Tag Archives: quatrain

Folía

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The following description and example ares reposted with permission from Poetry Magnum Opus, with thanks to Judi Van Gorder for years of work on that fine resource.

The Folía is a nonsensical or a ridiculous poem, originating in 16th century Spain, probably influenced by a Portuguese dance song.

The elements of the Folía are:

  1. stanzaic, written in any # of quatrains.
  2. syllabic, 8 syllables lines or shorter.
  3. rhymed, rhyme scheme abab cdcd etc.
  4. ridiculous or nonsensical.

    Silly Willy by Judi Van Gorder

    In old 16th century Spain
    when poets felt a bit silly
    they’d dance circles round in the rain
    and write rhymed verse willy nilly.

My Example

Form: Folía

Bump and Grind

A kangaroo on roller skates
and polar bear on skis
were clumsy when they went on dates
excuse them if you please.

© Lawrencealot – February 11, 2015

Tho Tam Chu

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The following description is reposted with permission from Poetry Magnum Opus, with thanks to Judi Van Gorder for years of work on that fine resource.

Tho Tam Chu or Eight Word Poetry [Vietnamese] appears to be more flexible in stanza length as well as tonal and end rhyme. The rhyme schemes are patterns I found in actual poems. It appears to me that as long as there is rhyme, it probably doesn’t matter what the pattern is.  The elements of the Tho Tam Chu are:

  1. stanzaic, written in any number of either tercets, quatrains or septets.
  2. measured by the number of words in the line, 8 words per line.
  3. rhymed,
  4. tonal rhyme is flexible except, if the end word is sharp then the 3rd word is also sharp and words 5 and 6 are flat. Conversely, if the end word is flat then the 3rd word is also flat and the 5th and 6th words are sharp.
  5. end rhyme
  6. when written in tercets
    w w w w w w w a
    w w w w w w a b
    w w w w b w w b
  7. when written in quatrains is:
    w w w w w w w w     or    w w w w w w w w
    w w w w w w w a             w w w w w w w a
    w w w w w w w w            w w w w w w w a
    w w w w w w w a             w w w w w w w w
  8. when written as a septet
    w w w w w w w a
    w w w w w w w a
    w w w w w w w a
    w w w w w w w a
    w w w w w w w b
    w w w w w w w b
    w w w w w w w w

Note: Whereas with the Bay Chu, I copped out because I had no notion of the tonal requirement, I was emboldened here by Judi’s observation that tonal rhyme was flexible. I therefore took the liberty to equate the Vietnamese flat and sharp sounds to the English long and short sounds, and have treated the words in positions 3,5,6 and 8 accordingly.

From Wikipedia

English vowels are sometimes split into “long” and “short” vowels along lines different from the linguistic differentiation. Traditionally, the vowels /eɪ iː aɪ oʊ juː/ (as in bait beat bite boat bute) are said to be the “long” counterparts of the vowels /æ ɛ ɪ ɒ ʌ/ (as in bat bet bit bot but) which are said to be “short”. This terminology reflects their pronunciation before the Great Vowel Shift.

Traditional English phonics teaching, at the preschool to first grade level, often used the term “long vowel” for any pronunciation that might result from the addition of a silent E(e.g., like) or other vowel letter as follows:

Letter “Short” “Long” Example
A a /æ/ /eɪ/ mat / mate
E e /ɛ/ /iː/ pet / Pete
I i /ɪ/ /aɪ/ twin / twine
O o /ɒ/ /oʊ/ not / note
U u /ʌ/ /juː/ cub / cube
A mnemonic was that each vowel’s long sound was its name.
In Middle English, the long vowels /iː, eː, ɛː, aː, ɔː, oː, uː/ were generally written i..e, e..e, ea, a..e, o..e, oo, u..e. With the Great Vowel Shift, they came to be pronounced /aɪ, iː, iː, eɪ, oʊ, uː, aʊ/. Because ea and oo are digraphs, they are not called long vowels today. Under French influence, the letter u was replaced with ou (or final ow), so it is no longer considered a long vowel either. Thus the so-called “long vowels” of Modern English are those vowels written with the help of a silent e.

Wikipedia: Traditional long and short vowels in English orthography

My Example

Form: Tho Tam Chu

Vietnam Poetry Didactic

If word three is long, expect to find
the words five and six not so aligned.
By word three, eight’s sound is now defined.
One must keep these rules within one’s mind.
That being done, then each line is fun,
a challenge yet, here I write this one.
An unrhymed line must still conform like so.

© Lawrencealot – January 31, 2015

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Paraphrased Great Poetry

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Paraphrased Great Poetry is an invented form created by Amera on Allpoetry.com.

Take a well-known poem, then rewrite it in four lines of iambic trimeter (six-syllable lines with the stressed syllables in position 2, 4, and 6). These are monorhyme poems, meaning all of the lines end with the same rhyming word (rhyme scheme AAAA).

The Wreck of the Hesperus

The Hesperus did sail
 Into a blust’ring gale,
But like the poor in jail,
She couldn’t make the bail.

Evangeline

Evang’line, young and shy,
In exile lost her guy,
But found him, by and by,
In time to see him die.

The Daffodils

I wandered like a cloud
O’er hills both tall and proud,
And they were well endowed
In daffodilian shroud.

The Raven

A-rapping at my door,
A raven fluttered o’er,
And said I’d see Lenore,
But when? Why, “nevermore.”

Gunga Din

Oh here comes Gunga Din,
With water in a skin.
Although he’s frail and thin,
He’s better than I’ve been.

Paul Revere’s Ride

Now kiddies come and hear
The tale of Paul Revere,
Who shouted loud and clear,
“The British, they are here!”

The Charge of the Light Brigade

The gallant Light Brigade
Went charging up a grade.
They did as they were bade,
And then they all was dade.

Jabberwocky

“Beware” his dad implored.
He took his vorpal sword,
through tulgey wood explored.
Then snickersnack! He scored!

all of the poetry of e. e. cummings

with letters small in size
e cummings acted wise
he opted to stylize
and on that cap’talize

Specifications restated.
It is a 4 line poem. (A single quatrain)
Metered: Iambic trimeter.
Rhymed: Monorhyme. Pattern aaaa

My example

The Road Not Taken (Paraphrased Great Poetry)

The roads diverged, oh yes,
I chose and felt no stress
the road then travelled less.
‘Twas meant to be I guess.

© Lawrencealot – January 10, 2015

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Paraphrased Great Poetry

Endecha

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Spanish Poetry
The Endecha is a ” The Canción triste que encierra un lamento”, (“sad song that locks up a moan”), a 16th century Spanish dirge or song of sorrow.

The Endecha is
• stanzaic, written in any number of quatrains.
• syllabic, written with 7-7-7-11 syllables per line.
• rhymed, rhyme scheme xaxa xbxb etc., x being unrhymed. The rhyme is often consonance only but true rhyme may be used.

Cold Forever –Judi Van Gorder
It tears at my heaving breast
and rips out my grieving heart,
pain of losing him denies
all memories, leaving me lost and apart.

Precious promises ended,
our never and our always
lie cold inside his casket.
I’m left behind to mourn my nights and my days.

Pasted from http://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/index.php?showtopic=1017
My thanks to Judi Van Gorder for years of work on this fine PMO resource.

My example

Necessity, the Mother of Suspension

Necessity, the Mother of Suspension (Endecha)

Erection continuing
yet I badly have to pee.
My girl-friend likes Cialis
but it makes pointing down, recent history.

© Lawrencealot – December 8, 2014

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Endecha

Brhati

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Brhati (“that which grows” or “life’s breath”, God of Words) is an ancient Vedic stanzaic form. Brhati is named as one of the seven horses pulling the chariot of the sun.

In verse the Brhati is
• stanzaic, 36 syllables written in any number of 4 line stanzas.
• syllabic, 9 syllables each.
• metric, the metric pattern of the line requires 2 heavy syllables. In English break the cadence with caesura and attempt to include a couple of long or heavy vowel syllables near the end of the line. (“heavy” is a dipthong, a hard vowel sound or a vowel followed by a combination of consonants)

Too Many Years by Judi Van Gorder

Sucking one more breath into scarred lungs,
the once vibrant man suffers a life
no longer desired. His passion
and independence reclaimed by time.

Pasted from <http://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/index.php?showtopic=1227>
My thanks to Judi Van Gorder for years of work on this fine PMO resource.

I find this a difficult form to compose in English, and doubt the success of either of these examples.

My attempt

Closing the Circle (Brhati)

With gasps and noise he entered this life.
He lived it well, understands himself,
and disquietude – he exits now
with only ragged breaths making sound.

© Lawrencealot – November 19, 2014

Goliardic Verse

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Goliardic Verse (Germanic verb to sing or entertain) was a popular verse of the Goliards, wandering scholars of the 12th and 13th century in rhymed and accented Latin. The form became linked with satire specifically, mockery of the Church.

Goliard Verse is:
• syllabic, 13 syllable lines, in hemistiches of 6 and 7 syllables. Sometimes L4 is only 12 syllables.
• stanzaic, written in any number of quatrains.
• mono-rhymed, lines end in feminine rhyme. Rhyme scheme aaaa bbbb.

Lament by Judi Van Gorder 

Mother Church serves the poor, it is one of her niches.
Now she’s been tested with threat to her riches 
by former altar boys, abused, turned into snitches, 
claiming clerics have strayed, unzipping their britches.

Pasted from <http://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/index.php?showtopic=1077>
My thanks to Judi Van Gorder for years of work on this fine PMO resource

German and Austrian Poetic Forms:

Bar Form, Dinggedicht, Goliardic Verse, Knittelvers, Minnesang, Nibelungen,Schuttelreim

My Example

Unless Twice Perverted (Goliard Verse)

All cults and churches too, deserve a bit of mocking
(On fables they are based); that millions bite is shocking.
We’ve all heard tales of priests and choirboys they’ve been stalking.
I’ll bet there’ve been girls too, but they have not been talking.

© Lawrencealot – November 14, 2014

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Goliard Verse
 

Bagarthach

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Bagarthach verse was hatched in the science fiction novel The Reefs of Earth by American writer R. A Lafferty. In the novel, alien immigrants to earth occasionally speak in verse. They call it Bagarthach Verse and it has powers beyond the words. (Well, doesn’t all good poetry?) In the book, the mean spirited wishes of the verse often come true. The verse is similar to Ruthless Rhyme. In this world written by earthlings, the verse form would be categorized as Light Verse.

The Bagarthach is:
• funny or clever but mean spirited.
• short, one quatrain.
• syllabic 8-9-8-9 syllables per line, sometimes all lines are 8 syllables.
• rhymed abab.
Here is the first Bagarthach verse in Lafferty’s book, spoken during an argument between two aliens.
“I’m turning livid in this bog,
This wooly world that spooks and spites you.
You’ll find that picture’s got a dog!
I hope the blinking bugger bites you!”
So be careful what you write..Consequently the alien to whom the verse is directed is found dead from a dog bite…..
(Yes, I actually bought and read the book for this research.)

Pasted from http://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/index.php?showtopic=110
My thanks to Judi Van Gorder for years of work on this fine PMO resource.

My Example

Just Standing in Line (Bagarthach)

You had to rush to get ahead
with thirty-four items in your cart.
I hope you feel a sense of dread
while I turn around right here and fart.

© Lawrencealot – November 11, 2014

Tulip

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Pathways for the Poet by  Viola Berg (1977) is a book for and by educators. Classic poetic forms as well as many invented forms which appear to have been invented as teaching tools or exercizes for use in workshops or classrooms are included. Some of these invented forms I have found in use in internet poetry communities, a testament to their staying power. On this page I include the metric invented forms found there in which appear to be exclusive to the community of educators from whom Ms. Berg drew her support. I have yet to find these in any other source… Whether classroom exercise or sharpening your skill as a writer, some of these forms can be fun to play with.

• The Tulip is an invented verse form, a tetrastich with a combination of metric patterns. It was introduced by Viola Gardener.

The Tulip is:
○ a tetrastich, a poem in 4 lines.
○ metric, L1 & L3 are iambic pentameter, L2 i dimeter, a spondee followed by an amphibrach and L4 is dimeter, an iamb followed by an amphibrach.
○ rhymed abab.
○ because of the amphibrach foot at the end of L2 & L4 they have feminine endings.
Starbucks by Judi Van Gorder

The price of java going up and up
Good God! Horrendous!
The cost of coffee is four bucks a cup.
The line, tremendous!

Pasted from http://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/index.php?showtopic=1199#dionol
My thanks to Judi Van Gorder for years of work on this fine PMO resource.

My Example

Another Birthday (Tulip)

I hope you’re happy, laughing and content.
Hail! Years are mounting.
It’s more important how your day is spent
than annual counting.

© Lawrencealot – September 28, 2014

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Tulip

Pentibrach

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It is so named because of the unique metric foot proposed by its creator Glenn Meisenheimer, known on Allpoetry as gmcookie.
He proposed a five syllable metric foot with only the center syllable being accented.  Because of its resemblance to an amphibrach with an unaccented syllable affixed to each end, I named this the pentibrach.   If scholars find a precedent we will of course bow to an established usage.
The poem is stanzaic, consisting of at least two quatrains.
It is syllabic: 10/9/10/7
It uses external rhyme, rhyming the last line of each stanza. (xxxa)
I realize there are alternative options to provide a metric schema, but I shall use the authors own presentation, and define here the metric feet to be used:
The pentibrach:             da da DUM da da
The secundus paeon:    da DUM da da
The iamb:                        da DUM
Each stanza is formed thus:
L1 & L3      two pentibrach feet
L2               a pentibrach followed by a secundus paeon
L4               a pentibrach followed by an iamb
The author’s original poem.
Kandahar
As the shadows fall and the daylight fades
And the owl flirts with the whippoorwill,
In that twilight time when the nightingale
Sings his love songs to the stars,
You will find me here in the umbral dark
As I wend through trees and monuments,
In the gloaming dusk when the sunlight fades
And when Jupiter joins Mars.
It is only then, from this cursed ground,
There is strength in my soliloquy,
As I raise my voice on the evening breeze
And I sing my ghost-thin bars.
It’s an ancient tune yet a timely one
Of a sailor washed ashore near here
Who was buried deep in this Christian soil
Far away from Kandahar.
My Attempt at one:
Entranced     (Pentibrach)
As she stretched her arms to the morning’s dim
and her curvature delighted me
 I assumed that I’m just a blessed guy
who was honored here by chance.
The is nothing that would predict that I
should be met on earth by goddesses
or be catered to by the likes of her.
Don’t disturb me from this trance.
© Lawrencealot – February 15, 2014
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Pathya vat

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The Pathya Vat is a Cambodian verse form, consisting of four lines of four syllables each, where lines two and three rhyme. When a poem consists more than one stanza, the last line of the previous stanza rhymes with the second and third lines of the following one.
Example Poem
She Shops     (Pathya vat)
On shopping day
you disappear
and it’s unclear
to me, just how.
“You go alone,
I can’t stop now”,
and anyhow
my team’s behind.
I know your ways
so I declined
and you are kind
to let me stay.
Go find treasures,
(it takes all day-
I’ll gladly pay)
just not to play.
© Lawrencealot – Februrary 5, 2014
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This is show in iambic dimeter