The Rishal is a recent invented form which appears to be a “chained” version of the Terza Rima without a linking rhyme. It was created by “Chindarella” at All Poetry.
Stanzaic: Three tercet stanzas plus a single line stanza
Isosyllabic: Decasyllabic lines (10 syllables) (10/10/10)
Rhyme Pattern: aba cdc efe ghg x (end-rhyme and internal rhyme)
Refrain: The first line of each stanza consists of two
five syllable sections, The last section of line 1
becomes the first section of line 1 in the next stanza.
The 2nd line in each stanza must have internal rhyme with the 5th syllable
rhyming with the 10th.
The final line does not need to rhyme;
____
The Rishal is:
○ Stanzaic, written in 3 or more tercets with a concluding single line, the same as the Terza Rima.
○ Syllabic rather than metric, lines of 10 syllables each, (iambic pentameter without the iambic pattern requirement). L1 of each stanza is written in 2 hemistiches.
○ Rhymed, internal rhyme is employed in L2 of each stanza, the 5th syllable of the line rhyming with the end syllable, (I imagine a little flexibility in the placement of the internal rhyme could be overlooked by other than the purist.) Rhyme scheme a (b-b) a / c ( d-d) c / e (f-f) e / etc . The single end line is unrhymed.
○ Written in a chain from stanza to stanza by repeating the 2nd hemistich of L1 of the previous stanza in the 1st hemistich of L1 of the next stanza and so on. . . including the last single line repeating the 2nd hemistich of L1 of the previous stanza as the 1st hemistich of the single line
Pasted from http://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/index.php?showtopic=1146
My thanks to Judi Van Gorder for years of work on this fine PMO resource.
Example Poem
NOTE: It was confirmed by Chindarella on DEC. 26th, 2014 that the original specifications for the Rishal were for exactly three tercets, not three or more.
All But Children Know (Form: Rishal)
We all are forewarned, no one is surprised.
Though death awaits all, we all may ride tall.
We can’t write death out; script can’t be revised.
No one is surprised that our days will end
By some grand design, while most parts are fine
there are no clues that Death’s presence portend.
That our days will end, all but children know.
How poor we’d be served if fear were deserved.
Such in not the case, play, love, give, then go.
All but children know what we have is now.
(c) Lawrencealot -April 29, 2013
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