Rannaigheacht mhor (ron-á-yach voor, the ‘great versification’) is an ancient Irish quatrain using 7-syllable lines with 1-syllable end-words rimed abab—a-rime can be assonance, but b-rime must be rime, here meaning perfect ‘correspondence’ or Comharda, in which consonants of the same class (p-t-k, m-n-ng etc.) are interchangeable—plus alliteration in every line—preferably between end-word and preceding stressed word (always thus in each quatrain’s closing couplet)—with at least two cross-rimes per couplet (assonance okay in leading couplets), one being L3’s end-word rimed within L4. Being Irish, it requires the dunedh(first word, phrase, or line repeated in closing). Each quatrain, as well as each leading couplet, must be able to stand on its own.
Modern specs for this form are given here:
Modern specs for this form are given here:
http://www.thepoetsgarret.com/celtic1.html#mho”>http://www.thepoetsgarret.com/celtic1.html#mho</a>
Example Poem
Great Versifiers
Men sometimes are dreamers, lost,
lust-driven schemers who, when
hunting, deceive. With trust tossed
at great cost; none believe men.
(c) Lawrencealot – May 16, 2012
No template can be more than a rough guide, but here one is:
Note here, I failed to use proscribed alliteration in the final line! Damn.
And upon sober review I find that this fails also, in that the first
couplet cannot stand alone. Someone competent, please provide me with a perfect example. I shall replace this.