plus sestet (6 lines) structure, like the Petrarchan sonnet. 

     In the Beymorlin sonnet described above, the internal rhyme must fall on the second syllable of each line. There is no rule about where the internal rhyme falls in the Visser.

Here is an example:

With Hidden Rhyme    

A Visser Sonnet may be hard to find,
or recognize when you do, for the rhyme
is hidden from your view except when read
aloud, then it will play.  It's internal
and nicely tucked away inside each line.
It could be blank verse too, if iams rule,
for while that form, if true, denies end-rhyme,
it's mute about the way one acts inside.

Yet Visser earned our praise as she was South
Dakota's poet queen- well, laureate,
the only one of such to make this mark.
Let us our glasses raise in toast and write
a sonnet now to bring this latent form
to life and add a touch of difference.

                Lawrencealot – November, 2012

     Again, in contest material,  the poet is advised not to submit these lesser known formats unless they are specifically called for. In doing so, we run the risk that our chosen form may not be recognized, or may not be within the judge's experience. We cannot know what the depth and breadth of a judge's poetic experience is, and we want credit given where credit is due.

    It might also be mentioned that some complex forms are considered more like puzzles than poems.  The obvious example of that, of course, is the Sestina, about which some critics say the writer is simply proving he can jump those  a series of hurdles.
 
   The Vivianne sonnet is discussed under V; the Beymorlin sonnet, under B

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