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Inclosed rhyme

Rhyme
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

An archaic term for enclosed rhyme (ABBA), where the first and fourth lines rhyme around the inner pair.

Detailed Definition
Inclosed rhyme is an archaic spelling of “enclosed rhyme,” referring to the ABBA quatrain structure where the first and fourth lines rhyme, enclosing the inner rhyming pair. This term appears in pre-20th-century poetic treatises and hymnals, reflecting historical orthographic conventions. Functionally identical to “embracing” or “encircling” rhyme, it emphasizes the framing effect of the outer lines, which “inclose” the central thought within a symmetrical sonic boundary. Modern critics prefer “enclosed rhyme,” but encountering “inclosed” in historical texts helps students trace the evolution of poetic terminology and understand how formal concepts were articulated in earlier eras.
Example
Example in poetry:
The curfew tolls the knell of parting day, / The lowing herd wind slowly o’er the lea, / The plowman homeward plods his weary way, / And leaves the world to darkness and to me; When I consider how my light is spent, / Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide, / And that one talent which is death to hide, / Lodged with me useless; Love is not love / Which alters when it alteration finds, / Or bends with the remover to remove: / O no! it is an ever-fixed mark; Not marble, nor the gilded monuments / Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme; / But you shall shine more bright in these contents / Than unswept stone, besmeared with sluttish time
Additional Notes
Inclosed rhyme is an archaic term for ABBA or embracing rhyme, emphasizing how the outer lines “enclose” the inner. Found in Renaissance poetry and hymns. Students should note historical usage—modern critics prefer “enclosed” or “embracing.” The term reflects pre-20th century spelling conventions.
Also Known As
ABBA enclosure embracing terminal pattern inward-rhyming quatrain ABBA pattern
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