The Octave

Oh, your number of lines I will discuss

Like the tentacles of the octopus

Or like the hairy legs of the spider

Oh, octave that is your famous number

You’re like the eight voices of the octet

To catch imagination like a net

You detach to the Petrarchan Sonnet

To give the first eight lines, then the sestet

Note: The Petrarchan Sonnet has an octave of abba abba and a sestet cde cde