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Elegiac quatrain

Form
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 four-line stanza traditionally used in elegies, often in iambic pentameter with ABAB or ABBA rhyme, to express grief or memorialize the dead.

Detailed Definition
A four-line stanza used in elegiac or mourning poetry, most famously exemplified in Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard." This verse form typically employs iambic pentameter with ABAB rhyme scheme, creating measured, solemn rhythm appropriate for meditation on death and loss, with each quatrain developing a single aspect of mourning or philosophical reflection, building through accumulation to create sustained elegiac effect over the course of the complete poem.
Example
Example in poetry:
Thomas Gray’s “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” uses elegiac quatrain (ABAB iambic pentameter); modern example: W.H. Auden’s “In Memory of W.B. Yeats” adapts it for public mourning; elegiac quatrain provides stately, reflective pace; it’s common in 18th-19th century elegies; this form balances personal and universal grief; it often includes nature imagery.
Additional Notes
Most famous example is Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard." Four-line unit allows development of single image or idea. Often uses ABAB rhyme scheme.
Also Known As
Mourning quatrain Elegiac four-liner Lament stanza Gray's stanza Elegiac stanza Heroic quatrain
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