Poet's Corner: the Villanelle

The villanelle is a seldom-used poetic form, and one that I really love. It's really rigid and somewhat constricting, even more so than the likes of the sonnet or even, perhaps, haiku. It is really hard to get right, as well, as it could end up being really repetitive and boring as the first and third lines of the first stanza are repeated throughout. It also has only two rhyming sounds. If done effectively it can create a rhythmic poem that rises to a climax in the rhyming couplet at the end. If done badly, it's, well, bad.

The form goes like this

Refrain 1 (A1)
Line 2 (b)
Refrain 2 (A2)

Line 4 (a)
Line 5 (b)
Refrain 1 (A1)

Line 7 (a)
Line 8 (b)
Refrain 2 (A2)

[etc. until...]

Line 16 (a)
Line 17 (b)
Refrain 1 (A1)
Refrain 2 (A2)

One of the best examples is Do not go gentle into that good night by Dylan Thomas. It is a poem about his dying father, and Thomas' reaction to it. The repetition creates a really passionate plea to his father to not accept death easily.

I thought I'd give it a go myself. I really like the theme of wanderlust, and I thought that this poetic form would give a sense of the relentless yearning to travel.

The wind, it rattles on my door,
In the depths a soulless night,
Calling me to some distant shore.

It comes howling over marsh and moor,
Sweeping like a flock in flight;
The wind, it rattles on my door.

The groans rise in a sudden roar,
As a beast in wild delight,
Calling me to some distant shore.

Day breaks but it cannot restore
The stillness with its timid light;
The wind, it rattles on my door.

Swelling as a symphonic score,
Peaking at its passion's height,
Calling me to some distant shore.

But I, a prisoner in this dull war,
Must stay to forever yearn despite
The wind: it rattles on my door,
Calling me to some distant shore.

I'll end with a rather humorous villanelle that mocks its restrictive form at the Cat and Girl comic: Sandwiches Cheap

Perhaps give it a go yourself and put a link in the comments below.