The Sonnet
This book, being mostly sonnets, needs some introduction to the art of the sonnet. Allan’s wife Lynn (who has put this volume together) especially greatly admires the musicality of the sonnet form. Besides the meaning within a sonnet, one of the main pleasures comes from the rhythm patterns and the music it creates. Along with the understanding of an idea, the oral beauty of the sonnet strengthens its meaning.
Much has been written about the difficulty of writing a sonnet and the respect for anyone who can write in such an elevated manner. It has been said that sonnets can be one of the most difficult, yet satisfying, types of poems to compose.
Sonnets are incredibly complex, utilizing a strict rhyme scheme and poetic rhythm. The sonnet is a difficult poem to master, but when it’s done right, it can be beautiful and profound. A traditional sonnet is three quatrains of four-line stanzas concluding with a rhyming couplet. Iambic pentameter is always used, each line with ten syllables, alternating stressed and unstressed. Allan’s preferred rhyme scheme is Shakespearean with alternate lines rhyming.