Poetry in motion | Telling tales | Two poets, two poems | Learning activities | Activity 1: A rhyme in time | Option
2: The Ballad of the Drover | The Ballad of the Drover – Rhyme
Now we are going to look more closely at the rhyming patterns in this poem.
1. Identify the rhyming patterns in the verses below.
2. Answer some questions about these rhyming patterns in the space provided.
Hint: You might have a great idea about how to present your work differently. Check with your teacher first to decide how this will be presented.
Remember!
Save your completed worksheet in your portfolio.
1. Read the two verses from The Ballad of the Drover , then highlight the rhyming words in verse two. Use a different colour for each pair, as per the verse one example.
Across the stony ridges,
Across the rolling plain ,
Young Harry Dale, the drover,
Comes riding home again .
And well his stock-horse bears him,
And light of heart is he ,
And stoutly his old pack-horse
Is trotting by his knee .
Up Queensland way with cattle
He travelled regions vast;
And many months have vanished
Since home-folk saw him last.
He hums a song of someone
He hopes to marry soon;
And hobble-chains and camp-ware
Keep jingling to the tune.
D
E
F
E
A
B
C
B
A rhyming pair rhyming pair
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Poetry in motion | Telling tales | Two poets, two poems | Learning activities | Activity 1: A rhyme in time | Option
2: The Ballad of the Drover | The Ballad of the Drover – Rhyme
Look at the colours used in both verses. The rhyming pattern for verse one is A B C
B D E F E . In verse one each rhyming pair has a different colour and a letter that corresponds to that colour. The non-rhyming (or unpaired) lines also need a letter.
1. What is the rhyming pattern for verse two? Write letters to correspond to your rhyming colours beside verse two. Remember to give the non-rhyming words their own letters, as has been done in verse one.
2. Does the rhyming pattern repeat itself throughout both verses or does it change?
Explain your answer.
3. Verse one has eight lines and two pairs of rhyming words. One pair of rhyming words is contained in the first four lines and the second pair is in the second four lines. The rhyming pairs seem to divide the content of the verse into two smaller events. This pairing works like paragraphs in a book, combining together to make up the key focus of the whole verse, and helping you to understand the story.
For example, in verse one each pair of rhyming lines describes the following events.
Rhyming pairs
Lines 1 to 4
Lines 5 to 8
Event described
Describes the type of land Harry Dale was riding across on his way home.
Describes Harry’s companions 
his stockhorse, packhorse and dog.
© WestOne Services 2010 INTEGRATED1531
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Poetry in motion | Telling tales | Two poets, two poems | Learning activities | Activity 1: A rhyme in time | Option
2: The Ballad of the Drover | The Ballad of the Drover – Rhyme
Read through verse two and decide how the rhyming pairs have divided the content. Complete the lines below to show this.
Rhyming pairs
Lines 1 to 4
Event described
Lines 5 to 8
4. Why do you think poets use rhyme? Read the two verses again then write your opinion.
© WestOne Services 2010 INTEGRATED1531
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