Question

how like a winter hath my absence been
from thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year!
what freezings have i felt, what dark days seen!
what old decembers bareness every where!

and yet this time removed was summers time;
the teeming autumn, big with rich increase,
bearing the wanton burden of the prime,
like widowd wombs after their lords decease:

yet this abundant issue seemd to me
but hope of orphans and unfatherd fruit;
for summer and his pleasures wait on thee,
and, thou away, the very birds are mute;

or, if they sing, tis with so dull a cheer
that leaves look pale, dreading the winters near.

what type of poem is this?

a. sonnet
b. haiku
c. ode
d. sestina

Explanation:

Analyze the structure and line count

The poem consists of three quatrains (four-line stanzas) and one concluding couplet (two-line stanza), totaling 14 lines.

Examine the rhyme scheme and meter

The lines are written in iambic pentameter with an ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme (been/seen, year!/where!; time/prime, increase/decease:; me/thee, fruit;/mute;; cheer/near.). This is the classic structure of a Shakespearean (English) sonnet.

Evaluate the multiple-choice options

• A. Sonnet: Matches the 14-line structure, iambic pentameter, and rhyme scheme.
• B. Haiku: A 3-line poem with a 5-7-5 syllable structure.
• C. Ode: A formal, often long lyric poem, not restricted to 14 lines.
• D. Sestina: A complex 39-line poetic form.

Answer:

• A. Sonnet (Correct answer)
• B. Haiku
• C. Ode
• D. Sestina