I'm a little stunned that using "X" to indicate unrhymed lines is not currently in the Wikipedia articles for
Rhyme Scheme and
Ballad Stanza.
But the beauty of Wikipedia is that people can edit it. Go to it, Matt!
I found a number of sources online confirming the use of "X" for unrhymed lines, but they are not as authoritative as quoting a recognized, published poetry handbook would be:
https://lyricworkroom.com/songwriter...-rhyme-scheme/
https://poetryarchive.org/glossary/rhyme-scheme/
https://poetscollective.org/poetryforms/
Example:
Quote:
One four-line stanza in English is ballad measure, a common songwriting measure, which has several variations. (Here x stands for no rhyme). One recognizable from hymns is xaxa xbxb and so on. The x lines are usually four beats long, the a and b lines three. Look at Dickinson.
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From
http://www.expansivepoetryonline.com...prospart4.html
Sadly, I have loaned out all of my recognized, published poetry handbooks to people who have not returned them, and Google Books seems always to hide precisely the page one needs....