CHAPTER II

THE RHYME AS A STRUCTURAL ELEMENT OF THE STANZA

§ 220. Formation of the stanza in Middle English and Romanic poetry 279 221. Rhyme-linking or 'concatenation' in Middle English 280 222. The refrain or burthen; the wheel and the bob-wheel 280 223. Divisible and indivisible stanzas 281 224. Bipartite equal-membered stanzas 282 225. Bipartite unequal-membered stanzas 282 226. Tripartite stanzas 283 227. Specimens illustrating tripartition 284 228. The envoi 286 229. Real envois and concluding stanzas 286

=PART II. STANZAS COMMON TO MIDDLE AND MODERN ENGLISH, AND OTHERS FORMED ON THE ANALOGY OF THESE=