A Detour To Poetry Forms

As I have decided that my artifact will be a series of poems of differing forms (which reflect differing characters) that constructs a narrative, it therefore makes sense to broaden my knowledge of poetry and its diverse forms. While writing free-verse isn't something to be scorned, I feel that I would like to challenge myself by writing in the constrains that poets have been using for centuries.


This website article on Writer's Digest, composed by Robert Lee Brewer two years previously, gives an extensive list of fifty poetry forms, their previous usage, and an example that he has composed to provide a contemporary example. While each method is undoubtedly interesting and sparks ideas, I feel it best to limit myself - it would be unrealistic to believe I could compose fifty coherent, decent poems that all create a compelling narrative. These are the notes I made on them.

Villanelle

• Five tercets

• Quatrain

• Line length of 8-10 syllables

• The first and third lines of the stanza repeat throughout the poem

• A(1)bA(2)/abA(1)/abA(2) etc

Triversen

• Each stanza equals a sentence

• Each sentence/stanza breaks into three lines (Each line is a separate phrase in the sentence)

• There is a variable foot of 2-4 beats per line

• The poem should be 18 lines/six stanzas

"The Roundabout"

• Four stanza poem

• Five lines per stanza

• Written in iambic and the lines follow the foot pattern: four feet, three feet, two feet, three feet

• It comes full circle; abccb/cdaad/dabba

Rondeau

• 15 lines

• Three stanzas

• Word or phrase from the first line is represented as a refrain, which is usually 1 to 3 words long

• The 'a' and 'b' lines are 8 or 10 syllables throughout

Rispettos

Rispetto #1

• Two quatrains

• Written in iambic tetrameter

• Four metrical feet

• 8 syllables

Rispetto #2

• 8 hendecasyllabic (11 syllable) lines

• Usually one stanza

Palindrone

• Also known as a 'mirror poem'
• Must use the same words in the first half as the second half
• Must reverse the order of the words in the second half
• A word in the middle acts as a bridge

Odes

Horation Ode

• One stanza pattern that repeats throughout the poem
• Usually is 2-4 lines in length

Pindaric Ode

• Three stanzas known as triads
• The first (strophe) and second (anti-strophe) should be metrically identical
• The third (epode) wanders off on its own path

Nonet

• Nine line poem
• 9 syllables in the first line, 8 in the second, 7 in the third, and this is continued until there is one final syllable in the ninth line

Luc Bat

• Consists of alternating lines of 6 and 8 syllables
• Its rhyme scheme renews on every eighth-syllable line
• Rhymes on the sixth-syllable line on both times
• xxxxxA/xxxxxAxB/xxxxxB/xxxxxBxC/xxxxxC/xxxxxCxD

Haiku

• Five syllables
• Then seven syllables
• Then five syllables
• Its theme is often overtly related to nature

Gwawdodyn

• Quatrain
• Has a 9/9/10/9 syllable pattern
• Matching rhymes on the first, second and fourth lines.
• Either has an internal rhyme on the third line completely OR an internal rhyme on the third that rhymes with the internal rhyme on the fourth line.

Cinquain

• 2 syllables in the first line, 4 in the second line, 6 in the third line, 8 in the fourth line, and 2 in the fifth line.

Cascade

• Each line from the fist poem is made the final line of each stanza afterwards
• ABC/abA/cdB/efC OR ABCD/abcA/defB/ghiC/jklD

Bref Double

• Three quatrains and one couplet
• Four stanzas
• Three rhymes; A and B appear twice in the first three stanzas and once at the end of each couplet
• The C rhyme is the final rhyme of the quatrains

"The Bop"

• 3 stanzas followed by a refrain
• First stanza is six lines long and presents a problem
• Second stanza is eight lines and explores/expands the problem
• Third stanza is six lines long and presents a solution or a failed attempt to solve the problem

However, this wasn't my only endeavour to poetry; I later decided to investigate the composure of Anglo-Saxon Poetry from this blog (its article written by Jack Garigliano) as I was reminded of my fondness for Beowulf. The article itself is written in a rather informal tone and its author isn't listed for producing anything else, its information conforms to what I'd previously learnt about the poetry, from my English Literature teacher.

Anglo-Saxon Poetry

• Four stressed syllables with a caesura, followed by two stressed syllables after
• The first stressed syllable after the caesura alliterates  with both stressed syllables before the caesura.

Kenning

It substitutes a noun with two other nouns that are compounded together to describe the noun substitute. An example from the website would be Beowulf's 'battle-torch' which substitutes sword - a sword that is polished brightly enough could be described as shining, much like a torch. While it might be cumbersome to include, I think that perhaps Anglo-Saxon poetry could apply to an older character (being that this form goes back further than those I've researched) or to a character who is contrary; Anglo-Saxon poetry relies on alliteration to convey itself, while many other, newer (and at times, Latinate) forms rely on a rhyme scheme.

Another poetry form that piqued my interest is known as the 'Spenserian Stanza', popularised and named after Edmund Spenser, author of the fantastical allegory The Faerie Queene which showcased the turbulent clashes between virtues and vices in mortals, and in its allegorical aspects finds a peaceful future for England by uniting its present and past (as Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne when it was written, and swore herself married to the country than a man and thusly wasn't producing and heir - the future of England was at stake) by having King Arthur seek out the titular Faerie Queene. While my first encounter with the poem form was at a Higher Education Plus meeting, I decided to consolidate my knowledge from the information provided at this website, which is written by Robert Smith, gives details of the poem's composure, a brief on its history, and other poets who have utilized its form (I was rather surprised to see that Shelley was one of them).

Spenserian Stanza

• Eight lines of iambic pentameter
• Followed by an alexandrine (12 syllable line)
• The final line is followed by a caesura after the first three feet.
• The rhyme scheme is: ababbcbcc

While these are just a handful of poems forms I could explore (I haven't even touched on the vast variants of sonnets), I feel that they are worth investigating further and attempted. As I search for others, I will continue to formulate my idea for the poem collection's narrative.