Repetition & Refrain
Epanalepsis
Repeating a clause’s opening word or phrase at its end. Returning to the same words can emphasize the idea or suggest that it is difficult to move beyond.
"The king is dead, long live the king."
Don't confuse it with Anadiplosis. Anadiplosis repeats across a clause boundary (end of one, start of the next); epanalepsis circles within one unit.
Examples
Rain greeted our departure, and our return brought rain.
The sentence starts and ends with the same word, “rain.”
Often used alongside this device
Explore devices that often appear in the same passages as epanalepsis.
The rest of the family
Anaphora Epistrophe Symploce Anadiplosis Gradatio / Climax Epizeuxis Diacope Conduplicatio Polyptoton