Question

but thy eternal summer shall not fade,
nor lose possession of that fair thou owst,
nor shall death brag thou wanderst in his shade,
when in eternal lines to time thou growst,
so long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
so long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
source: shakespeare, william. \shall i compare thee to a summers day?\ poets.org. academy of american poets,
n.d. web. 17 may 2011.

identify the type of poem, its meter, and its rhyme scheme.

Explanation:

• Type of poem: It is a sonnet. Sonnets are 14 - line poems with a specific structure. Shakespearean sonnets (also known as English sonnets) usually have three quatrains (groups of four lines) and a final couplet (two - line group). This excerpt is from a Shakespearean sonnet.
• Meter: The meter is iambic pentameter. An iamb is a metrical foot consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Pentameter means there are five metrical feet in each line. For example, in the line “But thy eternal summer shall not fade”, we can scan the iambs: “But thy | e - ter - | nal sum - | mer shall | not fade” (where the stressed syllables are in bold).
• Rhyme scheme: The rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet is typically ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Looking at the given lines (assuming the full sonnet structure), we can analyze the rhymes. For example, if we consider the first four lines: “fade” (A), “ow'st” (B), “shade” (A), “grow'st” (B). The final two lines “see” (G) and “thee” (G) form the couplet.

Answer:

Type of poem: Sonnet (Shakespearean/English sonnet). Meter: Iambic pentameter. Rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.