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"...the writing of poems....
the call of overhearing music that is not yet made."
Mary Kinzie, in A Poet's Guide to Poetry
Poetry is the lyrical rendition of the rhythm of sight, sound, touch, taste; of living, seen through the eyes of a poet and consigned to paper and laptop and keyboard until it can be read aloud. Yes, all poetry needs to be read aloud, to savor the rhythm in the words, and revive the images the poet conscribed to the pages of a book or computer. 
I am honored to be your guest host this holiday time and would like to share with you my recent rediscovery of the 'little song' in a few of its myriad forms. |
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THE LITTLE SONG
A ‘little song’ first given breath centuries ago has echoed across oceans, cultures, the revolving wheel of time; transcended waves of changing mores, evolving tastes; and still, today, resounds with its enticing tune. Both fixed and mutable in form and style, the sonnet remains a vibrant lyrical means to examine in verse two related but differing ideas emotions, beliefs, actions, images, etc. The poet weaves the images one against the other to resolve or reveal the tension created between the two. The ‘little song,’ sailed across oceans and marched over continental borders, each adding flavor to the nuance of expression while retaining the underlying form and structure
Sonnet, means ‘little song’ or ‘little sound’ in Italian (sonnetto), and the rhyme scheme in its 14 lines provides a lyrical palette for the poet to express in words first an idea or thought, then turning to compare or contrast it with a related line, then to arrive at a resolution. In most sonnet forms, the first eight lines convey the initial idea, then there’s a turn or pivot (volta) where a contrasting image is conveyed and then a summation or resolution revealed in the final two lines. The short, fourteen-line rhyming form of poetry has evolved over the centuries, but retains in many poets’ eyes today the iambic pentameter heartbeat expressing first the idea or thought, then comparing or contrasting with a related idea, to arrive at a resolution of the image the poet has set to words.
There are three major sonnet forms (although some sites claim only two, I concur with those who find sufficient difference in the three forms to give each its due), each of which accomplishes this in a somewhat different way, and they have given voice to other forms have evolved over the centuries: Petrarchan, Spenserian, and Shakespearean. Most sonnets, however, retain the rhythmic lines of rhyming iambs (a soft-hard pattern - da-dum, da-dum, da-dum,…), most in pentameter (ten syllables per line), although some do use eight or twelve syllables per line.
The most commonly used rhyming schemes for the sonnet are:
 abab cdcd efef gg
abba cddc effe gg
abba abba cdcd cd
And, as I learned just recently, the sonnet has retained its rhythm and tone while morphing through the ages along with the generations of poets who have each listened and heard and written their ‘lyrics’ for ‘the little song.’
  
The ‘little song’ that started it all.
The Petrarchan, or Italian Sonnet is the oldest and most common form still in use. It is named after the Italian poet Petrarch (1304-1374), who derived it from the older Sicilian form which used not rhyming, but repeating end words in alternating stanzas, perhaps inspired by medieval troubadours of the thirteenth century (see, it was a little song).
The Petrarchan sonnet is now written in iambic pentameter (10 syllables soft-hard per line), with the first eight lines, (octet or octave), as one stanza with alternating rhyming lines (abbaabba), and the remaining six lines (sestet), with several different possible schemes, beginning with the turn volta in images in the ninth line. This turn in all sonnets marks a shift in the direction of the foregoing argument or narrative, turning the sestet into the vehicle for the counterargument, clarification, or whatever answer the octave demands.
The possible rhyme schemes for the second six-line stanza in the Petrarchan sonnet where the image or subject matter shifts, are:
cdcdcd; cddcdc; cdecde; cdeced; cdcedc.
NOTE that in the Petrarchan sonnet the finale is never directly ended with a rhyming couplet, as opposed to many other traditional sonnet forms. This form was used in the earliest English sonnets by Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503-1542) and others, although Chaucer, a contemporary of Petrarch, also used the same rhythmic form a couple centuries earlier.
The French Sonnet begins with an octave in the form used in the Petrarchan Sonnet, then immediately after the turn, it anchors the start of the sestet (instead of the ending) with a rhyming couplet.
The octet’s end words – a b b a a b b a
The rhyming couplet turn – c c
Final quatrain to conclude the sestet – d e d e - or - d c c d
The Spenserian Sonnet was created by Edmund Spenser (1552-1599) as an outgrowth of the stanza pattern he used in The Faeire Queene (a b a b b c b c c), and uses an interlocking rhyming pattern:
a b a b b c b c c d c d e e
Here, the "abab" pattern sets up distinct four-line groups or quatrains, each of which can develop a specific idea. The overlapping a, b, c, and d rhymes, however, form the first 12 lines into a single stanza with three distinct but closely related ideas, with a separated final couplet to sum it up. Although Spenser often began the ninth line with “but” or “yet” indicating a turn where it would occur in the Italian form (see below), the linking pattern continued and the true volta appeared in the final couplet where the rhyme pattern changes (in actuality, a 12-2 line rhythmic pattern)..
The Shakespearean or English Sonnet has the simplest and most flexible pattern of all sonnets, consisting of 3 quatrains of alternating rhyme and a couplet:
a b a b c d c d e f e f g g
As in the Spenserian form, each quatrain develops a specific idea, but one closely related to the ideas in the other quatrains.
Not only is the English Sonnet the easiest in terms of its rhyme scheme, calling for only pairs of rhyming words rather than groups of 4, but it is the most flexible in terms of the placement of the volta. Shakespeare often places the "turn," as in the Italian, in the ninth line, and the couplet is pivotal in forming a conclusion, amplification or even refuting the previous three stanzas..
Poets worldwide through the ages, as I’ve said, embraced the ‘little song,’ each lending his/her own voice to the chorus. Below are just a few variations that might inspire your muse, along with the links cited below for your further exploration
The Crown of Sonnets is a chain of seven sonnets, each distinct unto itself, yet linked in theme, with the last line of the first stanza being the opening line of the second, and so on, through to the concluding couplet. The Crown can hold a number of forms, i.e., alternating Petrarchan, Spenserian or Shakespearean forms. A creative form for the poet with a longer story to tell.
The Blues Sonnet is a rather recent form, derived from the Shakespearean form of expression, and originally patterned after the songs of slaves in the 18th and 19th centuries. Forbidden paper and pencil, the songs were not merely laments, but often were at that time used to convey information as to location, trouble, warnings, and other news of import. This form continues today as a vibrant means of conveying a lament or complaint (see works by Langston Hughes and contemporary poet Kevin Young). The Blues Sonnet is grouped in four tercets (three-line stanzas), where the first two lines of each either repeat or are rephrased with the same end word, and the third line has a rhyming end word. The poem ends with a rhyming couplet to sum it all up -
AAa BBb CCc DDd EE
See how the “Sonnet” has evolved over time ~ alternate forms retain the qualities that recall the original ‘little song’ to the poet’s discerning ear and visionary eye. From the basic iambs, the statement, rebuttal and summation in a fixed form, each poet’s solos and voices add to the chorus, making it the dynamic form it is even today.
Speaking of today, the Alfred Dorn Sonnet - found its first voice in 2006 as an entry to The Formalist annual poetry contest, challenging poets to submit creative sonnets. The sonnet was named after the winning applicant, Alfred Dorn, who linked an Italian sestet and a Sicilian sestet with a couplet in the middle; both sestets sharing a common rhyme from the first –
a b c a b c d d a e a e a e
Here are links to the annual contest sponsored by The Formalist and to their main page for reference. Why not give it a try, add your ‘little song’ to the treasury of sonnets and, who knows, one day we may be reading a poem in a style inspired by and named for your Muse
http://www.formalpoetry.com/#sites
http://measure.evansville.edu/SonnetContest.htm
This is not in any way an exhaustive or complete list, but a brief summary of some ways that the ‘little song’ has found expression through the words of poets through the ages. There are a number of additional sonnet styles based upon the Petrarchan, Spenserian, and Shakespearean forms. I cite here a couple of resources for your further exploration. I do hope you’ve enjoyed the brief journey and, if you haven't already, will write your own ‘little song.’
http://www.sonnets.org/basicforms.htm
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5791
http://www.thepoetsgarret.com/sonnet1.html
In the meantime, for inspiration and your enjoyment, I offer a below some of the challenges that inspire the sonnet’s voice in our Community, along with a few 'little songs’ penned by our members.
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Here are some sonnets of varying styles I've found for our reading pleasure by fellow poets in our Community ~ I hope you savor them, reading aloud, and stop by with a couple of reviews
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Now, open wide your poet's eye and stop in here for a challenge and some more great reads - sonnets always welcome - along with other traditional verse
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And you must check out Prompt #9 here - invites/incites the poet's voice to rise in a 'little song'
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Thank you for welcoming me into your home, and I wish for each of you Brightest Blessings for a New Year of hope, joy, health, and creative inspiration ~ may your own ‘little song’ be bright ^_^
As a guest host, I don't have an 'ask and answer' but write to this newsletter or to me directly if you like or if there's a 'little song' you've written that you'd like me to read aloud and savor ^_^
Until we next meet,
Keep Writing!
Kate
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Poetry: December 26, 2007 Issue [#2139]
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