Refrain
Literary term · say it rih-FRAYN
A refrain is a word, phrase, or group of lines repeated at intervals in a poem or song, often at the end of each stanza. Its return can give the work a steady rhythm, underline a feeling, or take on new meaning as the surrounding words change.
Two ways a refrain appears
An unchanged refrain
The same words return each time. Their meaning or emotional force can shift even though the wording stays the same.
In The Raven, the bird repeatedly gives the same one-word answer as the grieving speaker asks increasingly painful questions. That answer grows more troubling with each return.
In The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
A refrain with variations
A repeated passage returns with small changes. Those changes can draw attention to a growing feeling or a change in the speaker's outlook.
In Mariana, each stanza closes with the lonely woman's complaint about her weariness and her absent lover. In the final stanza, the familiar passage changes as her hope gives way to certainty that he will not come.
In Mariana by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
How to spot a refrain
- Look for words or lines that return after a gap.
- Check whether they appear in matching places, such as stanza endings.
- Notice how each return repeats or changes the feeling.
What is the difference between a refrain and repetition?
A refrain is a particular kind of repetition that returns as a recognizable part of a poem or song. Repetition is the broader term: it can include repeated sounds, words, sentence patterns, or ideas without a recurring passage.
Does a refrain have to repeat exactly?
A refrain does not have to repeat exactly; small changes can still leave the recurring passage easy to recognize. A changed word or line may signal that time has passed, hope has faded, or the speaker now understands something differently.
Related terms
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