LENTO
A brief history behind this form:
I had a dream about creating this form, exactly the way it is. This happens to most of my writing. As the name suggests, it is taken from my first name Lencio and rhymed to Cento, an existing form of poetry. It is relatively an easier form. Although this form requires rhyming words, words that have a similar "end-sounds" will also do, for eg: Heaven, Deafen, or few, stew.
A Lento is written in 2 quatrains (a stanza consisting of 4 lines) with a fixed rhyme scheme. All the FIRST words of the verse should rhyme aaaa, bbbb with the first word of the verse and the END of second and the fourth lines should rhyme with a scheme abcb.
All the lines should be more or less of the same length and stand on its own.
One is free to use any figures of speech and it is completely up to the poet whether or not, to rhyme the 1st and the 3rd line.
You can also write 4 verses and call it a double Lento, 6 verses, and it becomes a triple Lento.
Below is an example of a Lento:
For other examples please click on the following links:
allpoetry.com/Poem/1765444
allpoetry.com/Poem/1765669
To write a Lento
Included in the list
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Comments
1 - 64 of 64
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Interesting thing this poetic form,
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Wonderful form.I might try it out someday if there's a contest on it
How did you get the idea while sleeping 
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Thanks for the information, I have just written my first lento piece
Spill ink and twist me into the shape of love...
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very nice
This is brilliant. I have never read a lento before, never even heard of a lento. I am researching new poetry forms and I will have to try this one out. Sounds cool. Thank you for making it easy to understand, too.
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Great job on your creation.
Lento
A form created by (your name). A poem written in quatrains, with each stanza having the first word on each line rhyme in the stanza. So it looks like this.
Line 1: A
Line 2: A; b
Line 3: A
Line 4: A; b
Line 5: C
Line 6: C; d
Line 7: C
Line 8: C; d
Example:
Composed in winter of Two Thousand Five
Proposed by my dreams this entire theme,
Exposed now for all to write and have fun
Supposed to be easy though it doesn't seem.
Two verses of four lines each you will write
Do rhyme the beginning word in every line,
Pursue to keep last rhymes in line 2 and 4
Chew your brain a little you'll do just fine!
Copyright © 2005 (your name)
This is the way it should look! -
Hi i sent you a message but you didn't reply to me.. so i'm using your Lento in my poetry research as one of the new forms of poetry. I hope you don't mind. I'll be adding where i got it from in the Works cited at the end of the research. I also took the first stanza which you put on this page:
"Composed in winter of Two Thousand Five,
Proposed by my dreams, this entire theme,
Exposed now for all to write and have fun,
Supposed to be easy though it doesn't seem."
I hope you don't mind, but i could not wait long for your answer as my friend and i have to hand in the research on wednesday morning...
I might try to write it someday... lol
As for other people.. keep on writing.. and hope to see some cool stuff in this form
Nooni -
Deeply cool!
See, I find it deeply cool that you have invented your own poetic form! Deeply cool indeed. Perhaps one day I shall do the same :-) -
U have my applause.. I have myself done two forms of my own poetry and would love to welcome poets with such creativity to publish their own forms.. Welcome to the community
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Very interesting
Be Well and Be Blessed
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Yes, I do lencio
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If you still wanna enter, I can extend the date Joss.
Lencio -
YEs, its gonna be a real trophy!!!
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Hi I am late for your contest. I thought tomorrow ends
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I throw my own self at the mercy
I have just read, for the first time that I'm aware, a lento. I think I can, am meant to do this poem style, if I study just a while. If I do well I will smile, if for just a little while.
This is better than taking a drink, I think, of alcohol, and staring at the wall, down the hall, heeding not The Call. -
questions
It seems like a cool challenge. Were you serious about the actual trophy?
darkinocenceangel -
Hmmm another form to try to get me out of this rut of wordlessness I'm in! Thankyou, it sounds inspiring! If I don't make your contest, then I'll send you a link anyways to it and give you recognition for the form as well of course!!! HUGS, Dari xxx
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Intresting .
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Very interesting form, I lie trying forms
Will certainly try this one, if not on time to enter your contest, then for future post
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hey wow this is pretty cool very interesting
u know at least you bring new way for people to show or ecpress
u know to write down their stuff their poetry. !!!!!!!!!!!
hey i hope this contes id fair game ok lol nice job
ttyl -Perla -
neat! interesting style, though i've thought of writing this way before. for the moment.... i'll just let my fingers go type type type..... my mind think think think....
Edited on Jan 24, 5:44 because ''. -
thanks for teaching but its kinda not helpful cuz ive started to write that way but at least now i know the name of the style im usin well thanks again and great use of poem to explain ans show an example well time for school gots to go
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OK this sounds fun. I can't wait to try. I hope I do the form justice. Great idea. Patti
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Thank you... this is so great!!! I love that you explained this so thoroughly and I am going to give it a whirl for your contest!! Can not wait to get my pen moving!! Jasminerose
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Wow, this is so nifty. It reminds me of some of a little my poetry sometimes. I love playing with words, so I really like this, and though most of my free form and my rhyming is accidental, i'll definitely give it a try. Good goin'!
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No Hugh, as I have explained it "Len" comes from my name Lencio and "to" is just to make it sound with an existing form Cento. Not the term used in music. Although this word does exist, the name for my form comes from the explanation above.
Lencio -
Does the Italian word "Lento" meaning 'slow' or 'slowly' have any particular significance here?
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thanks for sharing....Mwah
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good. and wholesome.
ok, i don't want to come in here and rain on your parade, but this is cool. and your addition to this site? probably appreciated. hopefully. but whatever, you type, you get what comes to you. ha. -
It seems that all along some of my style has been similar to a Lento...wow, thanks for the reminder that this style exists... I almost thought my poetry had gone the way of the limerick.
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I like this idea!
By the way.. are you Italian? If you are, is your name pronounced sounding like 'Lencho' or 'lencheeo'?
-- dana -
Amazingly wicked
HAHA THIS IS SO SWEET!
I love new forms of anything, and that is a wickedly wicked instructional example you posted. -
Very intelligent design
Very interresting indeed. I think that the various forms of poetry turns writing into almost a word game. Most of my poetry is free hand or rhyming just as Catz is. I may try your style but with my writing technique of just blasting words down then arranging a coherent idea out of them, it might prove more of a challenge. Thank you for sharing and I hope to read more poems in your brand new style. -
I enjoy learning of a new poetry form. I'm actually very remiss in writing the various forms, a lot of my own poetry being free form, and even the somewhat normal rhyming is usually form by accident...lol...and I also love Haiku... I know, I need to work on the others, too and your new form here looks interesting
Thanks for sharing it and I'll give it a try. Also will save this to my bookmarks for future reference.
Dee
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Thanks a lot, I have just had a look and commented on it. Will need a little bit of work. All in all a good try!
Lencio -
Hi lencio sunshine: I tried my hand at your new form of poetry. If you are interested you can read it at allpoetry.com/Poem/1768696
Thanks for the inspiration. -Pome -
Very interesting form with a bit of subtlety that I liked. I'll definitely give this a whirl and see how it goes. Thanks for the inspiration, Lencio.
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Awesome dear poet pal!
Lencio, first of all, heartiest congratulations on creating a brand new super interesting form. You reminded me of my Celtic and Welsh Poetry class taught by Rae (Ayizan is her name on the boards) wherein we had to follow a strict rigid structure for the various styles we learnt. Hard work, but very beautiful.
Thanks for the BRILLIANT example Lento. That is so cool! I'll give this a try shortly, maybe for your contest. Let's see
Can you send across the link to the form which Gary wrote and you mentioned is hard but your trying and he has several examples. I'd really like to see what's it like and maybe try a few.
Love Genie's example. I'll make a note of it.
Cheers, Goodluck and God Bless! May this form spread far and wide.
Charishma
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Great
Thank you for sharing your idea - and the creative example ^^ I often struggle with rhyme and your version offers more liberal possibilities ^^
Thank you
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It is certainly worth an experiment. Playing with the endless possibilities of language certainly has its appeal. I'll give it try when the time seems right. Thanks for sharing this with me.
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very interesting. Thank you for sharing
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Interesting. Been wanting to stretch my wings and learn new styles. I am book marking this. Thank you for this informative column, it helps those of us serious about stretching...it gives us more information...thank you again. Bekah
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Very clever and intersting form! I wish that my dreams were so inspiring!
Thanks for sharing this form and take care!
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How clever of you to create and name your own form of verse. I must try this for myself - although my writing tends to have a style of it's own (that I haven't named yet, ha ha) and may be too free-flow to alter. Well done and very interesting.
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Thank you genielassie. I will be hosting a contest on it soon, but you are always welcome to try out this form and post it for us to read. You did great with your first attempt, I am sure those who love rhyme, will do great with this form as you!
Love and light,
Lencio -
Try as I may to weave a thought
My words are threads adrift, unbound
By twists of wind a few I can
Apply to verses; beauty bound.
Compliant though my mind is not
Definant muse she comes to pass
Reliant upon things I feel
Suppliant thoughts I think alas!
A first attempt...lol... I like rhyme, and so this form is rather appealing to me. I find it to be a terrific form.
I didn't see any syllabic count or meter applied, which is good, leaving it open doesn't create word restrictions or inhibitions on expressing thoughts.
s and best wishes... ~genielassie~
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Sounds interesting and I am looking for new forms to write in .. a challenge! Keep dreaming.. I dream too in music and fashion designs.... love it! Great contest.
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This is fantastic...what a brilliant idea. I love a challenge!
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This is a great thing to do.Thanks for sharing with us such a new form.
Shahrzad -
Well, I've never tried this form, to be honest. However, I may consider to try this after reading about it. To me it looks quite difficult, but it's the challenge of writing something new that may get me and possibly others to have a go Useful post, I shall applaud
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I'll have to give this form a try. It has a different sound to my mental ear. Certainly unique to rhyme the first word and Im ready to give it a go. :-)
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Well my friend very thought provoking post..and very enriching to see...my best wishes..and regards..
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Yes I like this a lot. It makes the lines flow from the first words. I will try it soon. It is musical and really appeals to my sense of the dramatic. great idea well done!!
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Unique for sure, this new form of yours. I am sure many new forms have been created on this site, pixue for one. Who knows what the next one will be.
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Brilliant
that was really good... you are very creeative...
but i still find it difficult lol
i'm not exactly good at rhyming in the first place
i'll book mark this and practice later...
keep on writing.. you did a very good explanation here
Nooni -
i'll also buck up 50 points towards a contest... because aside from that, i'm just not up to the challenge of trying it today lol (i should never wonder why my ass is as big as it is) LAZY
interesting though... it'll be challenging to rhyme those first words without seeming forced or not really having meaning... my brain hurts -
thank you Vic, I really appreciate it!
Lencio -
Interesting project. If you decide to set a contest for Lentos to get people writing them, I'll put up 50 points towards it vic
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Bravo!
This was interested - I thought of a lento which reminded me of music or a ball! Will give it a go ! Good idea! Bella-Malta -
Thanks for posting this. Always like to see the forms people have created. Like the two rhyme schemes. May try this in the future. ^_^
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Hi, sounds interesting to try, lento in Italian means slow,lol, this is an interesting form, so when my brain has decided to work again, it does not like the cold, and this morning we had freezing fog, yuck, I will give it a try, good one my friend, all the best, hugs Di
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Yes, that another reason I realised the name for the form suited so right, as I love music. lol!!! I hope to see you trying this form soon. I will be having a contest shortly. Right now I am trying the form Gary (getsbetter) has created. It is quite a tough form, but a very interesting one, and he has written quite a few already.
Take care,
Lencio -
Very interesting, Lencio, I will take a look into this new form, and maybe I will manage to write something in it. I'll just look around for other examples from you, and maybe from other brave poets, before I leap into this new form.
I looked up Lento, and all I could find was this...
len·to (Music)
adv. & adj.
In a slow tempo. Used chiefly as a direction.
n. pl. len·tos
A lento passage or movement.
Could be that some who know the music-expression lento will read your poems slow.
You have my applause, my friend! Jim
Edited on Jan 19, 6:10 because 'Added the definition of Lento...'.
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Thanks Udit, I hope it gains some popularity here! I feel quite excited that my "Denunciation" has got a lot of comments.
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I was waiting for you to write this. Why don't you ask Kevin and have it syndicated. That's what Jim (starhiker) did as well.
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