Villanelle 1

After skipping last week, I return this week with the first example of the next poetry form I will be exploring: the villanelle.

The villanelle is a complex piece with which even masters of language have struggled. French in origin, (starting, according to some scholars as early as the 1600's) the form nevertheless failed to gain popularity in France, so few are written in French. Most are in fact written in English, and they began appearing regularly in the 18th century in that language.

Because the form was based on pastoral songs that were intended to be sung centuries ago, pastoral themes were common for villanelles at first. Yet from what I can gather, that theme has been largely abandoned in the English version of these verses. But do to the refrains, and the shortness of the form, many have concluded that a certain obsession with the subject matter is appropriate to the form.

One holdover from the form's roots as a song is the unique refrain structure. The first of five three-line stanzas begin and end with lines from the refrain. Each subsequent three line stanza ends with the first refrain, and then the second, alternating. The final stanza is a four lines, ending with a couplet which is a combination of the two refrains. The rhyme scheme itself, being something like A1-B-A2  A-B-A1  A-B-A2  A-B-A1 A-B-A2  A-B-A1-A2.

Even sounds complicated, doesn't it? I will say though that in practice it is easier to follow these rules than it is to explain them. No doubt it will be easier to follow once you read my sample. Or you can read what is argyably the most famous example of this form in English- "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night", by Dylan Thomas.

Thomas uses iambic pentameter in that piece. Iambic octometer is also used, and that is what I have tried to utilize in my first sample below. However, I've been reading several articles about the villanelle in the two weeks since I last posted here, and from all I can tell there is not now, nor was there ever a definitive rule for the length of the actual lines. Some say eight feet, some say ten. Some articles come out and claim that line length has never mattered. In other words, unlike haiku, there is not "purest" form that I can find for the villanelle in regards to meter of the individual lines. So I will be exploring various meters, with no particular order or consideration. Any given villanelle may have lines of eight feet. Some may have ten. Some will ignore line length entirely. I will, in short confine myself to the rhyme scheme and refrain. (That should be enough to keep my hands full most of the time.)

I also read that slight variations in the refrain are encouraged. I may engage in that at times, if the piece can be made better by it. Yet to me, the very purpose of a refrain is to keep is the same, and I will try to keep my refrains identical.

What follows, I kept to iambic octometer, probably because that is the meter of the first villanelle I happened to study for this exploration took on. This is not my first ever villanelle. I wrote one once, long ago, that looking back seems to have had some kind of different structure than what I have described. I will have to dig that one out and have a look again.

But for now, here is the first in this exploration. Octometer proved tricky, but I think it works here. I don't however think I will pursue it again, unless two excellent phrases that fit it should arise in my imagination.

*

Retain forever thoughts of me.
Think fondly of me every day.
I'll love you for eternity.

See what others will not see.
Do not turn your face away.
Retain, forever, thoughts of me.

Remember when I brought you glee,
And when one night you heard me say
"I'll love you for eternity."

Defy what others would decree;
"Avoid him. You must stay away."
Retain, forever, thoughts of me.

There is but one reality.
Advice from others holds no sway.
I'll love you for eternity.

My thoughts in perpetuity
Return to you in every way.
Retain, forever, thoughts of me.
I'll love you for eternity. 

Limericks (Group 3)

This is the last group of limericks I will be doing. At least for this exploration. They were a nice, fun break, after the long, and sometimes intensive concentration that the sonnets required. (Though I will say finding rhymes that are also humorous, as per these limericks, or not as easy as it may appear. Probably why the form has endured for all these years.) Next week I will have moved on to a new form. But I have had a lot of innocent fun with these limericks, and will certain return to writing them again someday.

*

I painted a capital "A"
On the roof of my condo one day.
My Mom said to me, "Will you now paint a "B"?
And I told her, "Not until May."

*

If ever you travel to Maine
And meet a masseuse named Lorraine,
Bid her good day, then run far away.
I know her. She's clearly insane.

*

As an actor I fall into rage
At people (regardless of age)
That let their phone ring and don't silence the thing
While I try to perform on the stage.

*

I wonder if all of the ducks
Could fit into all of the trucks.
We'll never find out beyond shadows of doubt,
And I really think that kind of sucks.

*

Writing limericks should always be fun.
Your stress level drops down to none.
No need for "sublime". You need only to rhyme.
Four silly lines, and you're done. 

Limericks (Group 2)

Continuing with some limericks. Next week will probably be my last set of limericks for a while. Again, their point being to ease the transition between more difficult forms.

But for now, enjoy a few more!

*

The piñata I hung in my room
Is more boring than one would assume.
It collects too much dust. It's too hard to bust,
Filled with candy i cannot consume.

*

A singer who called himself Steven
Had a voice that was rather uneven.
He got punched in the mouth when he traveled down south
And massacred "Don't Stop Believin'".

*

And Englishman wore a disguise,
To give his good wife a surprise.
A fake beard and a wig, while dancing a jig.
But his wife didn't fall for his lies.

*

The door at the end of the hall
Was painted at the end of last fall.
It used to be green, but when it was seen
Nobody had liked it at all.

*

I met a young girl from Dubai
Who was born on the Fourth of July.
She said, "No big deal. That day lacks appeal."
Then she shrugged and bid my goodbye. 

Limericks! (Group 1)

After an enjoyable but at times taxing exploration of sonnets, I wanted to move to a lighter, more fun poetry form, to give both myself, and any of you readers a break from the most complex poems. What better choice for such a task than limericks.

I won't stay on them for long, maybe two or three weeks or a few grouped together. Though traditionally and technically limericks are supposed to be off-color or down right dirty in order to challenge a societal taboo, I won't be producing any dirty ones. Scholars and and more "famous" poets contend that the true wit of a limerick is lost when it is clean. I'm not prude, but I see few things less clever than dirty jokes/limericks. After all, just how many times can references to sex and genitalia be either entertaining or socially satirical? If I'm going to have a chuckle over some nonsense I'm writing, it's going to be about something a bit more creative, or at least surreal, than dick jokes. Sorry, scholars. You can be clever without being pornographic. So that's what I'm doing, as it is my site for my poems.

The limerick has been around since the early 1700's, it seems. For those who don't know, the rhyme scheme is AABBA. The meter is either anapestic or amphibrachic, for those into that sort of thing. But if you've ever heard a limerick, you know what the rhythm is, even if you don't know the name for it.

That's all the scholarly attention I'm going to give to it. As far as I'm concerned, they should be goofy and fun. That's certainly why I chose them for this brief exploration.

Here are my first group of five.

*

I went to New York on a dare.
(Though I don't know a soul living there.)
Spent all day on my feet while walking the street
'Cuz no cabby take poems for fare.

*

A priest poured a rabbi a drink,
But he spilled it all into the sink.
His friend said, "oy vey" and then walked away
And their friendship remains on the brink.

*

There once was a jackass named Brian.
If he was talking you knew he was lyin'.
He'll steal all your food, put you in a foul mood
And you'll hate him without even tryin'.

*

A man put his horse on the stage.
(He thought it would be all the rage.)
It took a big dump, and it never did jump,
So the man's wife said, "Jake, act your age."

*

Once an old man with a limp
Decided he wanted a blimp.
But the price was too high for the poor man to buy.
So he paid for it being a pimp.

Sonnet 16

With the following Italian form sonnet, (with a different CDCEDC sestant) I bring this exploration of sonnets to a close. I find this configuration possibly the most interesting of all of the Italian forms, with the orphaned "E" rhyme placed there in a powerful solitary position. So much was I fascinated by its possibilities that I almost extended my exploration of the sonnets for a while longer, in order to explore it alone.

But in the end, I decided that both my mind, and the blog have reached their fill of sonnets for now. I certainly intend to revisit them at some point, possibly starting with this very form. But for now, it is time to move on to another form. One that isn't quite so draining, perhaps.

As for subject matter, this is probably the most upbeat of all of the sonnets I have written. Sonnets are probably not generally associated with upbeat themes, but it feels appropriate to end my exploration with one that does so.

So next week, you will see something else. But for now enjoy this final sonnet of the exploration.

*

Assemble all precautions in your mind.
With relish now dismiss them one by one.
You'll feel much more alive when it is done.
We must move forward! Never fall behind!
Solicitude. Forgiveness. Being kind.
Protecting weaklings. Singing. Having fun.
To all, show mercy. Angry thoughts to none.
Don't let you better angels be denied.
The world is filled with every kind of strife,
And every day we face a simple choice:
Extend your empty hand, or wield a knife.
The former offers love, the latter fear.
Just put away the blade, and raise your voice.
Embrace the risks that come with living life.