Terzanelle

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A terzanelle is a poetry form which is a combination of the villanelle and the terza rima. It is nineteen lines total, with five triplets and a concluding quatrain OR a total of sixty-six lines, consisting of twelve triplets and a concluding quatrian (for good measure, some say). This thirteen-stanza form is quite rare in english literature, when compared to the 'standard' six stanza alternative. The rhyme scheme is as follows, with bracketed letters representing individual rhymes:

Verse 1 (a)

Verse 2 (b)

Verse 3 (a)

Verse 4 (b)

Verse 5 (c)

Verse 2 (b)

Verse 6 (c)

Verse 7 (d)

Verse 5 (c)

Verse 8 (d)

Verse 9 (e)

Verse 7 (d)

Verse 10 (e)

Verse 11 (f)

Verse 9 (e)

-Ending Type 1:

Verse 12 (f)

Verse 1 (a)

Verse 11 (f)

Verse 3 (a)

Note that the thirteen stanza form continues in the same manner, ie. with the middle line of one stanza becoming the last of the next, and the first and third of each stanza rhyming.

Alternately, for those familiar with capital-letter rhyme notation:

ABA'

bCB

cDC

dED

eFE

Ending Type 1:

fAFA'

Note that the final quatrain of the terzanelle is often rearranged to suit the poem and the poet's needs. Because of this, any final stanza arrangement is considered within the scope of the terzanelle form, providing the correct lines are repeated.

[edit] Examples

Below are examples of terzanelles that can be read online. These poems have different aesthetics and are not largely equal, but are all good representations of the use of the terzanelle form.

• Terzanelle for the Burghers of Calais by Laverne Frith
• Terzanelle in Thunderweather by Lewis Turco, with a further explanation of the form
• Terzanelle in Kosovo Fields by Richard Jackson
• Terzanelle at Twilight by Aparna Raghunath