Rhyme

A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds (usually, exactly the same sound) in the final stressed syllables and any following syllables of two or more words. Most often, this kind of 'perfect' rhyming is consciously used for effect in the final positions of lines of poems and songs. More broadly, a rhyme may also variously refer to other types of similar sounds near the ends of two or more words. Furthermore, the word rhyme has come to be sometimes used as a shorthand term for any brief poem, such as a rhyming couplet or nursery rhyme.Is a Bhríd Óg Ní Mháille'S tú d'fhág mo chroí cráiteOh young Bridget O'MalleyYou have left my heart breakingThe Measure is English Heroic Verse without Rime, as that of Homer in Greek, and of Virgil in Latin; Rime being no necessary Adjunct or true Ornament of Poem or good Verse, in longer Works especially, but the Invention of a barbarous Age, to set off wretched matter and lame Meeter; grac't indeed since by the use of some famous modern Poets, carried away by Custom...Rhymes, meters, stanza forms, etc., are like servants. If the master is fair enough to win their affection and firm enough to command their respect, the result is an orderly happy household. If he is too tyrannical, they give notice; if he lacks authority, they become slovenly, impertinent, drunk and dishonest.Gall, amant de la Reine, alla (tour magnanime)Galamment de l'Arène à la Tour Magne, à Nîmes.Gallus, the Queen's lover, went (a magnanimous gesture)Gallantly from the Arena to the Great Tower, at Nîmes.O Fortunatam natam me consule Romam.O fortunate Rome, to be born with me consulDies irae, dies illaSolvet saeclum in favillaTeste David cum SybillaThe day of wrath, that daywhich will reduce the world to ashes,as foretold by David and the Sybil.Wpłynąłem na suchego przestwór oceanu,Wóz nurza się w zieloność i jak łódka brodzi,Śród fali łąk szumiących, śród kwiatów powodzi,Omijam koralowe ostrowy burzanu.Across sea-meadows measureless I go,My wagon sinking under grass so tallThe flowery petals in foam on me fall,And blossom-isles float by I do not know. A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds (usually, exactly the same sound) in the final stressed syllables and any following syllables of two or more words. Most often, this kind of 'perfect' rhyming is consciously used for effect in the final positions of lines of poems and songs. More broadly, a rhyme may also variously refer to other types of similar sounds near the ends of two or more words. Furthermore, the word rhyme has come to be sometimes used as a shorthand term for any brief poem, such as a rhyming couplet or nursery rhyme. The word derives from Old French rime or ryme, which may be derived from Old Frankish *rīm, a Germanic term meaning 'series, sequence' attested in Old English (Old English rīm meaning 'enumeration, series, numeral') and Old High German rīm, ultimately cognate to Old Irish rím, Greek ἀριθμός arithmos 'number'. Alternatively, the Old French words may derive from Latin rhythmus, from Greek ῥυθμός (rhythmos, rhythm). The spelling rhyme (from original rime) was introduced at the beginning of the Modern English period from a learned (but perhaps etymologically incorrect) association with Latin rhythmus. The older spelling rime survives in Modern English as a rare alternative spelling; cf. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. A distinction between the spellings is also sometimes made in the study of linguistics and phonology for which rime/rhyme is used to refer to the nucleus and coda of a syllable. Some prefer to spell it rime to separate it from the poetic rhyme covered by this article (see syllable rime). Rhyme partly seems to be enjoyed simply as a repeating pattern that is pleasant to hear. It also serves as a powerful mnemonic device, facilitating memorization. The regular use of tail rhyme helps to mark off the ends of lines, thus clarifying the metrical structure for the listener. As with other poetic techniques, poets use it to suit their own purposes; for example William Shakespeare often used a rhyming couplet to mark off the end of a scene in a play. The word rhyme can be used in a specific and a general sense. In the specific sense, two words rhyme if their final stressed vowel and all following sounds are identical; two lines of poetry rhyme if their final strong positions are filled with rhyming words. A rhyme in the strict sense is also called a perfect rhyme. Examples are sight and flight, deign and gain, madness and sadness.