Fourteenline

Fourteenline refers to a work or form consisting of fourteen lines, most commonly associated with the sonnet, a verse form central to Western poetry since the Renaissance.

In English and other languages, fourteen-line poems typically follow fixed rhyme and metrical patterns, though modern practice often allows deviations.

The best-known fourteen-line forms are the Petrarchan (Italian) and Shakespearean (English) sonnets. The Petrarchan divides into octave and sestet, usually with the octave bearing a conventional rhyme scheme such as ABBAABBA and varied sestet patterns.

The Shakespearean divides into three quatrains and a final couplet, with a common rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

The volta, or turning point, in Petrarchan sonnets often appears between the octave and sestet; in Shakespearean sonnets the turn tends to occur in the third quatrain or final couplet.

Modern poets sometimes write strictly fourteen-line poems in free verse or with altered meters, maintaining the line count while experimenting with rhythm and rhyme.

Origins lie in 14th-century Italy and were cultivated across Europe during the Renaissance, with later influence on English literature. Notable practitioners include Petrarch, Sir Thomas Wyatt, William Shakespeare, John Donne, and many contemporary poets.

See also Sonnet.