Poems with Assonance

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words in a line or passage, creating a subtle internal rhyme or musical quality.

Assonance is poetry's secret melody. While alliteration catches the ear with bold consonant repetition, assonance works more subtly, threading vowel sounds through a line like a hidden harmony. The long 'o' in 'slow golden glow' creates a languid, warm feeling; the sharp 'i' in 'bitter winter wind' cuts with cold precision. Poets use assonance to create mood, to bind words together musically without full rhyme, and to give free verse the sonic cohesion that formal meter provides. It's the difference between prose that informs and poetry that sings.

Examples of Assonance

  • 1Hear the mellow wedding bells (Poe — repetition of 'e' sounds)
  • 2The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain (repetition of long 'a' sound)
  • 3Go slow over the road (repetition of long 'o' sound)

Poems Using Assonance

Midnight Feeding

The whole house sleeping— she counts each quiet swallow under the moon clock.

by The Hearth VoiceHaiku · 3 lines
Mother's Daynew motherbaby

Slow Road Home

Go slow on the old road home. Low stone walls hold snow in their broken rows.

by The Wild VoiceFree Verse · 11 lines
roadhomewinter

Rain Along the Lane

Rain lays a gray glaze along the lane. Gate chains shake.

by The Wild VoiceFree Verse · 10 lines
rainlanesound

Learn More About Literary Devices

PersonificationMetaphorAlliterationImagerySimileSymbolismRepetitionOnomatopoeiaHyperbole