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Poetry Forum Index -> Poetic Form and Technique

The Villanelle

LifeVita6
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Mairi bheag



Joined: 04 Mar 2005
Posts: 5094
Location: Scotland
The Villanelle

The Villanelle is a French verse form which didn’t appear in English until the late 1800s.

It is 19 lines long and only has two rhymes, arranged aba aba aba aba aba abaa . That is the relatively easy part. The difficult part is the fact that two lines are constantly repeated. The 1st and 3rd lines from the first stanza are alternately repeated such that the 1st line becomes the last line in the second stanza, and the 3rd line becomes the last line in the third stanza. The last two lines of the poem are lines 1 and 3 respectively, making a rhymed couplet. No metre or line length is imposed.

Does that description confuse you? Maybe an example would help. Perhaps the most wonderful example is Dylan Thomas’s “Do not go gentle into that good night”, written when his father was dying. It moves me to tears every time, and is a perfact villanelle.

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night,

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night,

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.



Mb
xx
( information distilled from various sources on the web - the DT poem is one of my all-time favourites )

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all posted material (c) Marie Marshall, unless otherwise stated.

Post Mon Feb 27, 2006 7:31 am 
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Eiregirl



Joined: 21 Jul 2005
Posts: 10230
Location: Chasing a pink bunny


Mairi,

Thank you that is very nice.
I have always enjoyed that poem.

Hugs,
Evee

Post Tue Feb 28, 2006 4:52 pm 
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Mairi bheag



Joined: 04 Mar 2005
Posts: 5094
Location: Scotland


You're welcome, Evee.

Mairi
xx

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all posted material (c) Marie Marshall, unless otherwise stated.

Post Wed Mar 01, 2006 3:37 pm 
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Mairi bheag



Joined: 04 Mar 2005
Posts: 5094
Location: Scotland


The villanelle does not have to be in pentameter, like Dylan Thomas' poem above (or like my "Destiny"). Here's one a (male) fan of my poetry wrote for me:


Poetess
(for M.M.)

A world of ghosts to see,
She writes with mantic grace,
This then is lithe Marie.

A sorceress is she,
Will all your cares erase.
A world of ghosts to see

Across the Celtic Sea,
Beyond all Time and Space,
This then is lithe Marie.

And now quite silently,
She will the world displace,
A world of ghosts to see,

Then so enchantingly
She’ll turn her Siren face.
This then is lithe Marie

Known for her sorcery
Who can renew, retrace
A world of ghosts to see.
This then is lithe Marie.

--Michael Fantina--


Mb
xx

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all posted material (c) Marie Marshall, unless otherwise stated.

Post Fri Mar 03, 2006 2:50 pm 
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Eiregirl



Joined: 21 Jul 2005
Posts: 10230
Location: Chasing a pink bunny


Little Mary,

That was sweet of him and pretty good too

Hugs,
Evee

Post Sat Mar 04, 2006 3:13 am 
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Mairi bheag



Joined: 04 Mar 2005
Posts: 5094
Location: Scotland


Yes he's actually a nice chap. Quite a gentleman, and specialises in what he calls "Victorian poetry". Happily he is also aware that I am unavailable.

Mb
xx

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all posted material (c) Marie Marshall, unless otherwise stated.

Post Sat Mar 04, 2006 4:58 am 
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