A villanelle is a form of poetry originating in France. It’s very cool and has helped me come up with some very interesting writings as well as some very bad writings but that will happen.

You may be wondering what the hell a villanelle is and I will do my best to describe it. If you have any questions let me know, just don’t let confusion keep you from trying it. You can come up with some very cool shit. Alright, it’s 19 nineteen lines written in tercets or three line verses with the first line and third line rhyming. The final stanza though contains four lines. So, in other words it makes use of the “a b a” rhyme scheme. Another key to this is the villanelle's use of refrain. I’ll offer an example to help explain this a little better.

Dylan Thomes: Do not go gentle into that good night

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.


Notice the refrain and how it alternates between the first line and the third line of each tercet.

That’s about it, give it a shot.

i absolutely love it. did you or dylan thomes write that? or are you him?

i didn't know what a villanelle was until now, however this reminds me of a "song" i was about to enter in the OB's cover contest.

I hope you don't mind me sort of hijacking the thread.....

Villanelle For Our Time

Words by Frank Scott (1899-1985)
Music by Leonard Cohen

From bitter searching of the heart,
Quickened with passion and with pain
We rise to play a greater part.
This is the faith from which we start:
Men shall know commonwealth again
From bitter searching of the heart.
We loved the easy and the smart,
But now, with keener hand and brain,
We rise to play a greater part.
The lesser loyalties depart,
And neither race nor creed remain
From bitter searching of the heart.
Not steering by the venal chart
That tricked the mass for private gain,
We rise to play a greater part.
Reshaping narrow law and art
Whose symbols are the millions slain,
From bitter searching of the heart
We rise to play a greater part.

i can listen to that tune all day long. His baritone just blows you away, if anyone is interested in an mp3 of that tune, just pm me.

again sorry for the hijack , though i think this might be on topic...

I am Dylan Thomas...no, and no worries; your post fits the topic damn well. That's a hell of a villanelle.

It's kind of rough but, eh, what the hell.

I’m taking a midnight taxi tonight
Through the capital city, and over the seven hills
Tired of hard walking, I’m eyeing a gentle flight

My drivers heading for a middle age fright
I can talk a good game, but I have no will
I’m taking the midnight taxi tonight

It’s three a.m.; there’s no sun in sight
We pass the old high school, red bricks and deep sills
Tired of hard walking, I’m eyeing a gentle flight

In the shadows my driver looks like Gladys Night
Nothing like the first kiss, it’s soft, brief, and still
I’m taking the midnight taxi tonight

Swerving through a turn, My driver looks good and tight
Wonder about the ex, a voice like a sex phone operator named Jill
Tired of hard walking, I’m eyeing a gentle flight

Turning back into town, the suns rising in the after-night
Skyscrapers stand in the distance, their white concrete reflecting light
I give the sex phone operator a call, but no answer from Jill
I’m taking the midnight taxi today

Lunatic.

Above the city hills and gentle frights
and below the octave one used to consider
I found a captive audience with will and might

above the street lights and the bottled sprites
but below the sash windows and their glimmer
there was once indeed a fragile light.

On each street corner ignite, ignite
a gentle murmur or an easy shimmer
to this fleeting image that will forever delight.

So do not fight the good-old fight
for my sake, if not yours, let it simmer
and let the sun play on in fahrenheits

when the masses stop to be polite
when their voices start to whimper
think only of this image tonight;

That graceful moon above our sight
its milky charm aloft, aglimmer
its radiance around our satellite
and you and I between it now, good night; good night; good night.

if i can find my villanelle i wrote in poetry class from 3 years ago, i'll post it when i get home. I remember it sucking, but it was inspired by the cover of Yield

Although not specifically a villanelle, Frost's "Aquainted with the Night" is very similar in style and probably my favorite Frost poem as well.

I'll try to submit something later. I'm working on a short story right now.

Also, jw, I've got a prompt for Monday.

this is one of my favourite pieces of writing, ever.

i might give this a shot, i might not. it's quite the challenge!

Sounds good