Of a Rose, or so to Speak - a Sonnet

The classic token of love, a rose... or a sonnet? How about both? Here's a classic Shakespearean sonnet to enjoy and with Valentine's day coming up soon, maybe you can even write your own!

A Shakespearian sonnet is composed of 14 lines, separated into 3 quatrains of 4 lines each and one couplet of 2 lines at the end. Each line in the sonnet is composed of 10 syllables with a rhythm of unstressed and stressed syllables, one following the other. This is known as "iambic pentameter." In each quatrain (or set of 4 lines), the first and third lines rhyme together and so do the second and forth lines. The final 2 lines (or the couplet) rhyme with each other.

The quatrains are meant to introduce and expound upon some problem of life or love and the couplet is supposed to summarize the conclusion or the solution. Shakespeare himself published 152 sonnets, most of which dealt with the themes of love and romance.

If Shakespeare can write so many, surely you can try your hand at just one. I guarantee that if you write a sonnet for your lovely lady this Valentine's Day, it'll be a gift she won't forget! Like any typically classical or romantic poetry, sonnets are often full of flowery language (and my example is no exception!). So don't be afraid to express your thoughts in words and phrases that you wouldn't normally use. For example, here's a sonnet I wrote several years back:

And now to what shall I compare my love?
Like a warm spring day when a sweet wind blows,
Or to the graceful fairness of a dove?
Yet I think her beauty more like a rose.

Yes, that like a rose, so captivating;
Brilliant and red, with subtle fragrance sweet.
Beauty spoken for itself, just waiting
For one to find and sweep her off her feet.

And like a rose, how one may slowly bloom,
So has my love, to show more beauty still.
And though unmatched, yet promising more room
To show her charm, more of my heart to steal.

Like my love, a rose is precious and rare;
Though to my love, a rose cannot compare.