A French sonnet is a variation of the sonnet form that emerged after the Italian sonnet, likely influencing the English sonnet. It is written in Alexandrine meter (iambic hexameter), meaning each line contains twelve syllables divided into six iambic feet. The structure consists of an octave (two quatrains) and a sestet (a couplet followed by a quatrain).

Rhyme scheme for the octave: ABBA ABBA (similar to the Petrarchan sonnet).
Rhyme scheme for the sestet: begins with a couplet (CC), followed by either DEED or a more traditionally French pattern DCCD.
Volta (turn): occurs at the sestet, marking a thematic shift.
The French sonnet closes with a quatrain, unlike the English sonnet, which ends with a couplet. It combines lyrical beauty with structured elegance.

To My Old Love, Still Bright
My love, though time has dimmed
these aging weary eyes,
And silver strands have claimed
auburn-raven strands of hair,
I see you still in youth,
and nothing can compare.
Through aged years we become both
unwise and wise.

The smile that once made daylight
blush and rise with glow,
Still warms my soul when I am lost
In dark despair.
Each wrinkle speaks of stories
we have learned to share,
A life that bloomed beneath familiar skies,
just so.

Though eyes grow weak
and vision fades from time’s own part,
We laugh at all the years and time that slipped away,
No need for youth, for joy will always light the way,
I see you still, through ardor burning in my heart.

As we sit with feet once fleet in passions chase.
Yet love remains, enduring, in this gentle space.