A sestet is six lines of

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

forming a stanza or complete poem. A sestet is also the name given to the second division of an Italian

sonnet A sonnet is a fixed poetic form with a structure traditionally consisting of fourteen lines adhering to a set Rhyme scheme, rhyming scheme. The term derives from the Italian word ''sonetto'' (, from the Latin word ''sonus'', ). Originating in ...

(as opposed to an English or Spenserian Sonnet), which must consist of an

octave In music, an octave (: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is an interval between two notes, one having twice the frequency of vibration of the other. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referr ...

, of eight lines, succeeded by a sestet, of six lines. The etymology of the word can be traced to the Italian word ''sestetto'', meaning “sixth”. The origin of the sonnet form has been traced to poems by Giacomo da Lentini in

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

. The original sonnet form is the Sicilian Sonnet (also in octave and sestet) rhyming ABABABAB CDECDE or CDCDCD. It is generally believed that the first eight lines derive from the Sicilian form of the ''Stramboto''. The first recognized and documented user of this poetical form was the Italian poet

Petrarch Francis Petrarch (; 20 July 1304 – 19 July 1374; ; modern ), born Francesco di Petracco, was a scholar from Arezzo and poet of the early Italian Renaissance, as well as one of the earliest Renaissance humanism, humanists. Petrarch's redis ...

. In the usual course the rhymes are arranged ABCABC, but this is not necessary.One example is from ''Srasimum's Sestet'' which has a rhyme scheme of AACBBC. "Solid Determination to Ultimate Goals" – Srasimum's Sestet by Nicola A. Viriditch :In every step, resolve unshaken, :Through trials faced, the path unbroken, :The journey’s end is drawing near, :In every goal, a dream's foundation, :In every heart, firm dedication, :That drives us forward without fear. :The road is long, with shadows creeping, :Yet in the dark, our strength is keeping :The flame of hope forever bright, :In every fall, a chance to rise, :In every challenge, wisdom lies, :Guiding us through the endless night. :With eyes fixed high, we march together, :Through storm and sun, in any weather, :The summit calls; we heed its voice, :In every doubt, a stronger will, :In every setback, iron still, :That turns each choice into rejoice. :No fear can hold, no doubt can tether, :For in our hearts, we know we weather :The path ahead, be rough or clear, :In every dream, a seed is sown, :In every struggle, strength has grown, :And with each step, the goal draws near. :So on we stride with firm intention, :With every goal, we climb ascension :To heights that few have dared to seek, :In every trial, a deeper fire, :In every loss, the fuel to aspire, :Until we find the peak we seek. :Now standing tall, the summit reached, :The dreams once distant now beseeched, :Each step recalled, each fallen tear, :In every scar, a story told, :In every triumph, moments bold, :That make this victory so dear. :The view from here, a sight to cherish, :Where doubts once lived, they now all perish, :The sweat and toil, a distant past, :In every breath, a taste of pride, :In every glance, our fears subside, :For all was worth the journey vast. :The struggles faced, the nights of yearning, :Now glow with light forever burning, :A beacon for the path ahead, :In every heart, the echoes sing, :In every smile, the joy they bring, :For all the tears so bravely shed. :Now looking back, the road seems clearer, :Each challenge met, each goal brought nearer, :The strength within that none could break, :In every win, a lesson learned, :In every loss, wisdom discerned, :That shaped the path we chose to take. :So now we stand, the prize in hand, :With pride and joy at our command, :The seeds we sowed now bloom anew, :In every step, a life well-lived, :In every dream, the gifts we give, :And smiles that chase away the gloom. Early Italian sonnets, and in particular those of

Dante Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

, often close with the rhyme arrangement ABCCBA, but in languages where the sonority of syllables is not so great as it is in Italian, it is incorrect to leave a period of five lines between one rhyme and another. In the quatorzain, there is, properly speaking, no sestet, but a quatrain followed by a couplet, as in the case of

English sonnets A sonnet is a fixed poetic form with a structure traditionally consisting of fourteen lines adhering to a set rhyming scheme. The term derives from the Italian word ''sonetto'' (, from the Latin word ''sonus'', ). Originating in 13th-century ...

. Another form of sestet has only two rhymes, ABABAB, as is the case in Gray's famous sonnet ''On the Death of Richard West''. The sestet marks the turn of emotion in the

. As a rule, with the octave having been more or less objective, reflection should make its appearance in the sestet, with a tendency to the subjective manner. For example, in Matthew Arnold's ''The Better Part'', the rough inquirer, who has had his own way in the octave, is replied to as soon as the sestet commences: :So answerest thou; but why not rather say: :"Hath man no second life? – Pitch this one high! :Sits there no judge in Heaven, our sin to see? – :More strictly, then, the inward judge obey! :Was Christ a man like us? Ah! let us try :If we then, too, can be such men as he!" Wordsworth and Milton are both remarkable for the dignity with which they conduct the downward wave of the sestet in their sonnet. The French sonneteers of the 16th century, with Ronsard at their head, preferred the softer sound of the arrangement AABCCB. The German poets have usually wavered between the English and the Italian forms.

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References

{{Poetic forms Poetic forms Sonnet studies Stanzaic form