Many of us have heard of such a thing as quatrain. The meaning of the word "quatrain" is most often associated with one of the most famous seers - Michel Nostradamus, but initially this literary form appeared much earlier. Let's try to determine what the quatrain actually is and where it is applied.
Quatrain: definition
According to official figures, the quatrain as such is a literary tool. In fact, quatrain is an ordinary quatrain, built on the principle of one stanza of four lines.
Sometimes quatrains are called four-line forms of sonnets, more precisely, the first two lines, in contrast to the last two, called tercins.
What is quatrain in the main interpretation?
Despite this definition, you can install some more things related to rhyming.
Quatrain is believed to be a structure that rhymes according to just a few rules:
- aabb;
- abab;
- abba (not to be confused with the name of the popular Swedish pop group);
- abcb.
A bit of history
Actually, the name "quatrain" is an interpretation of the French words quatrain and quatre (four). It is believed that quatrain was first introduced in French literature as early as the 12th century in the work of Le Jeu d'Adam.
However, it is safe to say that even at that time it was possible to meet several varieties of quatrains. So, for example, eight and ten-line forms were very popular. This is especially noticeable in the so-called Alexandrian verses and the epitaph of Villon (eight-fold quatrain).
By the way, in Russian poetry, quatrains are even some means for writing epigrams, epitaphs or some generalized sayings and phrases. The same Tyutchev repeatedly appealed to such a literary device, but the phrase “Mind cannot understand Russia ...” is considered to be his most famous saying. This is a classic example of quatrain. In Tyutchev, one can meet a no less well-known poem beginning with the phrase “We cannot predict ...” Yesenin has an almost sacred saying in the form of a quatrain “She will come, I give you a bail ...” In general, in Russian literature you can find enough quatrains often, but only many of today's readers do not always determine that it is quatrain in front of them, and not something else.
Nostradamus
Nowadays, for some reason, the concept of quatrain is associated exclusively with Nostradamus, believing that such a quatrain must necessarily have a certain encrypted look.
Alas, most scientists agree that it is possible to interpret any quatrain of Michel Nostradamus in two ways (this at least depends on a specific historical event). That is, it turns out that we simply tailor the story to a specific quatrain, believing that it should correspond to some episode.
But in general, there is much that fits into the framework of only one historical era, and you just have to guess everything else and think for yourself what this or that quatrain could mean.
Thus, to say that the classical quatrain is a kind of mixture of verse, prophecy and mystery is simply not possible. And there are all prerequisites for this, because the same Nostradamus used this form exclusively as a literary device, though he managed to encrypt a lot of still incomprehensible information in it.
Conclusion
It remains to add that not only four-line rhymed poems are referred to quatrains. Often you can find stanzas consisting of four verses. As for the rules for writing quatrain, it is generally accepted that the first line is the main one and contains the main idea of the whole stanza. The second and third lines seem to emphasize the meaning of the first, but at the same time they apply the rhyme rule. According to the semantic load, you first need to determine the object, and then use the use of its name or sensory attitude to it. On the very last line, you can portray a dilemma or confront the reader with a choice he did not expect at all. And although there are classical canons that were presented above, today you can increasingly meet the rules for building stanzas based on the abcd sequence in different interpretations (for example, bbcb, aaba, ccdc, etc.) Thus, to improvise or create something truly unique opens up a wide field of activity.
And if we take into account not only the possibility of rhyming final syllables in each line, but also the use of words like “but”, “however”, etc., then each new quatrain even on the same predetermined topic may look completely in different ways. And here the poet’s gift and his ability to briefly and succinctly convey the essence of thought in a few sentences come to the fore. It is not for nothing that they say that brevity is the sister of talent. And this, by the way, is recognized by all the world's leading writers and critics. And even the language barrier, as some believe, is not an obstacle here. Finally, although far from all literary aspects were considered here, many readers will still be able to understand what a classical quatrain actually is.