Couplet Poems

A couplet is a pair of successive lines—often rhymed—that form a sense unit. Couplets can stand alone as epigrams, conclude a sonnet with a twist, or build long, linked narratives.

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Key features and common types:

• Two-Line Unit: Meaning typically completes within the pair; punctuation often closes the thought.
• Rhyme & Meter: Many couplets rhyme (aa). Meter varies—iambic pentameter is classic in English.
• Closed vs. Open: Closed (end-stopped) couplets finish a full idea; open couplets enjamb into the next pair.
• Heroic Couplet: Two rhymed lines of iambic pentameter—favored for narrative, satire, and argument.
• Epigrammatic Use: Short, witty couplets deliver a memorable turn or aphorism.
• Structural Roles: As stanzas in longer poems, as refrains, or as summative “volta” closures (e.g., in sonnets).

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Couplets balance compression and cadence: two lines to state, turn, and land—clean, musical, and memorable.