I'm going to bother you with a non-poem (though poetry-related) post about one of my favorite old forms, the sestina! I'll be posting a bunch of pieces in this particular form, and I thought that it would help to have a little discussion of the style for the sake of comprehension, and in case any sadomasochistic writers out there want to make on of their own.
The sestina originated as a 12th century French form of poetry, invention of which is usually credited to the troubadour-poet Arnaut Daniel. The sestina employs a very specific set of six repeating end-words in the place of normal rhyme over six stanzas of six lines each, and a two or three line optional (traditional) envoy (also called a tornada), containing all six words.ii The order of the six primary words at the end of the lines of the first stanza, 1 2 3 4 5 6, decides their order throughout the rest of the poem. Word order moves according to lexical repetition: the last end-word of the previous stanza ends the first line of the next stanza, the first end-word of the previous ends the second line of the next stanza, crossing back and forth in a 6 1 5 2 4 3 order, based on each preceding stanza.iii Envoys vary greatly in execution. Traditionally, the sestina utilizes syllabic meter, usually decasyllabics or iambic pentameter in English; though metrical requirements are often discarded (I intend to experiment with both strict meter and line variation).
Sestina end-word order for each line of each stanza:
Stanza 1: 1 2 3 4 5 6
Stanza 2: 6 1 5 2 4 3
Stanza 3: 3 6 4 1 2 5
Stanza 4: 5 3 2 6 1 4
Stanza 5: 4 5 1 3 6 2
Stanza 6: 2 4 6 5 3 1
Envoy: This depends on preference, or the wish to include an envoy. The envoy has two of the six repeating end-words in each line: one in the line’s middle and one at the line’s end. I like to return the form to its original order: 1-2 in line 1, 3-4 in line 2, 5-6 in line 3, though some use 2-5, 4-3, 6-1 or other orders.
Additionally, the six key end-words often form a thematic group, rhetorically suited to each other as parts of a common idea or related ideas.
Now, when you see a poem with the tagline "sestina", with all of those repeating words, you'll know what's up, more or less. I also encourage you to try on out for yourself! They're fun, and once you get going, not too difficult to bring to fruition (in unexpected and oddly satisfying ways).
Now, when you see a poem with the tagline "sestina", with all of those repeating words, you'll know what's up, more or less. I also encourage you to try on out for yourself! They're fun, and once you get going, not too difficult to bring to fruition (in unexpected and oddly satisfying ways).
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