Another "Birthdays" question

[Donna in OH]

We are just getting started - I am learning this, too.

When identifying rhyme scheme, is it strictly by stanza such that any stanza with only two different rhymes is ABAB, regardless of whether each stanza has the same two rhyming sounds?

Specific example: In the poem Birthdays, are both stanzas ABAB even though they only have one rhyming sound in common?

Thanks for the help,
Donna

[Lene Mahler Jaqua]

I am not sure I understand your question completely.

and ABAB poem is a poem that constistently has the ABAB rhyme scheme in each stanza.

In stanza 1 the rhyme pairs could be

A pair-stair
B house - mouse

and in stanza 2 it might be totally different, like

A got - rot
B lice - rice

The PATTERN is what we're looking to identify, not specific SOUNDS:

Let me know if I am misunderstanding your question,

Lene

[Carolyn]

I understand your question (I think), and it's a good one. You're asking if A is the same sound throughout the entire poem, or just for one stanza. It 'resets' after each stanza, just like X in algebra gets 'reset' at the end of every problem.

Carolyn

[Donna in OH]

You have both answered my question. In my example, one, but not both, of the rhyming pairs in the first stanza is also in the second stanza. I needed to understand that it is the pattern not the sounds; "reset" was a good term for me.
Thank you so much!