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href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">8</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-External_links" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#External_links"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9</span> <span>External links</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-External_links-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" title="Table of Contents" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" 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Available in 31 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-31" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">31 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-af mw-list-item"><a href="https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koeplet" title="Koeplet – Afrikaans" lang="af" hreflang="af" data-title="Koeplet" data-language-autonym="Afrikaans" data-language-local-name="Afrikaans" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Afrikaans</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A8%D8%B9_(%D8%B4%D8%B9%D8%B1)" title="مربع (شعر) – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="مربع (شعر)" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-az mw-list-item"><a href="https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyt" title="Beyt – Azerbaijani" lang="az" hreflang="az" data-title="Beyt" data-language-autonym="Azərbaycanca" data-language-local-name="Azerbaijani" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Azərbaycanca</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-azb mw-list-item"><a href="https://azb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%AA" title="بيت – South Azerbaijani" lang="azb" hreflang="azb" data-title="بيت" data-language-autonym="تۆرکجه" data-language-local-name="South Azerbaijani" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>تۆرکجه</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bg mw-list-item"><a href="https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%94%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%85" title="Дистих – Bulgarian" lang="bg" hreflang="bg" data-title="Дистих" data-language-autonym="Български" data-language-local-name="Bulgarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Български</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-br mw-list-item"><a href="https://br.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divwerzenn" title="Divwerzenn – Breton" lang="br" hreflang="br" data-title="Divwerzenn" data-language-autonym="Brezhoneg" data-language-local-name="Breton" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Brezhoneg</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apariat" title="Apariat – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Apariat" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cs mw-list-item"><a href="https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuplet" title="Kuplet – Czech" lang="cs" hreflang="cs" data-title="Kuplet" data-language-autonym="Čeština" data-language-local-name="Czech" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Čeština</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zweizeiler_(Verslehre)" title="Zweizeiler (Verslehre) – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Zweizeiler (Verslehre)" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-el mw-list-item"><a href="https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%94%CE%AF%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B9%CF%87%CE%BF" title="Δίστιχο – Greek" lang="el" hreflang="el" data-title="Δίστιχο" data-language-autonym="Ελληνικά" data-language-local-name="Greek" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Ελληνικά</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareado" title="Pareado – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Pareado" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-eo mw-list-item"><a href="https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distiko" title="Distiko – Esperanto" lang="eo" hreflang="eo" data-title="Distiko" data-language-autonym="Esperanto" data-language-local-name="Esperanto" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Esperanto</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distique_(litt%C3%A9rature)" title="Distique (littérature) – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Distique (littérature)" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-id mw-list-item"><a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bait_(sastra)" title="Bait (sastra) – Indonesian" lang="id" hreflang="id" data-title="Bait (sastra)" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Indonesia" data-language-local-name="Indonesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Indonesia</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distico" title="Distico – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Distico" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ka mw-list-item"><a href="https://ka.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%83%91%E1%83%90%E1%83%98%E1%83%97%E1%83%98" title="ბაითი – Georgian" lang="ka" hreflang="ka" data-title="ბაითი" data-language-autonym="ქართული" data-language-local-name="Georgian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ქართული</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mk mw-list-item"><a href="https://mk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%94%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%85" title="Двостих – Macedonian" lang="mk" hreflang="mk" data-title="Двостих" data-language-autonym="Македонски" data-language-local-name="Macedonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Македонски</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ms mw-list-item"><a href="https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuplet" title="Kuplet – Malay" lang="ms" hreflang="ms" data-title="Kuplet" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Melayu" data-language-local-name="Malay" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Melayu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BA%8C%E8%A1%8C%E9%80%A3" title="二行連 – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="二行連" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-oc mw-list-item"><a href="https://oc.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distic" title="Distic – Occitan" lang="oc" hreflang="oc" data-title="Distic" data-language-autonym="Occitan" data-language-local-name="Occitan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Occitan</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ps mw-list-item"><a href="https://ps.wikipedia.org/wiki/%DA%85%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%DA%81" title="څلوريځ – Pashto" lang="ps" hreflang="ps" data-title="څلوريځ" data-language-autonym="پښتو" data-language-local-name="Pashto" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>پښتو</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%ADstico" title="Dístico – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Dístico" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ro mw-list-item"><a href="https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distih" title="Distih – Romanian" lang="ro" hreflang="ro" data-title="Distih" data-language-autonym="Română" data-language-local-name="Romanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Română</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%94%D0%B2%D1%83%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%88%D0%B8%D0%B5" title="Двустишие – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Двустишие" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-scn mw-list-item"><a href="https://scn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disticu" title="Disticu – Sicilian" lang="scn" hreflang="scn" data-title="Disticu" data-language-autonym="Sicilianu" data-language-local-name="Sicilian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Sicilianu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sd mw-list-item"><a href="https://sd.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%AA" title="بيت – Sindhi" lang="sd" hreflang="sd" data-title="بيت" data-language-autonym="سنڌي" data-language-local-name="Sindhi" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>سنڌي</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sr mw-list-item"><a href="https://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareado" title="Pareado – Serbian" lang="sr" hreflang="sr" data-title="Pareado" data-language-autonym="Српски / srpski" data-language-local-name="Serbian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Српски / srpski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tl mw-list-item"><a href="https://tl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalawang_taludtod" title="Dalawang taludtod – Tagalog" lang="tl" hreflang="tl" data-title="Dalawang taludtod" data-language-autonym="Tagalog" data-language-local-name="Tagalog" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Tagalog</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tr mw-list-item"><a href="https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyit" title="Beyit – Turkish" lang="tr" hreflang="tr" data-title="Beyit" data-language-autonym="Türkçe" data-language-local-name="Turkish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Türkçe</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-diq mw-list-item"><a href="https://diq.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%AAthayi_(B%C3%AAyati,_Mani)" title="Gêthayi (Bêyati, Mani) – Dimli" lang="diq" hreflang="diq" data-title="Gêthayi (Bêyati, Mani)" data-language-autonym="Zazaki" data-language-local-name="Dimli" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Zazaki</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%AF%B9%E5%8F%A5" title="对句 – Chinese" lang="zh" hreflang="zh" data-title="对句" data-language-autonym="中文" data-language-local-name="Chinese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>中文</span></a></li> </ul> <div class="after-portlet after-portlet-lang"><span class="wb-langlinks-edit wb-langlinks-link"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q4779829#sitelinks-wikipedia" title="Edit interlanguage 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i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">For other uses, see <a href="/wiki/Couplet_(disambiguation)" class="mw-disambig" title="Couplet (disambiguation)">Couplet (disambiguation)</a>.</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1251242444">.mw-parser-output .ambox{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;border-left:10px solid #36c;background-color:#fbfbfb;box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+link+.ambox{margin-top:-1px}html body.mediawiki .mw-parser-output .ambox.mbox-small-left{margin:4px 1em 4px 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.ambox{display:none!important}}</style><table class="box-More_citations_needed plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Refimprove" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/100px-Question_book-new.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="399" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This article <b>needs additional citations for <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">verification</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Couplet" title="Special:EditPage/Couplet">improve this article</a> by <a href="/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners" title="Help:Referencing for beginners">adding citations to reliable sources</a>. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.<br /><small><span class="plainlinks"><i>Find sources:</i> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?as_eq=wikipedia&q=%22Couplet%22">"Couplet"</a> – <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbm=nws&q=%22Couplet%22+-wikipedia&tbs=ar:1">news</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?&q=%22Couplet%22&tbs=bkt:s&tbm=bks">newspapers</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks:1&q=%22Couplet%22+-wikipedia">books</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Couplet%22">scholar</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22Couplet%22&acc=on&wc=on">JSTOR</a></span></small></span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">September 2014</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>In poetry, a <b>couplet</b> (<span class="rt-commentedText nowrap"><span class="IPA nopopups noexcerpt" lang="en-fonipa"><a href="/wiki/Help:IPA/English" title="Help:IPA/English">/<span style="border-bottom:1px dotted"><span title="/ˈ/: primary stress follows">ˈ</span><span title="'k' in 'kind'">k</span><span title="/ʌ/: 'u' in 'cut'">ʌ</span><span title="'p' in 'pie'">p</span><span title="'l' in 'lie'">l</span><span title="/ə/: 'a' in 'about'">ə</span><span title="'t' in 'tie'">t</span></span>/</a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key" title="Help:Pronunciation respelling key"><i title="English pronunciation respelling"><span style="font-size:90%">CUP</span>-lət</i></a>) or <b>distich</b> (<span class="rt-commentedText nowrap"><span class="IPA nopopups noexcerpt" lang="en-fonipa"><a href="/wiki/Help:IPA/English" title="Help:IPA/English">/<span style="border-bottom:1px dotted"><span title="/ˈ/: primary stress follows">ˈ</span><span title="'d' in 'dye'">d</span><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="'s' in 'sigh'">s</span><span title="'t' in 'tie'">t</span><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="'k' in 'kind'">k</span></span>/</a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key" title="Help:Pronunciation respelling key"><i title="English pronunciation respelling"><span style="font-size:90%">DISS</span>-tick</i></a>) is a pair of successive <a href="/wiki/Line_(poetry)" title="Line (poetry)">lines</a> that <a href="/wiki/Rhyme" title="Rhyme">rhyme</a> and have the same <a href="/wiki/Metre_(poetry)" title="Metre (poetry)">metre</a>. A couplet may be formal (closed) or run-on (open). In a formal (closed) couplet, each of the two lines is end-stopped, implying that there is a grammatical pause at the end of a line of <a href="/wiki/Verse_(poetry)" title="Verse (poetry)">verse</a>. In a run-on (open) couplet, the meaning of the first line continues to the second.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Background">Background</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Couplet&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Background"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The word "couplet" comes from the French word meaning "two pieces of iron riveted or hinged together". The term "couplet" was first used to describe successive lines of verse in Sir P. Sidney's <i>Arcadia </i>in 1590: "In singing some short coplets, whereto the one halfe beginning, the other halfe should answere."<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>While couplets traditionally rhyme, not all do. Poems may use white space to mark out couplets if they do not rhyme. Couplets in <a href="/wiki/Iambic_pentameter" title="Iambic pentameter">iambic pentameter</a> are called <i><a href="/wiki/Heroic_couplet" title="Heroic couplet">heroic couplets</a></i>. <a href="/wiki/John_Dryden" title="John Dryden">John Dryden</a> in the 17th century and <a href="/wiki/Alexander_Pope" title="Alexander Pope">Alexander Pope</a> in the 18th century were both well known for their writing in heroic couplets. The <a href="/wiki/Poetic_epigram" class="mw-redirect" title="Poetic epigram">Poetic epigram</a> is also in the couplet form. Couplets can also appear as part of more complex <a href="/wiki/Rhyme_scheme" title="Rhyme scheme">rhyme schemes</a>, such as <a href="/wiki/Sonnet" title="Sonnet">sonnets</a>. </p><p>Rhyming couplets are one of the simplest rhyme schemes in poetry. Because the rhyme comes so quickly, it tends to call attention to itself. Good rhyming couplets tend to "explode" as both the rhyme and the idea come to a quick close in two lines. Here are some examples of rhyming couplets where the sense as well as the sound "rhymes": </p> <dl><dd><dl><dd>True wit is nature to advantage dress'd;</dd> <dd>What oft was thought, but ne'er so well express'd.</dd> <dd>— Alexander Pope</dd></dl></dd></dl> <dl><dd><dl><dd>Whether or not we find what we are seeking</dd> <dd>Is idle, biologically speaking.</dd> <dd>— <a href="/wiki/Edna_St._Vincent_Millay" title="Edna St. Vincent Millay">Edna St. Vincent Millay</a> (at the end of a sonnet)</dd></dl></dd></dl> <p>On the other hand, because rhyming couplets have such a predictable rhyme scheme, they can feel artificial and plodding. Here is a Pope parody of the predictable rhymes of his era: </p> <dl><dd><dl><dd>Where-e'er you find "the cooling western breeze,"</dd> <dd>In the next line, it "whispers through the trees;"</dd> <dd>If crystal streams "with pleasing murmurs creep,"</dd> <dd>The reader's threatened (not in vain) with "sleep."</dd></dl></dd></dl> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="In_English_poetry">In English poetry</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Couplet&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: In English poetry"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Regular rhyme was not originally a feature of English poetry: <a href="/wiki/Old_English" title="Old English">Old English</a> verse came in metrically paired units somewhat analogous to couplets, but constructed according to <a href="/wiki/Alliterative_verse" title="Alliterative verse">alliterative verse</a> principles. The rhyming couplet entered English verse in the early <a href="/wiki/Middle_English" title="Middle English">Middle English</a> period through the imitation of <a href="/wiki/Medieval_Latin" title="Medieval Latin">medieval Latin</a> and <a href="/wiki/Old_French" title="Old French">Old French</a> models.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The earliest surviving examples are a metrical paraphrase of the <a href="/wiki/Lord%27s_Prayer" title="Lord's Prayer">Lord's Prayer</a> in short-line couplets, and the <i><a href="/wiki/Poema_Morale" title="Poema Morale">Poema Morale</a></i> in septenary (or "heptameter") couplets, both dating from the twelfth century.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Rhyming couplets were often used in Middle English and <a href="/wiki/Early_Modern_English" title="Early Modern English">early modern English</a> poetry. <a href="/wiki/Chaucer" class="mw-redirect" title="Chaucer">Chaucer</a>'s <i><a href="/wiki/The_Canterbury_Tales" title="The Canterbury Tales">Canterbury Tales</a></i>, for instance, is predominantly written in rhyming couplets, and Chaucer also incorporated a concluding couplet into his <a href="/wiki/Rhyme_royal" title="Rhyme royal">rhyme royal</a> stanza. Similarly, <a href="/wiki/Shakespearean" class="mw-redirect" title="Shakespearean">Shakespearean</a> <a href="/wiki/Sonnet" title="Sonnet">sonnets</a> often employ rhyming couplets at the end to emphasize the theme. Take one of Shakespeare's most famous sonnets, <a href="/wiki/Sonnet_18" title="Sonnet 18">Sonnet 18</a>, for example (the rhyming couplet is shown in italics): </p> <dl><dd><dl><dd>Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?</dd> <dd>Thou art more lovely and more temperate:</dd> <dd>Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,</dd> <dd>And summer's lease hath all too short a date:</dd> <dd>Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines,</dd> <dd>And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;</dd> <dd>And every fair from fair sometime declines,</dd> <dd>By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;</dd> <dd>But thy eternal summer shall not fade</dd> <dd>Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;</dd> <dd>Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,</dd> <dd>When in eternal lines to time thou growest:</dd> <dd><i>So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,</i></dd> <dd><i>So long lives this and this gives life to thee.</i><sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dd></dl></dd></dl> <p>In the late seventeenth century and early eighteenth-century English rhyming couplets achieved the zenith of their prestige in English verse, in the popularity of <a href="/wiki/Heroic_couplet" title="Heroic couplet">heroic couplets</a>. The heroic couplet was used by famous poets for ambitious translations of revered Classical texts, for instance, in <a href="/wiki/John_Dryden" title="John Dryden">John Dryden</a>'s translation of the <i><a href="/wiki/Aeneid" title="Aeneid">Aeneid</a></i> and in <a href="/wiki/Alexander_Pope" title="Alexander Pope">Alexander Pope</a>'s translation of the <i><a href="/wiki/Iliad" title="Iliad">Iliad</a></i>.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Though poets still sometimes write in couplets, the form fell somewhat from favour in English in the twentieth century; contemporary poets writing in English sometimes prefer unrhymed couplets, distinguished by layout rather than by matching sounds.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="In_Chinese_poetry">In Chinese poetry</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Couplet&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: In Chinese poetry"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Chinese_Marks_Door.JPG" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Chinese_Marks_Door.JPG/220px-Chinese_Marks_Door.JPG" decoding="async" width="220" height="224" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Chinese_Marks_Door.JPG/330px-Chinese_Marks_Door.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Chinese_Marks_Door.JPG/440px-Chinese_Marks_Door.JPG 2x" data-file-width="1650" data-file-height="1683" /></a><figcaption>A chunlian on doorway</figcaption></figure> <p>Couplets called <a href="/wiki/Duilian_(poetry)" title="Duilian (poetry)">duilian</a> may be seen on doorways in Chinese communities worldwide. Duilian displayed as part of the <a href="/wiki/Chinese_New_Year" title="Chinese New Year">Chinese New Year</a> festival, on the first morning of the New Year, are called <a href="/wiki/Chunlian" class="mw-redirect" title="Chunlian">chunlian</a> (春聯; 春联). These are usually purchased at a market a few days before and glued to the doorframe. The text of the couplets is often traditional and contains hopes for prosperity. Other chunlian reflect more recent concerns. For example, the <a href="/wiki/CCTV_New_Year%27s_Gala" class="mw-redirect" title="CCTV New Year's Gala">CCTV New Year's Gala</a> usually promotes couplets reflecting current political themes in <a href="/wiki/Mainland_China" title="Mainland China">mainland China</a>. </p><p>Some duilian may consist of two lines of four <a href="/wiki/Chinese_character" class="mw-redirect" title="Chinese character">characters</a> each. Duilian are read from top to bottom where the first line starts from the right. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="In_Tamil_poetry">In Tamil poetry</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Couplet&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: In Tamil poetry"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Kural_in_Chennai_Metro_Train.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Kural_in_Chennai_Metro_Train.jpg/220px-Kural_in_Chennai_Metro_Train.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Kural_in_Chennai_Metro_Train.jpg/330px-Kural_in_Chennai_Metro_Train.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Kural_in_Chennai_Metro_Train.jpg/440px-Kural_in_Chennai_Metro_Train.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4608" data-file-height="3456" /></a><figcaption>A <a href="/wiki/Tirukkural" class="mw-redirect" title="Tirukkural">Kural</a> couplet on display inside a <a href="/wiki/Chennai_Metro" title="Chennai Metro">Chennai Metro</a> train</figcaption></figure> <p><a href="/wiki/Tamil_literature" title="Tamil literature">Tamil literature</a> contains some of the notable examples of ancient couplet poetry. The <a href="/wiki/Tamil_language" title="Tamil language">Tamil language</a> has a rich and refined grammar for couplet poetry, and distichs in Tamil poetry follow the <a href="/wiki/Venpa" title="Venpa">venpa</a> metre.<sup id="cite_ref-Zvelebil1973_8-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Zvelebil1973-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> One of the most notable examples of Tamil couplet poetry is the ancient Tamil moral text of the <a href="/wiki/Tirukkural" class="mw-redirect" title="Tirukkural">Tirukkural</a>, which contains a total of 1330 couplets written in the <a href="/wiki/Kural_(poetic_form)" title="Kural (poetic form)">kural venpa</a> metre from which the title of the work was derived centuries later. Each Kural couplet is made of exactly 7 words—4 in the first line and 3 in the second.<sup id="cite_ref-GUPope_SacredKurral_9-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-GUPope_SacredKurral-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The first word may rhyme with the fourth or the fifth word. Below is an example of a couplet: </p> <dl><dd><span title="Tamil-language text"><span lang="ta">இலன்என்று தீயவை செய்யற்க செய்யின்</span></span></dd> <dd><span title="Tamil-language text"><span lang="ta">இலனாகும் மற்றும் பெயர்த்து</span></span>. (<a href="/wiki/Tirukkural" class="mw-redirect" title="Tirukkural">Tirukkural</a>, verse 205)</dd></dl> <dl><dd><dl><dd><i>Transliteration</i>: Ilan endru theeyavai seyyarkka seyyin</dd> <dd>Ilanaagum matrum peyartthu</dd></dl></dd></dl> <dl><dd><dl><dd><i>Translation</i>: Make not thy poverty a plea for ill;</dd> <dd>Thine evil deeds will make thee poorer still. (<a href="/wiki/George_Uglow_Pope" title="George Uglow Pope">Pope</a>, 1886)<sup id="cite_ref-GUPope_SacredKurral_9-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-GUPope_SacredKurral-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dd></dl></dd></dl> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="In_Hindustani_poetry">In Hindustani poetry</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Couplet&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: In Hindustani poetry"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main articles: <a href="/wiki/Doha_(poetry)" title="Doha (poetry)">Doha (poetry)</a>, <a href="/wiki/Doha_(Indian_literature)" title="Doha (Indian literature)">Doha (Indian literature)</a>, <a href="/wiki/Bayt_(poetry)" title="Bayt (poetry)">Bayt (poetry)</a>, <a href="/wiki/Urdu_poetry" title="Urdu poetry">Urdu poetry</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Urdu_ghazal" title="Urdu ghazal">Urdu ghazal</a></div> <p>In <a href="/wiki/Hindi" title="Hindi">Hindi</a>, a couplet is called a <i><a href="/wiki/Doha_(poetry)" title="Doha (poetry)">doha</a></i>, while in <a href="/wiki/Urdu" title="Urdu">Urdu</a>, it is called a <i><a href="/wiki/Urdu_poetry" title="Urdu poetry">sher</a></i>. </p><p>Couplets were the most common form of poetry between the 12th and 18th Centuries, in Hidustani. Famous poets include <a href="/wiki/Kabir" title="Kabir">Kabir</a>, <a href="/wiki/Tulsidas" title="Tulsidas">Tulsidas</a> and <a href="/wiki/Abdul_Rahim_Khan-i-Khanan" title="Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan">Rahim Khan-i-Khanan</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Kabir (also known as Kabirdas) is thought to be one of the greatest composers of Hindustani couplets. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Distich">Distich</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Couplet&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Distich"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The American poet <a href="/wiki/J._V._Cunningham" title="J. V. Cunningham">J. V. Cunningham</a> was noted for many distichs included in the various forms of <a href="/wiki/Epigram" title="Epigram">epigrams</a> included in his poetry collections, as exampled here: </p><p>Deep summer, and time passes. Sorrow wastes<br />To a new sorrow. While Time heals time hastes<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Couplet&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1184024115">.mw-parser-output .div-col{margin-top:0.3em;column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .div-col-small{font-size:90%}.mw-parser-output .div-col-rules{column-rule:1px solid #aaa}.mw-parser-output .div-col dl,.mw-parser-output .div-col ol,.mw-parser-output .div-col ul{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .div-col li,.mw-parser-output .div-col dd{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}</style><div class="div-col"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Antithetical_couplet" class="mw-redirect" title="Antithetical couplet">Antithetical couplet</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Biblical_poetry" title="Biblical poetry">Biblical poetry</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Chastushka" title="Chastushka">Chastushka</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Closed_couplet" title="Closed couplet">Closed couplet</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Coupletist" class="mw-redirect" title="Coupletist">Coupletist</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Elegiac_couplet" title="Elegiac couplet">Elegiac couplet</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kabirdas" class="mw-redirect" title="Kabirdas">Kabirdas</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Monostich" title="Monostich">Monostich</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Parallelism_(rhetoric)" title="Parallelism (rhetoric)">Parallelism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tristich" class="mw-redirect" title="Tristich">Tristich</a></li></ul> </div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Couplet&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">"couplet." <a href="/wiki/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica" title="Encyclopædia Britannica">Encyclopædia Britannica</a>. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2013</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.oed.com/;jsessionid=21C3D384C49DB50A2116A667211BE681?authRejection=true&url=%2Fview%2FEntry%2F43139%3Frskey%3DnmXq3u%26result%3D47784">"Home : Oxford English Dictionary"</a>. <i>oed.com</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180514183041/http://www.oed.com/;jsessionid=21C3D384C49DB50A2116A667211BE681?authRejection=true&url=%2Fview%2FEntry%2F43139%3Frskey%3DnmXq3u%26result%3D47784">Archived</a> from the original on 2018-05-14.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=oed.com&rft.atitle=Home+%3A+Oxford+English+Dictionary&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.oed.com%2F%3Bjsessionid%3D21C3D384C49DB50A2116A667211BE681%3FauthRejection%3Dtrue%26url%3D%252Fview%252FEntry%252F43139%253Frskey%253DnmXq3u%2526result%253D47784&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ACouplet" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Max Kaluza, <i>A Short History of English Versification</i>, translated by A. C. Dunstan (London: Allen, 1911), pp. 144–56.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">T. L. Kington-Oliphant, <i>The Sources of Standard English</i> (London: Macmillan, 1873), p. <a class="external text" href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:The_Sources_of_Standard_English.djvu/106">77</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFMabillard" class="citation web cs1">Mabillard, Amanda. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/18.html">"Shakespeare Sonnet 18 – Shall I compare thee to a summer's day"</a>. <i>shakespeare-online.com</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20131112213943/http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/18.html">Archived</a> from the original on 2013-11-12.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=shakespeare-online.com&rft.atitle=Shakespeare+Sonnet+18+%E2%80%93+Shall+I+compare+thee+to+a+summer%27s+day&rft.aulast=Mabillard&rft.aufirst=Amanda&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.shakespeare-online.com%2Fsonnets%2F18.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ACouplet" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Max Kaluza, <i>A Short History of English Versification</i>, translated by A. C. Dunstan (London: Allen, 1911), pp. 288–96.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">J. A. Cuddon, <i>The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory</i>, 4th edition, revised by C. E. Preston (London: Penguin, 1999), p. 186.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Zvelebil1973-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Zvelebil1973_8-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFKamil_Zvelebil1973" class="citation book cs1">Kamil Zvelebil (1973). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=VF2VMUoY_okC&pg=PA156"><i>The smile of Murugan: On Tamil literature of South India</i></a>. BRILL. pp. <span class="nowrap">156–</span>171. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-90-04-03591-1" title="Special:BookSources/978-90-04-03591-1"><bdi>978-90-04-03591-1</bdi></a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">11 December</span> 2010</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+smile+of+Murugan%3A+On+Tamil+literature+of+South+India&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E156-%3C%2Fspan%3E171&rft.pub=BRILL&rft.date=1973&rft.isbn=978-90-04-03591-1&rft.au=Kamil+Zvelebil&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DVF2VMUoY_okC%26pg%3DPA156&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ACouplet" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-GUPope_SacredKurral-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-GUPope_SacredKurral_9-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-GUPope_SacredKurral_9-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFPope1886" class="citation book cs1">Pope, G. U. (1886). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.43871"><i>The Sacred Kurral of Tiruvalluva Nayanar</i></a>. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Sacred+Kurral+of+Tiruvalluva+Nayanar&rft.place=New+Delhi&rft.pub=Asian+Educational+Services&rft.date=1886&rft.aulast=Pope&rft.aufirst=G.+U.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fin.ernet.dli.2015.43871&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ACouplet" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFAmresh_Datta1988" class="citation book cs1">Amresh Datta (1988). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=zB4n3MVozbUC&q=Doha+%28Indian+Literature%29&pg=PA1057"><i>Encyclopaedia of Indian literature:devraj to jyoti</i></a>. Sahitya Akademi. p. 1057. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9788126011940" title="Special:BookSources/9788126011940"><bdi>9788126011940</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Encyclopaedia+of+Indian+literature%3Adevraj+to+jyoti&rft.pages=1057&rft.pub=Sahitya+Akademi&rft.date=1988&rft.isbn=9788126011940&rft.au=Amresh+Datta&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DzB4n3MVozbUC%26q%3DDoha%2B%2528Indian%2BLiterature%2529%26pg%3DPA1057&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ACouplet" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-11">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Barber, David 'A Brief for Epigrams' Parnassus Poetry Aug 19 2011</span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Couplet&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1235681985">.mw-parser-output .side-box{margin:4px 0;box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #aaa;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em;background-color:var(--background-color-interactive-subtle,#f8f9fa);display:flow-root}.mw-parser-output .side-box-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{padding:0.25em 0.9em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-image{padding:2px 0 2px 0.9em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-imageright{padding:2px 0.9em 2px 0;text-align:center}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .side-box-flex{display:flex;align-items:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{flex:1;min-width:0}}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .side-box{width:238px}.mw-parser-output .side-box-right{clear:right;float:right;margin-left:1em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-left{margin-right:1em}}</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1237033735">@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox{display:none!important}}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox img[src*="Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg"]{background-color:white}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox img[src*="Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg"]{background-color:white}}</style><div class="side-box side-box-right plainlinks sistersitebox"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409">.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}</style> <div class="side-box-flex"> <div class="side-box-image"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Wikisource-logo.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/38px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png" decoding="async" width="38" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/57px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/76px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="410" data-file-height="430" /></a></span></div> <div class="side-box-text plainlist"><a href="/wiki/Wikisource" title="Wikisource">Wikisource</a> has original text related to this article: <div style="margin-left: 10px;"><b><a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Special:Search/Couplet" class="extiw" title="wikisource:Special:Search/Couplet">Couplet</a></b></div></div></div> </div> <ul><li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFGosse1911" class="citation encyclopaedia cs1"><a href="/wiki/Edmund_William_Gosse" class="mw-redirect" title="Edmund William Gosse">Gosse, Edmund William</a> (1911). <span class="cs1-ws-icon" title="s:1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Couplet"><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Couplet">"Couplet" </a></span>. <i><a href="/wiki/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica_Eleventh_Edition" title="Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition">Encyclopædia Britannica</a></i>. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). p. 318.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Couplet&rft.btitle=Encyclop%C3%A6dia+Britannica&rft.pages=318&rft.edition=11th&rft.date=1911&rft.aulast=Gosse&rft.aufirst=Edmund+William&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ACouplet" class="Z3988"></span></li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ul,.mw-parser-output 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