--- title: "10 Rhyme Quotes By James Fenton" description: "10 Rhyme quotes by James Fenton. Plus more from James Fenton and more Rhyme sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bb/james-fenton-9438_cases_in-rap-as-in-most-popular-lyrics-a-very_647126.png" --- > [In rap, as in most popular lyrics, a very low standard is set for rhyme; but this was not always the case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/in-rap-as-in-most-popular-lyrics-a-very-low-standard-is-set-for-rhyme/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bb/james-fenton-9438_cases_in-rap-as-in-most-popular-lyrics-a-very_647126.png) > [Rhyme is a mnemonic device, an aid to the memory. And some poems are themselves mnemonics, that is to say, the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/rhyme-is-a-mnemonic-device-an-aid-to-the-memory-and-some-poems-are/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/237/james-fenton-9438_aid_rhyme-is-a-mnemonic-device-an-aid-to-the_2257549.png) > [My feeling is that poetry will wither on the vine if you don't regularly come back to the simplest fundamentals of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/my-feeling-is-that-poetry-will-wither-on-the-vine-if-you-don-t/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c59/james-fenton-9438_death_my-feeling-is-that-poetry-will-wither-on_1450674.png) > [Generally speaking, rhyme is the marker for the end of a line. The first rhyme-word is like a challenge thrown down, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/generally-speaking-rhyme-is-the-marker-for-the-end-of-a-line-the/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41b/james-fenton-9438_challenges_generally-speaking-rhyme-is-the-marker-f_1722519.jpg) > [The basic rhymes in English are masculine, which is to say that the last syllable of the line is stressed: 'lane' rhymes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/the-basic-rhymes-in-english-are-masculine-which-is-to-say-that-the/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/299/james-fenton-9438_doe_the-basic-rhymes-in-english-are-masculin_1882118.png) > [Among those today who believe that modern poetry must do without rhyme or metre, there is an assumption that the alternative to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/among-those-today-who-believe-that-modern-poetry-must-do-without/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82d/james-fenton-9438_alternatives_among-those-today-who-believe-that-moder_60797.png) > ['Love' is so short of perfect rhymes that convention allows half-rhymes like 'move.' The alternative is a plague of doves, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/love-is-so-short-of-perfect-rhymes-that-convention-allows-half-rhymes/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/985/james-fenton-9438_addresses_love-is-so-short-of-perfect-rhymes-that_480075.png) > [A glance at the history of European poetry is enough to inform us that rhyme itself is not indispensable. Latin poetry in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/a-glance-at-the-history-of-european-poetry-is-enough-to-inform-us/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/744/james-fenton-9438_age_a-glance-at-the-history-of-european-poet_405956.jpg) > [This is what rhyme does. In a couplet, the first rhyme is like a question to which the second rhyme is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/this-is-what-rhyme-does-in-a-couplet-the-first-rhyme-is-like-a/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b35/james-fenton-9438_air_this-is-what-rhyme-does-in-a-couplet-the_3140470.png) > [No poet is required to write in stanzas, or indeed in regular forms at all. Coleridge's 'Dejection: An Ode' has a rhyme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/no-poet-is-required-to-write-in-stanzas-or-indeed-in-regular-forms-at/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/james-fenton-9438_following_no-poet-is-required-to-write-in-stanzas_1039262.png) ## Other authors on Rhyme ## More by James Fenton > [Among those today who believe that modern poetry must do without rhyme or metre, there is an assumption that the alternative to free verse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/among-those-today-who-believe-that-modern-poetry-must-do-without/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [When we study Shakespeare on the page, for academic purposes, we may require all kinds of help. Generally, we read him in modern spelling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/when-we-study-shakespeare-on-the-page-for-academic-purposes-we-may/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [There is no objection to the proposal: in order to learn to be a poet, I shall try to write a sonnet. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/there-is-no-objection-to-the-proposal-in-order-to-learn-to-be-a-poet/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [Poetry carries its history within it, and it is oral in origin. Its transmission was oral. Its transmission today is still in part oral,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/poetry-carries-its-history-within-it-and-it-is-oral-in-origin-its/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [A glance at the history of European poetry is enough to inform us that rhyme itself is not indispensable. Latin poetry in the classical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/a-glance-at-the-history-of-european-poetry-is-enough-to-inform-us/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [In song the same rule applies as in dramatic verse: the meaning must yield itself, or yield itself sufficiently to arouse the attention and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/in-song-the-same-rule-applies-as-in-dramatic-verse-the-meaning-must/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [Great poetry does not have to be technically intricate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/great-poetry-does-not-have-to-be-technically-intricate/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > ['Love' is so short of perfect rhymes that convention allows half-rhymes like 'move.' The alternative is a plague of doves, or a kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/love-is-so-short-of-perfect-rhymes-that-convention-allows-half-rhymes/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [Lyric poetry is, of course, musical in origin. I do know that what happened to poetry in the twentieth century was that it began…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/lyric-poetry-is-of-course-musical-in-origin-i-do-know-that-what/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [At somewhere around 10 syllables, the English poetic line is at its most relaxed and manageable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/at-somewhere-around-10-syllables-the-english-poetic-line-is-at-its/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [In rap, as in most popular lyrics, a very low standard is set for rhyme; but this was not always the case with popular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/in-rap-as-in-most-popular-lyrics-a-very-low-standard-is-set-for-rhyme/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [The Italian word 'stanza' means 'a room', and a room is a good way to conceive of a stanza. A room, generally speaking, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/the-italian-word-stanza-means-a-room-and-a-room-is-a-good-way-to/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [Some people think that English poetry begins with the Anglo-Saxons. I don't, because I can't accept that there is any continuity between the traditions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/some-people-think-that-english-poetry-begins-with-the-anglo-saxons-i/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [Nobody really knows whether they are a poet. I knew I was interested from the age of 15.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/nobody-really-knows-whether-they-are-a-poet-i-knew-i-was-interested/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [Modernism in other arts brought extreme difficulty. In poetry, the characteristic difficulty imported under the name of modernism was obscurity. But obscurity could just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/modernism-in-other-arts-brought-extreme-difficulty-in-poetry-the/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhyme/james-fenton/#itemlist", "name": "10 Rhyme Quotes By James Fenton", "numberOfItems": 10, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In rap, as in most popular lyrics, a very low standard is set for rhyme; but this was not always the case with popular music.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Fenton" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/in-rap-as-in-most-popular-lyrics-a-very-low-standard-is-set-for-rhyme/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bb/james-fenton-9438_cases_in-rap-as-in-most-popular-lyrics-a-very_647126.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bb/james-fenton-9438_cases_in-rap-as-in-most-popular-lyrics-a-very_647126.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8bb/james-fenton-9438_cases_in-rap-as-in-most-popular-lyrics-a-very_647126.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In rap, as in most popular lyrics, a very low standard is set for rhyme; but this was not always the case…” — James Fenton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Rhyme is a mnemonic device, an aid to the memory. 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The first rhyme-word is like a challenge thrown down, which the poem itself has to respond to.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Fenton" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/generally-speaking-rhyme-is-the-marker-for-the-end-of-a-line-the/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41b/james-fenton-9438_challenges_generally-speaking-rhyme-is-the-marker-f_1722519.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41b/james-fenton-9438_challenges_generally-speaking-rhyme-is-the-marker-f_1722519.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41b/james-fenton-9438_challenges_generally-speaking-rhyme-is-the-marker-f_1722519.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Generally speaking, rhyme is the marker for the end of a line. 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'Lane' does not rhyme with 'methane.'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Fenton" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/the-basic-rhymes-in-english-are-masculine-which-is-to-say-that-the/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/299/james-fenton-9438_doe_the-basic-rhymes-in-english-are-masculin_1882118.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/299/james-fenton-9438_doe_the-basic-rhymes-in-english-are-masculin_1882118.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/299/james-fenton-9438_doe_the-basic-rhymes-in-english-are-masculin_1882118.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The basic rhymes in English are masculine, which is to say that the last syllable of the line is stressed…” — James Fenton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 6, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Among those today who believe that modern poetry must do without rhyme or metre, there is an assumption that the alternative to free verse is a crash course in villanelles, sestinas and other such fixed forms. But most... are rare in English poetry. Few poets have written a villanelle worth reading, or indeed regret not having done so.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Fenton" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/among-those-today-who-believe-that-modern-poetry-must-do-without/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82d/james-fenton-9438_alternatives_among-those-today-who-believe-that-moder_60797.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82d/james-fenton-9438_alternatives_among-those-today-who-believe-that-moder_60797.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82d/james-fenton-9438_alternatives_among-those-today-who-believe-that-moder_60797.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Among those today who believe that modern poetry must do without rhyme or metre, there is an assumption that…” — James Fenton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "'Love' is so short of perfect rhymes that convention allows half-rhymes like 'move.' The alternative is a plague of doves, or a kind of poem in which the poet addresses his adored both as 'love' and as 'guv' - a perfectly decent solution once, but only once, in a while.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Fenton" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/love-is-so-short-of-perfect-rhymes-that-convention-allows-half-rhymes/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/985/james-fenton-9438_addresses_love-is-so-short-of-perfect-rhymes-that_480075.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/985/james-fenton-9438_addresses_love-is-so-short-of-perfect-rhymes-that_480075.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/985/james-fenton-9438_addresses_love-is-so-short-of-perfect-rhymes-that_480075.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“'Love' is so short of perfect rhymes that convention allows half-rhymes like 'move.' The alternative is a…” — James Fenton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A glance at the history of European poetry is enough to inform us that rhyme itself is not indispensable. Latin poetry in the classical age had no use for it, and the kind of Latin poetry that does rhyme - as for instance the medieval 'Carmina Burana' - tends to be somewhat crude stuff in comparison with the classical verse that doesn't.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Fenton" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/a-glance-at-the-history-of-european-poetry-is-enough-to-inform-us/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/744/james-fenton-9438_age_a-glance-at-the-history-of-european-poet_405956.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/744/james-fenton-9438_age_a-glance-at-the-history-of-european-poet_405956.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/744/james-fenton-9438_age_a-glance-at-the-history-of-european-poet_405956.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A glance at the history of European poetry is enough to inform us that rhyme itself is not indispensable…” — James Fenton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "This is what rhyme does. In a couplet, the first rhyme is like a question to which the second rhyme is an answer. The first rhyme leaves something in the air, some unanswered business. In most quatrains, space is created between the rhyme that poses the question and the rhyme that gives the answer - it is like a pleasure deferred.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Fenton" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/this-is-what-rhyme-does-in-a-couplet-the-first-rhyme-is-like-a/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b35/james-fenton-9438_air_this-is-what-rhyme-does-in-a-couplet-the_3140470.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b35/james-fenton-9438_air_this-is-what-rhyme-does-in-a-couplet-the_3140470.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b35/james-fenton-9438_air_this-is-what-rhyme-does-in-a-couplet-the_3140470.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This is what rhyme does. In a couplet, the first rhyme is like a question to which the second rhyme is an…” — James Fenton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "No poet is required to write in stanzas, or indeed in regular forms at all. Coleridge's 'Dejection: An Ode' has a rhyme scheme and sequence of long and short lines that goes without regular pattern, following the mood and whim of the poet. Such a form is known as an irregular ode.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Fenton" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/no-poet-is-required-to-write-in-stanzas-or-indeed-in-regular-forms-at/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/james-fenton-9438_following_no-poet-is-required-to-write-in-stanzas_1039262.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/james-fenton-9438_following_no-poet-is-required-to-write-in-stanzas_1039262.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/james-fenton-9438_following_no-poet-is-required-to-write-in-stanzas_1039262.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“No poet is required to write in stanzas, or indeed in regular forms at all. 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