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After-song pair

Structure
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A concluding couplet appended after a poem’s main body, functioning as a reflective or lyrical coda that echoes or comments on the preceding text.

Detailed Definition
A two-line conclusion added after the main stanzaic structure of a poem, functioning as a compressed after-song or envoi. This pair often rhymes and may summarize the poem's central theme, provide moral instruction, or shift the addressee. Common in medieval and Renaissance poetry, it serves both structural and thematic closure, creating emphasis through its brevity and terminal position in the work.
Example
Example in poetry:
A closing couplet after three quatrains in some sonnet variants; The final two lines added after a series of tercets; Byron sometimes added paired lines as conclusions to longer stanzas
Additional Notes
Common in medieval and Renaissance poetry. The pair often rhymes and may summarize the main poem's theme or provide a moral. Sometimes called a "concluding couplet" when it follows longer stanzaic forms.
Also Known As
Envoi couplet Terminal pair Send-off doublet Epode couplet
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