The refrain is a poetic device that uses the repetition of lines or phrases in a poem to emphasise a theme or idea. In the following text, we'll explore its usage in literature, examples, and importance.
What does refrain mean?
The refrain is a poetic device used in literature, and is defined as a word, line, or phrase repeated in a poem. The part of a refrain that is repeated is called the ‘repetend’ and refers to a single word that is repeated. The refrain is typically found at the end of a line in a stanza of a poem.
The effect of the refrain is the emphasis that the repetition of a word, line, or phrase places on a chosen idea. The use of this literary device can also contribute to the rhythm of a poem, which helps keep the rhythmic structure of the poem. This emphasis on an idea highlights its importance, which the reader must remember.
Types of the refrain
The repetend
In poetry, the repetend is a single word repeated at regular intervals throughout the poem.
We can identify the refrain in Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Raven’ (1845). In the last line of each stanza (except stanza two), the author uses the repetend ‘nevermore’.
The burden
The burden refers to a phrase that is repeated throughout the poem.
In Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘Annabel Lee’ (1849), in the second line of most of the stanzas, the author uses the burden ‘In a kingdom by the sea’.
Another example is Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Raven' (1845), which features the burden 'nothing more' in the last line of each stanza (except stanza two).
The chorus
The chorus is the repetition of a phrase or multiple phrases in a poem or a song, usually sung by more than one person.
A common example of this type of refrain, and an easy way to remember its effect is the chorus of a song. The phrases that make up a chorus typically reflect the song's central theme, and it is the chorus that you most often remember when thinking about a song.
Examples of the refrain in literature
The refrain in Dylan Thomas' 'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night' (1951)
One of the most well-known examples of the refrain is Dylan Thomas’ poem ‘Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night’ (1951).
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Analysis of the refrain in 'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night'
This poem explores the theme of mortality. It is widely believed to be about Thomas' thoughts on his father's impending death, as his father died in 1952, one year after the poem was published. Thomas' father is the subject of the poem, and Thomas is the narrator.
Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
“Surely,” said I, “surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore—
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;—
’Tis the wind and nothing more!”
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore;
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door—
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door—
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
“Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,” I said, “art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore—
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!”
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”
Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning—little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door—
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as “Nevermore.”
Analysis of the refrain in 'The Raven'
The last lines of stanzas one to eight, excluding stanza two, end in the words ‘nothing more’. The last lines of stanzas nine to 19 end in ‘Quoth the Raven "nevermore"’. Having these words in mind, think about the overall meaning or idea of the poem. In ‘The Raven’ (1845), the speaker tells a story of a raven visiting them while they are in despair after the loss of their love interest. Does the repetend that expresses the negatives of ‘nevermore’ and ‘nothing more’ show the lover’s reflections on his situation? The speaker feels grief and loss, and the repetition of 'nevermore' and 'nothing more' has a tone of finality that the speaker feels while grieving.
The repetend of 'nevermore' and 'nothing more' creates a repetitive rhythm throughout the poem. This puts the focus on the speaker's feelings of finality and despair at the death of his lover. The poem focuses on themes of death and the afterlife, and the chosen repetends emphasise the feeling of nothingness. The speaker is only left with the memory of his dead love, Lenore.
Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Raven'.
The refrain in Edgar Allan Poe's ‘Annabel Lee’ (1849)
It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love—
I and my Annabel Lee—
With a love that the winged seraphs of Heaven
Analysis of the refrain in 'Annabel Lee'
Identify the line or phrase that is repeated through this extract. In ‘Annabel Lee’, line two of the stanzas is repeated: ‘In a kingdom by the sea’. This repeated phrase is called the burden.
What do you think the poem presents? This poem explores the death of a young, beautiful woman called Annabel Lee, who the narrator has fallen in love with. What effect does the burden have on the poem's rhythm? The burden of 'in a kingdom by the sea' has seven syllables. In the example stanza beginning with 'it was many and many a year ago', there are 11 syllables in the first line, followed by the burden 'in a kingdom by the sea' with seven syllables. After that, 'That a maiden there lived whom you may know' has ten, and finally, 'By the name of Annabel Lee' has eight syllables. The burden plays a part in this alternating format of lines with a longer and then a shorter syllabic count. It is found in all but the final two stanzas of the poem. It mimics the ebb and flow of the sea, adding the imagery of 'in the kingdom by the sea'.
The image of 'in a kingdom by the sea' cements the idea of Annabel Lee being part of something mystical and magical, as the narrator imagines her in a dream-like, fairytale atmosphere. It is similar to a phrase we're familiar with at the beginning of a fairytale - 'once upon a time'.
In poetry, a refrain is typically found in the last line of the stanza. We saw this with Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Raven' (1845) and the use of 'nevermore' and 'nothing more' in the last line of stanzas one to eight, and stanzas nine to 19. 'Annabel Lee' (1849) does not have the repetend 'in a kingdom by the sea' in the last line of the poem's stanzas.
Kingdom by the sea.
How to write your own refrain
To write your own refrain, think of the ideas you want to express in your poem. Then:
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