Hover to find out more. Yes, the poem is divided into stanzaic quatrains, or groups of four lines, with each quatrain consisting of two rhyming couplets. This indicates that when the last word in each of the lines rhymes with the other, the pair of lines has an end rhyme. End-rhymed poems are common in English because they can be easily remembered by repeating the final words of each line. West Wind is a ballad or song narrative, which means it tells a story with music attached. The poem is about a young man who goes sailing on the west wind and never returns home. It was written as part of John Masefield's collection titled Poems (1908). Masefield was an English poet known for his dramatic monologues. These poems are spoken by a single person sitting alone at a table. They often include descriptions of feelings such as sadness or anger. Here is how the first three lines of the poem start: "Oh, sail away into the west / Into the wild blue yonder! / There's a friend awaits me there; / I know he will not tarry." The poem was very popular when it was written and still is today. That is why you can see copies of it in many books about poetry. John Masefield himself said that West Wind is one of his best-known poems.