1.
Villanelle
— Explanation
— History
— Form
— Examples
— The
composition
— The
steps to create a villanelle
2.
Explanation
A villanelle is a poetic
form that entered
English-language poetry in the 19th century from the imitation of French
models. The word
derives from the Italian villanella from Latin villanus
(rustic). A villanelle has only two rhyme sounds. The first and third lines of the first stanza
are rhyming refrains
that alternate as the third
line in each successive stanza and form a couplet at the close.
A villanelle is nineteen lines long, consisting of
five tercets
and one
concluding quatrain. Because of its non-linear structure, the
villanelle resists narrative development. Villanelles do not tell a story or
establish a conversational tone. In music, the villanelle is a dance form, accompanied
by sung lyrics or an instrumental piece based on this dance form
3.
History
Historically, the Italian villanella was a
rustic dance, or the music for such a dance. Sometimes it was a rustic Italian
part song (round song) that was popular in the sixteenth century.
In the nineteenth century, English poets including
Oscar Wilde wrote villanelle.
More recently, many American and British poets
(including Theodore Roethke, Elizabeth Bishop, W.H. Auden, and Dylan Thomas)
have written Villanelles. Usually they vary the content of the repeated lines,
to soften the strict repetition of the traditional form.
4.
Form
·
The
villanelle has no established meter, although most 19th-century villanelles
have used trimeter or tetrameter and most 20th-century villanelles have used pentameter.
·
The
lines are grouped into five tercets and a concluding
quatrain. Thus, a Villanelle has 19 lines.
·
Lines may be of any length
·
The
Villanelle has two rhymes. The rhyme scheme is aba,
with the same end-rhyme for every
first and last line of each tercet and the final two lines of the quatrain
·
Two of the lines are repeated:
1. The first line of the first stanza is repeated as the
last line of the second and the fourth stanzas, and as the second-to-last line
in the concluding quatrain.
2. The
third line of the first stanza is repeated as the last line of the third and
the fifth stanzas, and as the last line in the concluding quatrain.
·
Thus
the pattern of line-repetition is as follows:
A1 b A2 - Lines in first tercet.
a b A1 -Lines in second tercet.
a b A2 - Lines in third tercet.
a b A1 - Lines in fourth tercet.
a b A2 - Lines in fifth tercet.
a b A1 A2 - Lines in final quatrain.
A1 b A2 - Lines in first tercet.
a b A1 -Lines in second tercet.
a b A2 - Lines in third tercet.
a b A1 - Lines in fourth tercet.
a b A2 - Lines in fifth tercet.
a b A1 A2 - Lines in final quatrain.
·
In
the above,
>> The lines of the first tercet are represented by "A1 b A2", because the first and third lines rhyme and will be repeated later in the poem.
>> The first line of each subsequent stanzas is shown as "a" because it rhymes with those two lines.
>> Meanwhile the second line ("b") is not repeated but the second line of each subsequent stanzas rhymes with that line.
>> The lines of the first tercet are represented by "A1 b A2", because the first and third lines rhyme and will be repeated later in the poem.
>> The first line of each subsequent stanzas is shown as "a" because it rhymes with those two lines.
>> Meanwhile the second line ("b") is not repeated but the second line of each subsequent stanzas rhymes with that line.
5. Example
When We
Were Thirteen
Remember running wild and free
when we hung out by the river,
you and Markus and Tim and me.
when we hung out by the river,
you and Markus and Tim and me.
We'd walk for an eternity.
We took what life could deliver
remember running wild and free.
We took what life could deliver
remember running wild and free.
Our voices echoed loud with glee
till it got dark and we'd shiver,
you and Markus and Tim and me.
till it got dark and we'd shiver,
you and Markus and Tim and me.
Quite often we went absentee.
Mum got cross but we'd forgive her
remember running wild and free.
Mum got cross but we'd forgive her
remember running wild and free.
Our parents tried to oversee.
They went mad and made us quiver,
you and Markus and Tim and me.
They went mad and made us quiver,
you and Markus and Tim and me.
Then we grew up. Now we're forty,
This memory is a sliver.
Remember running wild and free,
you and Markus and Tim and me
This memory is a sliver.
Remember running wild and free,
you and Markus and Tim and me
Only Yesterday
It seems like only yesterday
I felt your fingers tiny grip.
You smiled and laughed and loved to play
You smiled and laughed and loved to play
Building blocks and modeling clay.
Attached as always to my hip
It seems like only yesterday.
I lost you in the shops one day
Into the dress rack you did slip.
You smiled and laughed and loved to play
You didn't really run away.
T'was such a frightful shopping trip.
It seems like only yesterday
You brought me breakfast on a tray
Flowers, toast, and coffee to sip
You smiled and laughed and loved to play.
But growing I cannot delay
These apron strings I have to snip.
It seems like only yesterday
You smiled and laughed and loved to play.
Stay With Me
Hold me close and hold me
tight
Run your fingers through my hair
Stay with me all through the night
Run your fingers through my hair
Stay with me all through the night
It feels so good, it feels so right
Say you love me if you dare
Hold me close and hold me tight
Hold me close and hold me tight
Tell me it will be alright
If only we could be a pair
Stay with me all through the night
If only we could be a pair
Stay with me all through the night
We can share in great delight
Let me love you, let me care
Hold me close and hold me tight
Let me love you, let me care
Hold me close and hold me tight
I pray you will, I pray you might
Be the answer to my prayer
Stay with me all through the night
Be the answer to my prayer
Stay with me all through the night
Be there in the morning light
Please do not go anywhere
Hold me close and hold me tight
Stay with me all throught the night
Please do not go anywhere
Hold me close and hold me tight
Stay with me all throught the night
6.
Tercets
and Quatrain
Tercets
=
It seems like only yesterday
I felt your fingers tiny grip.
You smiled and laughed and loved to play
I felt your fingers tiny grip.
You smiled and laughed and loved to play
Building blocks and modeling clay.
Attached as always to my hip
It seems like only yesterday.
I lost you in the shops one day
Into the dress rack you did slip.
You smiled and laughed and loved to play
You didn't really run away.
T'was such a frightful shopping trip.
It seems like only yesterday
You brought me breakfast on a tray
Flowers, toast, and coffee to sip
You smiled and laughed and loved to play.
Quatrain =
But growing I cannot delay
These apron strings I have to snip.
It seems like only yesterday
You smiled and laughed and loved to play.
But growing I cannot delay
These apron strings I have to snip.
It seems like only yesterday
You smiled and laughed and loved to play.
7.
The
composition
The repetition in a Villanelle made this form popular
with audiences. The repetition allowed the listener to catch the poem more
clearly at first hearing or first reading.
A writer of a Villanelle can use the repetition to
delve more deeply into her material. Each stanza can revise, amplify, and show
more facets of what the poet feels.
8.
Here are some steps to take in creating your
Villanelle:
1) Draft a rhyming couplet with images that express your
feeling or idea.
2) Draft a dozen or more rhyming couplets that each help
you express the heart of your concern.
3) Pick the couplet that combines originality and
expressiveness with some flexibility in the way those lines could be used in
combination with others, and can be modified slightly upon repetition. Whether
you work by hand or on your computer, place a copy of each line at every place
that it (or its variant) will appear in your Villanelle. Be sure to follow the
above guidelines for form. You will then have written 8 lines - almost half of
the whole poem!
4) Now work on the rest of the Villanelle.
5) Use enjambment sometimes, so that your repeated lines
are less obvious. Make the repeated lines an organic part of your poem, not
just something pasted in.
6) Feel free to modify the lines that you set up for your
original couplet. Then, repeat this modification throughout the poem (if you
are following the form of strict repetition), or use the modifications to
reflect something (such as a progression of internal emotions).
7) As with all formal poems nowadays, it is vital that
the form does not "drive" your poem. If the rhyme scheme and form
begin to feel forced, then the poem's content must be asserted.
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