Clear, vivid examples of examples of types of quatrain

Starting with living, breathing examples of types of quatrain

Let’s skip the theory for a moment and jump straight into the sounds. Here are a few short, real examples of types of quatrain you may already know by heart:

From Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” (1923):

Whose woods these are I think I know,
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

This is an AABA rhyme scheme. “Know” and “though” rhyme, “here” does not, and “snow” comes back to rhyme with the first two. This is one of the best examples of how a quatrain can sound calm and musical while still moving the story forward.

From William Blake’s “The Tyger” (1794):

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

Here you can hear an AABB pattern: bright/night and eye/symmetry (a slant rhyme). These lines are classic examples of types of quatrain used to create a chant-like, almost hypnotic rhythm.

We’ll come back to these and other examples of quatrain patterns as we go, but first let’s organize the main types you’ll run into.

Common rhyme patterns: examples of types of quatrain in action

Most quatrains are defined by their rhyme scheme—the pattern of end sounds in each line. We label these patterns with letters: all words that rhyme share a letter.

Below are some of the most common patterns, with real examples of types of quatrain you can imitate.

ABAB quatrain: story-friendly and flexible

The ABAB pattern is one of the best examples of a versatile quatrain. The first and third lines rhyme with each other, and the second and fourth lines rhyme with each other.

A classic example comes from Lord Byron’s “She Walks in Beauty” (1814):

She walks in beauty, like the night (A)
Of cloudless climes and starry skies; (B)
And all that’s best of dark and bright (A)
Meet in her aspect and her eyes; (B)

This type of quatrain is perfect for storytelling, description, or argument. The alternating rhyme keeps the poem moving forward.

Here’s a modern-style ABAB quatrain you might hear in a 2024 spoken word set:

The train doors hiss, a tired sigh (A)
As earbuds drown the city’s roar; (B)
We scroll past strangers’ lives on high, (A)
While missing ours just out the door. (B)

This is an example of how ABAB can feel conversational and current while still clearly fitting into traditional types of quatrain.

AABB quatrain: nursery rhyme echo and tight focus

The AABB pattern groups lines into two couplets. This is one of the most recognizable examples of types of quatrain, often used in children’s verse, satirical poems, and short, punchy lyrics.

From William Blake’s “The Lamb”:

Little Lamb who made thee (A)
Dost thou know who made thee (A)
Gave thee life & bid thee feed. (B)
By the stream & o’er the mead; (B)

This pattern creates a sense of closure every two lines, which makes it easy to remember and sing.

Here’s a contemporary AABB example of quatrain you might see on social media poetry accounts:

I text you back, then overthink, (A)
Rewrite, delete, and watch it sink; (A)
My courage fades behind the screen, (B)
But looks so bold in typing green. (B)

In 2024, short-form poets on platforms like Instagram and TikTok often favor AABB quatrains because they fit neatly into screenshots and captions while still feeling complete.

ABBA or “enclosed” quatrain: framed thoughts

The ABBA pattern is sometimes called an enclosed or embraced rhyme. The outer lines rhyme with each other, and the inner two lines rhyme with each other.

From Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s “In Memoriam A.H.H.”:

I sometimes hold it half a sin (A)
To put in words the grief I feel; (B)
For words, like Nature, half reveal (B)
And half conceal the Soul within. (A)

This is one of the best examples of types of quatrain for expressing reflection or inner conflict. The “framing” rhymes (A…A) can feel like a thought beginning and ending in the same place, with the inner lines circling around it.

A fresh ABBA quatrain you might find in a 2025 poetry zine:

The newsfeed hums its steady, glowing lie, (A)
Of curated joy and filtered pain; (B)
We scroll through storms disguised as rain, (B)
And call it weather just to get by. (A)

This example of quatrain shows how ABBA can hold a complex feeling inside a tight frame.

ABCB ballad quatrain: storytelling with a hook

The ABCB quatrain is the backbone of traditional ballads in English. Only the second and fourth lines rhyme.

From the traditional ballad “Lord Randall”:

“O where ha’ you been, Lord Randall my son?” (A)
“O where ha’ you been, my handsome young man?” (B)
“I ha’ been at the greenwood; mother, make my bed soon,” (C)
“For I’m wearied wi’ hunting, and fain wald lie down.” (B)

Here, the rhyme on lines two and four gives the stanza a sense of return, while lines one and three push the story forward.

A modern ABCB example of types of quatrain inspired by pop storytelling:

She left her keys on the kitchen chair, (A)
A note that said, “I’m heading west”; (B)
The coffee cooled in the morning air, (C)
The dog still sleeping on her vest. (B)

If you like writing narrative poems or lyrics, this is one of the best examples of quatrain patterns to practice. It’s flexible, musical, and works beautifully with folk, country, and indie styles.

Classic and modern examples of types of quatrain from famous poets

To really understand the power of quatrains, it helps to see how master poets use them.

Shakespearean quatrains in the sonnet

Shakespeare’s sonnets are built from three ABAB quatrains plus a final couplet (CC). Each quatrain develops a new angle on the same idea.

From Sonnet 18:

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? (A)
Thou art more lovely and more temperate: (B)
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, (A)
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date; (B)

This quatrain sets up the main comparison. Two more quatrains follow, each adding a twist, and then the closing couplet lands the point. If you’re studying English literature, you’ll run into these examples of types of quatrain again and again.

For a reliable overview of Shakespearean sonnet structure, the Folger Shakespeare Library has accessible guides: https://folger.edu

Emily Dickinson’s hymn-like quatrains

Emily Dickinson often wrote in common meter, which alternates lines of 8 and 6 syllables, usually with an ABCB or ABAB rhyme scheme.

From “Because I could not stop for Death –”:

Because I could not stop for Death – (A)
He kindly stopped for me – (B)
The Carriage held but just Ourselves – (C)
And Immortality. (B)

These are famous examples of types of quatrain that feel like altered church hymns—familiar, but slightly off, which matches her themes of doubt and wonder.

Harvard’s Emily Dickinson Archive provides manuscripts and commentary if you want to see more real examples of her quatrain forms: https://www.edickinson.org

Langston Hughes and jazz-inflected quatrains

Langston Hughes often used quatrains with loose or partial rhyme, echoing jazz and blues rhythms.

From “Dream Variations”:

To fling my arms wide
In some place of the sun,
To whirl and to dance
Till the white day is done.

The rhyme here is very soft (sun/done), but the quatrain structure still gives the stanza a clear shape. These are powerful examples of types of quatrain where rhythm matters more than perfect rhyme.

Free verse and near-rhyme: modern examples of quatrain in 2024–2025

In contemporary poetry—especially in online journals and slam scenes—you’ll often see quatrains without strict rhyme. The lines are still grouped in fours, but the pattern comes from rhythm, imagery, or repeated phrases rather than end rhymes.

Here’s a 2024-style free-verse example of quatrain:

The hallway light hums like an old habit,
You toss your bag into the same corner,
Your phone lights up with everyone else’s day,
And the plant on the sill leans toward a different life.

No clear AABB or ABAB here, but it’s still a quatrain: four lines forming a unit of thought. Many modern poets use slant rhyme, alliteration, or repetition instead of obvious end rhyme. These are still valid examples of types of quatrain—just updated for current tastes.

If you want to read more contemporary quatrain-based poems, organizations like the Poetry Foundation and Academy of American Poets regularly publish new work:

• https://www.poetryfoundation.org
• https://poets.org

How to write your own: using these examples of types of quatrain as templates

Seeing examples is helpful, but using them is where things click. Here’s a simple way to borrow from the best examples of types of quatrain without copying content.

Step 1: Pick a rhyme pattern

Choose one pattern to play with:

• Want something energetic and forward-moving? Try ABAB.
• Want a sing-song, catchy feel? Try AABB.
• Want something reflective or moody? Try ABBA.
• Want a storytelling, folk-song vibe? Try ABCB.

Look back at the real examples of quatrain above and literally mark the rhyme letters at the ends of each line. Then sketch your own pattern on a blank page: A B A B, or A A B B, and so on.

Step 2: Draft four simple lines

Don’t worry about being poetic yet. Just write four lines on something ordinary:

I’m standing in line at the coffee shop
The barista knows my name by now
My phone buzzes with another email
The morning feels like borrowed time

That’s a rough quatrain with no rhyme. Now, if you want ABAB, you might revise so lines 1 and 3 rhyme, and lines 2 and 4 rhyme:

I’m standing in line at the coffee shop (A)
The barista knows my name by heart (B)
My phone buzzes, begging me not to stop (A)
But I stay, for this small, warm start. (B)

You’ve just built a basic ABAB example of quatrain by hand.

Step 3: Adjust rhythm and voice

Once the rhyme pattern is in place, read your quatrain out loud. Listen for:

• Stumbles (too many syllables in a line)
• Forced rhymes that sound fake
• Repetition that feels powerful instead of lazy

Use the famous examples of types of quatrain as a sound check. If your poem feels awkward, compare its rhythm to a quatrain by Frost, Dickinson, or Hughes and see what’s different: shorter lines, stronger verbs, fewer filler words.

FAQ: examples of quatrain patterns and how to use them

Q: Can you give a simple example of a quatrain for beginners?
Sure. Here’s a very basic ABAB quatrain:

The rain taps softly on the glass, (A)
The streetlights blur to painted gold; (B)
Another quiet evening hours pass, (A)
While stories outside go untold. (B)

This is a clear, beginner-friendly example of quatrain structure you can copy and adapt.

Q: Do all examples of types of quatrain have to rhyme?
No. Many modern poets write free-verse quatrains: four-line stanzas without regular rhyme. What matters is that the four lines form a unit—of image, thought, or rhythm. Traditional examples of types of quatrain often rhyme, but current trends in 2024–2025 show a lot of experimentation.

Q: What are some of the best examples of quatrain in English literature?
Readers often point to Shakespeare’s sonnets, Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” Blake’s “The Tyger,” Dickinson’s short lyrics, and ballads like “Barbara Allen.” These are widely studied examples of types of quatrain and appear in many school and university syllabi.

Q: Are song lyrics valid examples of types of quatrain?
Absolutely. Many verses in pop, folk, and country songs are structured as quatrains, often with ABAB or ABCB rhyme schemes. If you read your favorite verse on the page and see four-line chunks with repeating end sounds, you’re looking at musical examples of quatrain patterns.

Q: How can I practice writing different types of quatrain?
Pick one poem you admire that uses quatrains. Copy one stanza by hand, mark the rhyme scheme (ABAB, AABB, etc.), then write your own quatrain with the same pattern but totally different words and subject. Rotate through several patterns each week. Over time, you’ll build an instinct for which examples of types of quatrain best fit the mood you want.

Quatrains are everywhere once you start noticing them—in classic poems, modern lyrics, spoken word pieces, and even short Instagram poems. Study these examples of examples of types of quatrain, borrow the patterns that feel natural to you, and then start bending them to match your own voice. Four lines at a time is an easy, manageable way to grow as a poet.