Internal rhyme
Inpoetry,internal rhyme,ormiddle rhyme,isrhymethat occurs within a single line ofverse,or between internal phrases across multiple lines.[1][2]By contrast, rhyme between line endings is known as end rhyme.
Internalrhyme schemescan be denoted with spaces or commas between lines. For example, "AB,AB,AB" denotes a three-line poem with the same internal rhyme on each line, and the same end rhyme on each line (which does not rhyme with the internal rhyme).
Examples[edit]
The following example is inlimerickform. Each stressed syllable rhymes with another stressed syllable using one of three rhyme sets. Each rhyme set is indicated by a different highlight color. Note that the yellow rhyme set provides internal rhyme in lines 1, 2, and 5, and end rhymes in lines 3 and 4, whereas the blue set is entirely internal, and the pink is exclusively end rhymes.
Each timeRosaliegoesfor awalk
She wellknowsthat herclothesare thetalk
Of thetown,and itshows,
But thisgownwill expose
More thantoes,so someshmoesgape andgawk.
Percy Dearmer(1867–1936) revisedJohn Bunyan's (1628–1688) poem "To Be a Pilgrim"in 1906. It became a popular hymn whenCharles Winfred Douglas(1867–1944) set it to music in 1917. Here are Dearmer's lyrics, with the internal rhymes in bold. Notice that in these threequatrainsthe internal rhymes are also echoed in the line rhymes (also in bold).[3]
He who wouldvaliant be’gainst all disaster,
Let him inconstancyfollow the Master.
There’s nodiscouragementshall make him oncerelent
His first avowedintentto be a pilgrim.
Who so beset himroundwith dismal stories
Do but themselvesconfound—his strength the more is.
No foes shall stay hismight;though he with giantsfight,
He will make good hisrightto be a pilgrim.
Since, Lord, Thou dostdefendus with Thy Spirit,
We know we at theend,shall life inherit.
Then fancies fleeaway!I’ll fear not what mensay,
I’ll labor night anddayto be a pilgrim.
W. S. Gilbert(1836–1911) used internal rhyme in some of the songs of his operas. One notable example is that of Bunthorne's solo aria from the operaPatience,which begins:
If you're anxious for toshinein the high aestheticline
As a man of culture rare,
You must get up all thegermsof the transcendentalterms,
And plant them everywhere.
You must lie upon thedaisiesand discourse in novelphrases
Of your complicated state of mind,
The meaning doesn'tmatterif it's only idlechatter
Of a transcendental kind.
Internalrhyme schemeswere extremely common in a popular song of theSwing Era.One familiar example is the bridge from "Don't Fence Me In",written byCole Porterfor the filmHollywood Canteenin 1944:
Just turn melooselet mestraddlemy oldsaddle,
Underneath the western skies,
On mycayuselet mewanderoveryonder,
'Til I see the mountains rise.
Internal rhyme is used extensively in rap andhip-hop music,where it sometimes overlaps withassonance.The usage of internal rhyme in rap has increased over time, but can be found even in the earliest rap songs, such as theSugarhill Gang's 1979 single, "Rapper's Delight":[4]
I'm six-foot-oneand I'mtonsoffunand I dress to aT
Yousee,I got more clothes than MuhammadAliand I dress soviciously
I got bodyguards,I got two bigcars,I definitely ain't thewhack
I got a Lincoln Continental and a sun-roofedCadillac
So afterschool,I take a dip in thepool,which is really on thewall
I got a colorTV,so I canseethe Knicks playbasketball
Internal rhyme is used frequently by many different hip-hop artists, includingKool Moe Dee,Big Daddy Kane,Nas,andRakim,as demonstrated inEric B. and Rakim's 1987 piece, "My Melody"from their debut albumPaid In Full:
Myunusual stylewillconfuse you a while
If I were water, I'd flow in theNile
So manyrhymesyou won't havetimeto go foryours
JustbecauseofapplauseI have topause
Rightaftertonightis when Iprepare
To catch another sucker-duck MC outthere
Mystrategyhas to betragedy,catastrophe
And after this you'll call me yourmajesty...[5][6]
Another prominent hip-hop artist who uses complex internal rhymes isAZ,as shown in "The Format":
Young and gifted,mytongue's prolific
In thebeach bungalowis how Ibrung in Christmas
To thestreets I'mma flowfrom thehungriest districts
Swiss kickscrisp when I come to thempicnics
Play slow,paper chasestack and lay low
Range rovetinted allblack the same old
Psychic mind,righteous rhymesthatturned a new leaf from a life of crime
Noconcerns with new beef, who's as nice as I'm
It'sconfirmed, from few feet I'm still a sniper blind
Built my fame,spilt my pain
Politicking daily, still trying tomilk the game
It's obvious that I'm real, rapskills remain
I took somechangeand I'mstill the same
Black Thought,rapper fromThe Roots,uses internal rhymes in the song "Respond/React".
Theattractiveassassin,blastinthe deviltrespassin
Mastergettincashinan orderlyfashion
Message to the fake n****flashin
Slow upAhk,before you getdroppedandclosedlike acaption
Fractionalkids don'tknowthe time foraction
Styles got the rhythm that of an Anglo-Saxon
Round of applause, an avalanche ofclappin
{*BLOW*} that's whathappen,now what's yourreaction
We heavyweighttraction,pro-pornographin
Specialize in science andmath and,originalblack man
Bustin thoughts thatpierceyour mental
Thefierce rippinyoursacksand
Vocal toe to toe impeccablesplittinyourbackson
Simple asadditionandsubtraction
BlackThought,theinfiniterelaxedone
Shorties say they love it with apassion
Bring theinternationalcharm, see a squad Iharass
The Beatlesuse internal rhyme in their song "Hey Jude".
Hey Jude, don't make itbad
Take asadsong and make itbetter
Remember tolet herinto yourheart
Then you canstartto make it better
Hey Jude, don't beafraid
You weremadeto go out andget her
The minute youlet herunder yourskin
Then youbeginto make itbetter
MF Doomuses almost every word as internal rhyme in this verse in his song, "Figaro". (Rhymes highlighted)
It'stoohottohandle,yougotbluesandals
Whoshotyou?Oohgotyounewspotstovandal?
Donotstand still,both showskills
Closebutnokrills,toast for po'nils,post nobills
Coast to coast Joe Shmoe's flowsill,gochill
Notsupposed to overdose, No-Dozpills
Offpridetykestalkwidethroughscarmeat
OffsideslikehowWorfrideswithStarfleet
Kool Keithheavily utilises internal rhyme in his song "3000" to effectively throw off the listener.
As studies have shown; participator actswalk up,clog up
And mess up waterdownthesoundthat comes from theghetto
In themiddlethecoreyoutour,exploreexperience
What isrealyoufeel,changingways
Commercialrap'sin thegrave,stuff on disc that's verywack
That yousaved,you think it'sgoodwon't goplatinum
Or even turnwood,sell thecassette
Your homey's tapedeckgets wet
You mypet,mypoodlechickennoodle'son therise
Open youreyesand seemylife
Rap moves on to the year three thousand!
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Strachan, John; Terry, Richard (2000).Poetry.Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. p. 63.ISBN978-0-7486-1045-7.
- ^"Internal rhyme".Encyclopædia Britannica.Encyclopædia Britannica. 2014.
- ^"He Who Would Valiant Be".cyberhymnal.org.
- ^"Sugarhill Gang – Rapper's Delight".
- ^Salaam, Mtume ya (June 22, 1995). "The Aesthetics".African American Review.
- ^allmusic ((( Rakim > Biography ))).Allmusic. Accessed May 22, 2008.
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