The basic rhymes in English are masculine, which is to say that the last syllable of the line is stressed: "lane" rhymes with "pain", but it also rhymes with "urbane" since the last syllable of "urbane" is stressed. "Lane" does not rhyme with "methane".
James FentonEnglish poetry begins whenever we decide to say the modern English language begins, and it extends as far as we decide to say that the English language extends.
James FentonWriting for the page is only one form of writing for the eye. Wherever solemn inscriptions are put up in public places, there is a sense that the site and the occasion demand a form of writing which goes beyond plain informative prose. Each word is so valued that the letters forming it are seen as objects of solemn beauty.
James FentonNobody really knows whether they are a poet. I knew I was interested from the age of 15.
James Fenton