Deachnadh Cummaisc

Deachnadh Cummaisc and Deachnadh Mor are ancient Irish Verse Forms that use consonant rhyme, not true rhyme. (easier said than done.)
• The defining features of the Deachnadh Cummaisc are:
○ written in any number of quatrains.
○ syllabic 8-4-8-4 or 8-4-4-8
○ written with consonance rhyme only abab cdcd etc
○ terminated, usually written with 2 syllable end words.
○ when L3 is written with a 2 syllable end word, aicill rhyme is employed.
○ written with the defining features of most Celtic poems, cywddydd (harmony of sound) and dunadh (ending the poem with the same word, phrase or line with which the poem began) Irish Verse Forms

x x x x x x (x a)
x x (x B) 
x x x x x x (x a)
x x a (x B) 

This Time of Year by Barbara Hartman

Today on Lizard Head, snow-pack 
recoils, recedes
— streams swell, dry reservoirs snapback, 
resource restored. 

Creeks cavort, rush to join rivers, 
boulders tumble. 
The Dolores races, shivers, 
quivers, trembles. 

White-water rapids slap riprap, 
romp, run away, 
Rocky Mountain snowcap renders 
runoff today.
Pasted from http://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/index.php?showtopic=1174
My thanks to Judi Van Gorder for years of work on this fine PMO resource.

(Commonly used in Celtic verse forms.) According to the NPEOPP aicill rhyme is simply rhyming an end word of one line with a word somewhere early in the next line. Robin Skelton’s Shapes of our Singing takes it a step further and states aicill rhyme occurs when the end word of the first line is disyllabic. An on-line source describing Gaelic pronunciation takes it another step further describing aicill rhyme as occuring when the last stressed syllable of an end word rhymes with the next to last unstressed word in the next line with no mention that the end word need by disyllabic. (Gaelic examples I’ve been able to find seem to support all 3 definitions, of course I can’t really hear the stressed/unstressed definition but one example appeared as if the internal rhyme could be unstressed by the position in the line and the words around it.)

Pasted from <http://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/index.php?showtopic=1261#aicill>

My Example

Welcome (Deachnadh Cummaisc)

Welcome, Delighted you arrived.
There’s a passel
to pass around.
So party-up! Don’t be passive.

Just shove the cat or dog away
They’ll feel perplexed,
and put awry,
but will stay, willing to partake.

They’ll willingly clean your fingers
with tongues wagging
when you’re finished.
It’s our way to make you welcome.

© Lawrencealot – November 28, 2014

Note: Below is what happens when you return to the desk, thinking that you were to be writing a poem with rhymes in assonance not consonance. This was my first effort, replaced with the above.

Welcome (Deachnadh Cummaisc)

Welcome. Delighted you arrived.
Last year callers
have all survived.
We’re festive drinkers, not brawlers.

Just shove the cat or dog aside,
although pesky
pets, they’ll abide;
It’s granpa who could get testy

We’ll jointly address your spirit
and your welfare.
Hell? Don’t fear it .
There’s someplace you’re always welcome.

© Lawrencealot – November 28, 2014

Visual template

Deachnadh Cummaisc

Sneadhbairdne

Sneadhbhairdne (sna-vuy-erd-ne):
A quatrain stanza of alternating eight syllable lines and four syllable lines with two syllable endings. Lines two and four rhyme, line three consonates with both. All words in the final line must rhyme line, the final word of line four alliterating with the preceding stressed word.

(x B) x x x x (x a)
x x (x b)
x x x x x (b c)
b b (x B)

Pasted from <http://www.thepoetsgarret.com/celtic1.html>

Sneadhbairdne (snay-vuy-erd-ne) is an ancient Irish Form seemingly overloaded with features used in direct meter.

The Sneadhbairdne is:
• stanzaic, written in any number of quatrains.
• syllabic 8-4-8-4 syllables per line.
• alliterated in each line.
• written with two-syllable end words in each line.
• rhymed, L2 and L4 end rhyme. L3 consonates with the rhyme.
• every stressed syllable in L4 must rhyme.
• written with cywddydd (harmony of sound) and dunadh (beginning and ending the poem with the same word, phrase or line).

x x x x x x (x x) 
x x (x A) 
x x x x x x (x a) 
x A(x A)

October by Barbara Hartman

Beware! Canyon country’s ablaze
—gold leaves galore
glow by silver streams that glisten,
storms roar, restore.

Cumulus clouds shroud the Chuskas,
people prepare
for horny hunters who declare
“Let bears beware!”

Pasted from http://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/index.php?showtopic=1166
My thanks to Judi Van Gorder for years of work on this fine PMO resource.

My example

She’s a Tease (Sneadhbairdne)

Warning! She will keep you waiting
playing, pleasing
quite despite impatient pleading
She likes teasing.

With her wiles you’ll welcome waiting
scorning mourning.
I’ll implore you’re not ignoring
forlorn warning.

© Lawrencealot – October 9, 2014

Visual template of sorts

Sneadhbairdne