Ottava rima
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Ottava rima is a
rhyming A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds (usually, the exact same phonemes) 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 a musical or aesthetic ...
stanza In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian language, Italian ''stanza'' , "room") is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or Indentation (typesetting), indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme scheme, rhyme and ...
form of
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
origin. Originally used for long poems on heroic themes, it later came to be popular in the writing of
mock-heroic Mock-heroic, mock-epic or heroi-comic works are typically satires or parodies that mock common Classical stereotypes of heroes and heroic literature. Typically, mock-heroic works either put a fool in the role of the hero or exaggerate the heroic ...
works. Its earliest known use is in the writings of Giovanni Boccaccio. The ottava rima stanza in
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
consists of eight iambic lines, usually
iambic pentameter Iambic pentameter () is a type of metric line used in traditional English poetry and verse drama. The term describes the rhythm, or meter, established by the words in that line; rhythm is measured in small groups of syllables called " feet". "Iam ...
s. Each stanza consists of three alternate rhymes and one double rhyme, following the ABABABCC
rhyme scheme A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhymes at the end of each line of a poem or song. It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme; lines designated with the same letter all rhyme with each other. An example of the ABAB r ...
. The form is similar to the older
Sicilian octave The Sicilian octave ( Italian: ''ottava siciliana'') is a verse form consisting of eight lines of eleven syllables each, called a hendecasyllable. The form is common in late medieval Italian poetry. In English poetry, iambic pentameter is often ...
, but evolved separately and is unrelated. The Sicilian octave is derived from the medieval strambotto and was a crucial step in the development of the sonnet, whereas the ottava rima is related to the
canzone Literally "song" in Italian, a ''canzone'' (, plural: ''canzoni''; cognate with English ''to chant'') is an Italian or Provençal song or ballad. It is also used to describe a type of lyric which resembles a madrigal. Sometimes a composition w ...
, a
stanza In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian language, Italian ''stanza'' , "room") is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or Indentation (typesetting), indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme scheme, rhyme and ...
form.


History


Italian

Boccaccio used ''ottava rima'' for a number of minor poems and, most significantly, for two of his major works, the ''Teseide'' (1340) and the '' Filostrato'' (c. 1335). These two poems defined the form as the main one to be used for
epic poetry An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. ...
in Italian for the next two centuries. For instance, ''ottava rima'' was used by
Poliziano Agnolo (Angelo) Ambrogini (14 July 1454 – 24 September 1494), commonly known by his nickname Poliziano (; anglicized as Politian; Latin: '' Politianus''), was an Italian classical scholar and poet of the Florentine Renaissance. His scho ...
and by Boiardo in his 1486 epic poem ''
Orlando Innamorato ''Orlando Innamorato'' (; known in English as "''Orlando in Love''"; in Italian titled "''Orlando innamorato''" as the " I" is never capitalized) is an epic poem written by the Italian Renaissance author Matteo Maria Boiardo. The poem is a rom ...
''. The following year,
Luigi Pulci Luigi Pulci (; 15 August 1432 – 11 November 1484) was an Italian diplomat and poet best known for his ''Morgante'', an epic and parodistic poem about a giant who is converted to Christianity by Orlando and follows the knight in many adventure ...
published his '' Morgante Maggiore'' in which the mock-heroic, half-serious, half-burlesque use of the form that is most familiar to modern English-language readers first appeared. However, poets such as Ludovico Ariosto and
Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' ( Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...
continued to use ''ottava rima'' for serious epic poetry. In the epoch of
Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
Giambattista Marino Giovanni Battista was a common Italian given name (see Battista for those with the surname) in the 16th-18th centuries. It refers to "John the Baptist" in English, the French equivalent is "Jean-Baptiste". Common nicknames include Giambattista, Gi ...
employed ottava rima in ''Adone'' (1623). Another important work was written by a woman, Lucrezia Marinella, the author of long epic poem ''L'Enrico, ovvero Bisanzio acquistato'' (''Enrico, or, Byzantium Conquered''), that was translated into English by Maria Galli Stampino. There are also many other examples of using the stanza. Many classic works were translated into ottava rima. It was later used in Italian
libretti A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major l ...
; perhaps the most famous example ends with the title of the comic
opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
'' Così fan tutte'' (1789).


English

In English, ottava rima first appeared in Elizabethan translations of Tasso and Ariosto. The form also became popular for original works, such as
Michael Drayton Michael Drayton (1563 – 23 December 1631) was an English poet who came to prominence in the Elizabethan era. He died on 23 December 1631 in London. Early life Drayton was born at Hartshill, near Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England. Almost nothin ...
's ''The Barons' Wars'',
Thomas Heywood Thomas Heywood (early 1570s – 16 August 1641) was an English playwright, actor, and author. His main contributions were to late Elizabethan and early Jacobean theatre. He is best known for his masterpiece '' A Woman Killed with Kindness'', ...
's ''Troia Britannica'', or
Emilia Lanier Emilia Lanier (also Aemilia or Amelia Lanyer, 1569–1645), ''née'' Aemilia Bassano, was an English poet and the first woman in England to assert herself as a professional poet, through her volume ''Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum'' (''Hail, God, King ...
's ''Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum''. William Browne's ''Britannia's Pastorals'' also contains passages in ottava rima. The first English poet to write mock-heroic ottava rima was
John Hookham Frere John Hookham Frere (21 May 1769 – 7 January 1846) was an English diplomat and author. Early life Frere was born in London. His father, John Frere, a member of a Suffolk family, had been educated at Caius College, Cambridge, and became Se ...
, whose 1817-8 poem ''Prospectus and Specimen of an Intended National Work'' used the form to considerable effect.
Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...
read Frere's work and saw the potential of the form. He quickly produced ''Beppo'', his first poem to use the form. Shortly after this, Byron began working on his ''Don Juan'' (1819–1824), probably the best-known English poem in ''ottava rima''. Byron also used the form for ''
The Vision of Judgment ''The Vision of Judgment'' (1822) is a satirical poem in ottava rima by Lord Byron, which depicts a dispute in Heaven over the fate of George III's soul. It was written in response to the Poet Laureate Robert Southey's ''A Vision of Judgement'' ...
'' (1822). Shelley translated the
Homeric Hymns The ''Homeric Hymns'' () are a collection of thirty-three anonymous ancient Greek hymns celebrating individual gods. The hymns are "Homeric" in the sense that they employ the same epic meter—dactylic hexameter—as the ''Iliad'' and ''Odyssey'', ...
into English in ottava rima. In the 20th century,
William Butler Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...
used the form in several of his best later poems, including "
Sailing to Byzantium "Sailing to Byzantium" is a poem by William Butler Yeats, first published in the 1928 collection '' The Tower''. It comprises four stanzas in ottava rima, each made up of eight lines of iambic pentameter. It uses a journey to Byzantium (Const ...
" and "Among School Children". So did
Kenneth Koch Kenneth Koch ( ; 27 February 1925 – 6 July 2002) was an American poet, playwright, and professor, active from the 1950s until his death at age 77. He was a prominent poet of the New York School of poetry. This was a loose group of poets includ ...
for instance in his autobiographical poem "Seasons on Earth" of 1987. In America
Emma Lazarus Emma Lazarus (July 22, 1849 – November 19, 1887) was an American author of poetry, prose, and translations, as well as an activist for Jewish and Georgist causes. She is remembered for writing the sonnet " The New Colossus", which was inspire ...
wrote the poem An Epistle that consists of thirty four ottava rimas. Earlier
Richard Henry Wilde Richard Henry Wilde (September 24, 1789 – September 10, 1847) was a United States representative and lawyer from Georgia. Biography Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1789 to Richard Wilde and Mary Newitt, but came to America at age eigh ...
used the stanza in his long poem ''Hesperia''. In keeping with the "mock-heroic" tone, Kevin McAleer wrote his 2018 biography of actor
Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...
entirely in ottava rima. ;Some examples From Frere's ''Prospectus and Specimen of an Intended National Work'', commonly known as ''The Monks and the Giants'' From
Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the ...
's ''
Don Juan Don Juan (), also known as Don Giovanni ( Italian), is a legendary, fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women. Famous versions of the story include a 17th-century play, ''El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra'' ...
'' From
Constance Naden Constance Caroline Woodhill Naden (24 January 185823 December 1889) was an English writer, poet and philosopher. She studied, wrote and lectured on philosophy and science, alongside publishing two volumes of poetry. Several collected works wer ...
's ''A Modern Apostle'' (1887) From
Anthony Burgess John Anthony Burgess Wilson, (; 25 February 1917 – 22 November 1993), who published under the name Anthony Burgess, was an English writer and composer. Although Burgess was primarily a comic writer, his dystopian satire ''A Clockwork ...
's '' Byrne: A Novel'' From
Emma Lazarus Emma Lazarus (July 22, 1849 – November 19, 1887) was an American author of poetry, prose, and translations, as well as an activist for Jewish and Georgist causes. She is remembered for writing the sonnet " The New Colossus", which was inspire ...
's '' An Epistle''


Other languages

The
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
poets Boscán, Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga and Lope de Vega all experimented with ottava rima at one time or another. It is also the meter of several medieval
Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...
epic poems, such as the
Bovo-Bukh The ''Bovo-Bukh'' ("Bovo book"; also known as ''Baba Buch'', etc.; Yiddish: ), written in 1507–1508 by Elia Levita, was the most popular chivalric romance in Yiddish. It was first printed in 1541, being the first non-religious book to be p ...
(1507–1508), which were adaptations of Italian epics. In Russia, Pavel Katenin instigated a high-profile dispute on the proper way of translating Italian epics, which resulted in
Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
's ottava rima poem "The Little House in Kolomna" (1830), which took its cue from
Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...
's '' Beppo''. Pushkin's poem opens with a lengthy tongue-in-cheek discussion of the merits of ottava rima. In Germany (or other German-speaking countries) ottava rima occurred not so often as in Italy, but was used in long works. Paul Heyse, a Nobel Prize laureate for the year 1910, used it in his poems (''Die Braut von Cypern''). Rainer Maria Rilke, regarded as the greatest German language lyric poet of the 20th century, wrote ''Winterliche Stanzen'' in ABABABCC scheme.
Luís de Camões Luís Vaz de Camões (; sometimes rendered in English as Camoens or Camoëns, ; c. 1524 or 1525 – 10 June 1580) is considered Portugal's and the Portuguese language's greatest poet. His mastery of verse has been compared to that of Shakespear ...
's 16th-century epic ''
Os Lusíadas ''Os Lusíadas'' (), usually translated as ''The Lusiads'', is a Portuguese epic poem written by Luís Vaz de Camões ( – 1580) and first published in 1572. It is widely regarded as the most important work of Portuguese-language literature ...
'', the most important epic in the Portuguese language, is not only one of the longest poems written in ottava rima (it consists of 1,102 stanzas), but is recognized as one of the great epics of European literature. Camões was not the only Portuguese poet to use ottava rima. Many Portuguese and Brazilian poets wrote great epic poems using the stanza, for example Gabriel Pereira de Castro (1571–1632): ''Ulisseia ou Lisboa Edificada'' (1636), Vasco Mouzinho de Quevedo (16th/17th century): ''Afonso Africano'', Francisco de Sá de Meneses (1600–1664): ''Malaca Conquistada'' (1634), António de Sousa Macedo (1606–1682): ''Ulissipo'' (1640),
Brás Garcia de Mascarenhas Brás Garcia de Mascarenhas ( Avô, Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal, 3 February 1596 - Avô, Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal, 8 August 1656) was a Portuguese soldier, poet and writer, author of the poem '' Viriato Trágico''. During his youth, he t ...
: '' Viriato Trágico'' and
José de Santa Rita Durão José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...
(1722–1784): ''
Caramuru Caramuru (-1557) was the Tupi name of the Portuguese colonist Diogo Álvares Correia, who is notable for being the first European to establish contact with the native Tupinambá population in modern-day Brazil and was instrumental in the early c ...
'' (1781). Ottava rima was very popular in the Polish literature of the 17th century, which was under strong influence of Italian poetry. The scheme ABABABCC was introduced into Polish poetry by
Sebastian Grabowiecki Sebastian Grabowiecki (c. 1543 – 1607) was a Polish Catholic priest and poet. He was the author of ''Setnik rymów duchownych'' and ''Setnik rymów duchownych wtóry'' (''Spiritual Rhymes'' parts 1 and 2). His work, focused entirely on reli ...
and made widespread by
Piotr Kochanowski Piotr Kochanowski (1566–1620) was a Polish nobleman, poet and translator. He belonged to a family of writers. He was a son of Mikołaj Kochanowski and a nephew of Jan Kochanowski. He was born in 1566 in Sycyna. He is famous for his translation ...
, who translated ''Jerusalem Delivered'' by
Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' ( Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...
. It was used by
Jan Andrzej Morsztyn Jan Andrzej Morsztyn (1621–93) was a Polish poet, member of the landed nobility, and official in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. He was '' starosta'' of Zawichost, Tymbark and Kowal. He was also pantler of Sandomierz (1647–58), Royal S ...
,
Stanisław Herakliusz Lubomirski Prince Stanisław Herakliusz Lubomirski a.k.a. "Mirobulius Tassalinus" (4 March 1642 – 17 January 1702) was a Polish noble, politician, patron of the arts and writer. Biography Lubomirski was the son of Marshal and Hetman Jerzy Sebastian L ...
, Wespazjan Kochowski,
Samuel Twardowski Samuel Ludwik Twardowski (before 1600 – 1661) was a Polish poet, diarist, and essayist who gained popularity in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. He was called by his contemporaries the "Polish Virgil". Life and works He was a member of Po ...
and
Wacław Potocki Wacław Potocki (; 1621–1696) was a Polish nobleman ('' szlachcic''), moralist, poet, and writer. He was the podczaszy of Kraków from 1678 to 1685. He is remembered as one of the most important Polish baroque artists. His most famous works ar ...
. During The Enlightenment bishop and poet
Ignacy Krasicki Ignacy Błażej Franciszek Krasicki (3 February 173514 March 1801), from 1766 Prince-Bishop of Warmia (in German, ''Ermland'') and from 1795 Archbishop of Gniezno (thus, Primate of Poland), was Poland's leading Enlightenment poet"Ignacy Krasic ...
wrote his mock-epics (''Monachomachia'', ''Antymonachomachia'' and ''Myszeida'') in ottava rima. In the beginning of 19th century Dyzma Bończa-Tomaszewski attempted to write a national epic ''Jagiellonida''. His work, however, is not longer remembered. Later
Juliusz Słowacki Juliusz Słowacki (; french: Jules Slowacki; 4 September 1809 – 3 April 1849) was a Polish Romantic poet. He is considered one of the " Three Bards" of Polish literature — a major figure in the Polish Romantic period, and the father of m ...
, one of the greatest romantic poets, wrote two long poems, '' Beniowski'' and ''Król Duch'' (''King Spirit''), using the stanza. Another important attempt to write a modern epic poem in ottava rima was
Maria Konopnicka Maria Konopnicka (; ; 23 May 1842 – 8 October 1910) was a Polish poet, novelist, children's writer, translator, journalist, critic, and activist for women's rights and for Polish independence. She used pseudonyms, including ''Jan Sawa''. She ...
's ''Pan Balcer w Brazylii'' (''Mr. Balcer in Brazil''). Poems written in ottava rima are usually translated into Polish in the same form. Lately ''La Araucana'' by
Alonso de Ercilla Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga (7 August 153329 November 1594) was a Spanish soldier and poet, born in Madrid. While in Chile (1556–63) he fought against the Araucanians (Mapuche), and there he began the epic poem ''La Araucana'', considered one o ...
was translated in such a way by Czesław Ratka. In Czech poetry,
Jaroslav Vrchlický Jaroslav Vrchlický (; 17 February 1853 – 9 September 1912) was a Czech lyrical poet. He was nominated for the Nobel prize in literature eight times. Life He was born Emilius Jakob Frida in Louny. He lived ten years with his uncle, a p ...
, generally considered to be the greatest poet of the second half of 19th century, used ottava rima several times, for example in short poem ''Odpověď'' (''An Answer'') that is composed of only two stanzas. Vrchlický was well trained in the use of the stanza as he translated Ludovico Ariosto's ''Orlando Furioso'' (''Roland Enraged'') into Czech. In Slovenian literature ottava rima was used by
France Prešeren France Prešeren () (2 or 3 December 1800 – 8 February 1849) was a 19th-century Romantic Slovene poet whose poems have been translated into many languages.
, the greatest romantic poet, sometimes, among others, in ''Krst pri Savici'' (
The Baptism on the Savica ''The Baptism on the Savica'' ( sl, Krst pri Savici) is a long two-part epic- lyric poem written by the Slovene Romantic poet France Prešeren. According to the literary historian Marko Juvan, the work may be considered the Slovene national e ...
), that is considered to be a national epic of Slovenian people. Prologue to the poem is written in
terza rima ''Terza rima'' (, also , ; ) is a rhyming verse form, in which the poem, or each poem-section, consists of tercets (three line stanzas) with an interlocking three-line rhyme scheme: The last word of the second line in one tercet provides the rh ...
. In Danish literature ottava rima was used by
Frederik Paludan-Müller Frederik Paludan-Müller (7 February 1809 – 27 December 1876) was a Danish poet, the third son of Jens Paludan-Müller and born in Kerteminde, on the island of Funen. In 1819 his father was transferred to Odense, and Frederik began to attend ...
and others. He used the stanza in his long poem, ''Adam Homo''. The poet implemented the scheme freely and often used, for example, the sequence ABABBACC instead of ABABABCC.See original text at books.google.com
/ref> In Swedish poetry ottava rima was used by
Esaias Tegnér Esaias Tegnér (; – ) was a Swedish writer, professor of the Greek language, and bishop. He was during the 19th century regarded as the father of modern poetry in Sweden, mainly through the national romantic epic ''Frithjof's Saga''. He has b ...
in his epic
Frithiof's Saga Frithiof's Saga ( is, Friðþjófs saga hins frœkna) is a legendary saga from Iceland which in its present form is from ca. 1300. It is a continuation from ''The Saga of Thorstein Víkingsson'' ('' Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar''). It takes pla ...
. In Finnish literature ottava rima was used by
Eino Leino Eino Leino (born Armas Einar Leopold Lönnbohm; 6 July 1878 – 10 January 1926) was a Finnish poet and journalist who is considered one of the pioneers of Finnish poetry and a national poet of Finland. His poems combine modern and Finnish fo ...
in some parts of book ''Juhana Herttuan ja Catharina Jagellonican lauluja'' (''Songs of Prince John and Catherine the Jagellonian'').


References


External links

* {{Cite EB1911, wstitle= Ottava Rima , volume= 20 , last= Gosse , first= Edmund William , author-link= Edmund Gosse , page = 368 , short= 1
''Orlando Innamorato''




* Fragments of many Portuguese poems are published a

Stanzaic form Western medieval lyric forms