Poetry forms for me to play with

BALLADE
The Ballade is a French form composed of three stanzas of eight lines and an envoy of four lines, with the last line of each stanza a refrain. It is usually iambic and the most common line lengths are eight or ten syllables. The rhyme scheme is ababbcbC ababbcbC ababbcbC bcbC

Beseeching My Muse
Immortal sisters please help me
there are so many words to choose.
Help, I beseech you, hear my plea
I need guidance from you my Muse.
Get me started, give me some clues
lead with purpose, give me a goal.
With you at my side I can't lose,
you inspire and uplift my soul.

Help me find creativity
in letters and words that I use.
When I write verse and poetry
look over my work, give reviews.
Some words I tend to overuse,
to make the right choice, and enthuse.
You inspire and uplift my soul.

I hear orchestral melody,
it's a performance to infuse,
sweet voices all in harmony
I stay to linger and peruse.
More than delighted at the news
you Muses are making me whole,
I'll write and soon have no excuse.
You inspire and uplift my soul.

I read and sometimes wonder who's
been writing the words on my scroll.
Calliope, I thank you and Zeus.
You inspire and uplift my soul.

By: Suzanne Honour


KYRIELLE


The Kyrielle is a French form written in quatrains. Each quatrain contains a repeated line or phrase as a refrain. It has a meter usually composed of eight syllables per line but it can be varied. There is no limit to the number of stanzas, but three is generally the minumum.

The normal structure is a/a/b/B, c/c/b/B, d/d/b/B. with B being the repeated line.

A varied structure could be a/b/a/B, c/b/c/B, d/b/d/B. etc.

or even a second line that did not rhyme at all. a/e/a/Z etc

QUATERN


A Quatern is a sixteen line French form composed of four quatrains. It is similar to the Kyrielle and the Retourne. It has a refrain that is in a different place in each quatrain. The first line of stanza one is the second line of stanza two, third line of stanza three, and fouth line of stanza four. A quatern has eight syllables per line. It does not have to be iambic or follow a set rhyme scheme.

line 1
line 2
line 3
line 4

line 5
line 6 (line 1)
line 7
line 8

line 9
line 10
line 11 (line 1)
line 12

line 13
line 14
line 15
line 16 (line 1)


RONDEAU
The rondeau consists of three stanzas, a quintet (5 lines), a quatrain (4 lines) and a sestet (6 lines). The first phrase of the first line usually sets the refrain (R), but sometimes the refrain can be the whole of the first line. The structure is:

line 1 - a (R)(normally the first phrase is the refrain)
line 2 - a
line 3 - b
line 4 - b
line 5 - a

line 6 - a
line 7 - a
line 8 - b
line 9 - R

line 10 - a
line 11 - a
line 12 - b
line 13 - b
line 14 - a
line 15 - R


RONDELET
The rondelet is a french form consisting of two rhymes contained in a seven line stanza. Line one is the exact same as the 3rd and 7th lines. The structure is:

line 1 - 4 syllables - A (the same as line 3 and 7)
line 2 - 8 syllables - b
line 3 - 4 syllables - A
line 4 - 8 syllables - a
line 5 - 8 syllables - b
line 6 - 8 syllables - b
line 7 - 4 syllables - A


TRIOLET


A triolet is an eight line poem or stanza with a set rhyme scheme. Line four and line seven are the same as line one, and line eight is the same as line two. The rhyme scheme is ABaAabAB.

line 1 - A
line 2 - B
line 3 - a
line 4 - A (line 1)
line 5 - a
line 6 - b
line 7 - A (line 1)
line 8 - B (line 2)


VILLANELLE
The villanelle has 19 lines, 5 stanzas of three lines and 1 stanza of four lines with two rhymes and two refrains. The 1st, then the 3rd lines alternate as the last lines of stanzas 2,3,and 4, and then stanza 5 (the end) as a couplet. It is usually written in tetrameter (4 feet) or pentameter.The structure is:

line 1 - a - 1st refrain
line 2 - b
line 3 - a - 2nd refrain

line 4 - a
line 5 - b
line 6 - a - 1st refrain (same as line 1)

line 7 - a
line 8 - b
line 9 - a - 2nd refrain (same as line 2)

line 10 - a
line 11 - b
line 12 - a - 1st refrain (same as line 1)

line 13 - a
line 14 - b
line 15 - a - 2nd refrain (same as line 2)

line 16 - a
line 17 - b
line 18 - a - 1st refrain (same as line 1)
line 19 - a - 2nd refrain (same as line 2)


When We Were Thirteen
Remember running wild and free
when we hung out by the river,
you and Markus and Tim and me.

We'd walk for an eternity.
We took what life could deliver
remember running wild and free.

Our voices echoed loud with glee
till it got dark and we'd shiver,
you and Markus and Tim and me.

Quite often we went absentee.
Mum got cross but we'd forgive her
remember running wild and free.

Our parents tried to oversee.
They went mad and made us quiver,
you and Markus and Tim and me.

Then we grew up. Now we're forty,
This memory is a sliver.
Remember running wild and free,
you and Markus and Tim and me.

By: Suzanne HonourThese are just forms of poetry that I found on the internet that I thought might be very challenging.