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Rime couée

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 “tailed rhyme” stanza, typically aabccb, with shorter “tail” lines

Detailed Definition
Rime couée (or tail rhyme) is a stanzaic form where a short “tail” line interrupts or concludes a pattern of longer rhyming lines (e.g., AAABCCCB), creating rhythmic surprise and emphasis; popular in medieval romance, it lends itself to narrative momentum and lyrical interjection.
Example
Example in poetry:
Rime couée: A tail-rhyme stanza like: "In a garden green (A) / Sat a maiden fair (B) / With eyes so keen (A) / And golden hair (B) / She sang a song (C) / All unaware (B)"—where the "B" lines rhyme throughout.
Additional Notes
Rime couée combines couplets with shorter refrain line, creating "tailed rhyme" effect. Medieval French form, adopted in English. Related to tail-rhyme stanza. Creates rhythmic variation within predictable pattern.
Also Known As
tailed rhyme caudate rhyme Tail rhyme
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