Rhyme- Ethan Petraitis

Romance- Edgar Allan Poe

Romance, who loves to nod and sing, A

With drowsy head and folded wing, A

Among the green leaves as they shake B

Far down within some shadowy lake, B

To me a painted paroquet C

Hath been—a most familiar bird— D

Taught me my alphabet to say— E

To lisp my very earliest word D

While in the wild wood I did lie, F

A child—with a most knowing eye. F

Of late, eternal Condor years H

So shake the very Heaven on high F

With tumult as they thunder by, F

I have no time for idle cares J

Through gazing on the unquiet sky. F

And when an hour with calmer wings K

Its down upon my spirit flings— K

That little time with lyre and rhyme L

To while away—forbidden things! K

My heart would feel to be a crime L

Unless it trembled with the strings. K

Romance written by Edgar Allan  Poe has a very unusual rhyme scheme (AABBCDEDFF HFFJFKKLKLK). Poes poem discusses the transition from childhood to adulthood. In the first 'stanza' (The poem is printed both with and without the line break) Poe uses language like "a painted paroquet" and a simpler rhyme scheme to imply innocence whereas in the second stanza he utilizes an odd number of lines (eleven lines instead of ten) and a more complex rhyme scheme. Poe uses rhyme scheme very effectively to distinguish the two stanzas. The first stanza rhymes simple words in a simple pattern (sing, wing, shake, lake) and stops after each word much like an experienced young writer would. The second stanza uses simple words as well, but most of end rhyme is in the middle of a sentence so it doesn't appear nearly as forced. This ease of rhyming paired with a darker, maturer tone definitely contributes to the pieces overall theme of maturity and growing up.

Poe, Edgar Allan. "Romance." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 09 Oct. 2014. <http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/178352>.