Get Ready To Yell (And Pull Your Hair Out) Its The Terzanelle

The French form, Terzanelle, is the love child of the Italian Terza Rima, and the French Villanelle.

The Terzanelles dad, Terza Rima, thought by many to have been invented by Dante, is more a rhyme scheme (of interlocking three-line stanzas or tercets, if you want to get fancy) than a poetry form, but has been confused as a form so much that anyone who used to get upset over this error has probably given up by now. The middle line of the Terza Rima rhymes with 1st and 3rd line of the next stanza just as it does in the Terzanelle. The meter and length are optional just as it is in the Terzanelle and the closing stanza can be one line, two lines or a triplet but it must carry out the rhyme scheme.

Terzanelles mom, the Villanelle, has nineteen lines consisting of five tercets and a quatrain just like its child, Terzanelle. Then lines one and three are repeated as lines eighteen and nineteen.

So the Terzanelle, a fixed form like his mom, is nineteen-lines and may have any syllabic length as long as it is the same for each line of the poem. So if you start with five syllables, All nineteen lines must have five syllables each. The Terzanelle consists of six stanzas forming five triplets and a quatrain; also like his mom, but you get two choices in rhyme scheme for the quatrain.

Are you confused yet? I thought the Pantoum and Villanelle were hard until I did several of them. I have to believe that, like the game of cribbage or pinochle, the Terzanelle will be easy to master, once you play around with it a while.

Terzanelle schematic:

[*KEY* r = an entire line that will get repeated r2 = second line with same rhyme (not a repeat of the line only that lines rhyme) that will be repeated. repeated = where the r line is placed letters indicate the rhyme scheme]

A r
B r
A r2

B
C r
B r repeated

C
D r
C r repeated

D
E r
D r repeated

E
F r
E r repeated

F
A r repeated
F r repeated
A r2 repeated

OR (option 2 which is closer to the Villanelle)

F
F r repeated
A r repeated
A r2 repeated

My own silly example (using the option 2 quatrain):

Mustard, Mayo and Ketchups Last Stand

Can you?
I can.
Me, too!

The plan -
to flee?
I can.

We three
must try
to flee!

We fly?
Cant fail,
must try!

Dont wail,
my friend,
cant fail!

Not end -
Defend!
Can you?
Me, too!

In the end, the best way to conquer this form - like conquering anything difficult, is by practicing it over and over.

2006 Holly Bliss. All Rights Reserved. This document may be freely redistributed in its unedited form and on the condition that all copyright references are kept intact along with the hyperlinked URLs.

About the Author: Using her writing as paint on the canvas of her life, Holly Bliss is an eclectic writer, newsletter editor and an author on http://www.Writing.Com which is a site for Poetry.

Tattoo Removal: Removing A Tattoo That Is No Longer Wanted
Getting rid of a tattoo is often associated with being a painful process. Newer technologies offer various methods of removin...

Cat Hairballs - Danger Ahead
Cats and hairballs go together. Cat hairballs are hair that was not digested, accumulated and coughed out. Cats will either p...

Different Cat Breeds - Which One To Chose?
While you are looking for the right cat breed, dont be too caught up in these personality features. Personalities will diffe...

Mehndi (Henna) Designs In Pakistan
In Pakistan mehndi is known more commonly as Henna. This is a plant whose leaves leave an impression on the skin particularl...

Grooming Your Cat
Your cat will spend 5 hours a day grooming itself (some cats will even spend longer). Most cats will not need any help with t...

Saying No
Saying No!Its such a simple little word --- No. Yet it can be so hard to say. And by not saying it, we create endless probl...

Difficult Times
I am walking in my normal life now, difficult times ahead. The times working in my life, I cannot stretch how far theyll go. ...

Grooming A Short-Haired Cat
Most cats are able to keep themselves clean without much help from their owner. Cats with long hair, arthritis or injured cat...

Nothing to Sneeze At
Sniffing, sneezing, coughing, watery eyes no, its not a commercial for your favorite cold medication its your life if your...

Kitty Tree
When my son was just a toddler, he was fascinated with the Christmas tree. He wanted to touch the ornaments and wanted to ta...

Grooming A Long-Haired Cat
A longhaired cat ought to be groomed on a daily basis, this helps keep the coat tangle-free. Use a soft brush to groom the co...

Learn Some Advice About Cat Health Care Online
Many online websites provide excellent advice about cat health care. Learning about cat health care online helps you determin...

What Type of Cat is Trainable?
Not all cats are trainable and some of them are not easy to train.Take a look at the different, easy to train cats and some t...

Tattoos: For the Love of Art?
How far are you willing to go for your love of art? Do you have art, designs, emblems, or icons written on your body? If art ...

Choosing an Answering Service: Part II
In my last article, we covered four basics: 1. take advantage of any free trial periods, 2. watch out for long contracts, 3. ...

Cats And Litter Box Problems
If your cat has recently decided not to use the litter box, this can create a lot of stress for both of you. This frequently ...

Health Insurance, Defiant Hair and Traffic Lights - A Disgruntled Writer Shares a List of Grievances
When feeling irritable, it often helps to dump all over those closest to you. However if they are not around or tired of list...

Save Your Christmas Tree From Your Cat
How many years have you spent, with your cat finding your Christmas Tree irresistible? Younger cats love to play with the bau...

Loss of A Beloved Cat
Have you experienced the loss of your beloved cat? If you have, you know that it is not easy. It was a year ago today that ...

Make Sure You Have Complete Insurance Coverage For Your House
You should expect the unexpected and be ready for natural calamities such as earth quake, Hurricane, fire, mudslide etc. The ...