History: What’s currently considered the “English Madrigal”, that being, according to semi-common agreement and put in print by Lewis Turco, an Italian madrigal form given more strict English language rules by Geoffrey Chaucer, is in actuality a variation of the Rondel. It is mistaken for a madrigal variation on occasion because of the similarities between...Read More

History: The AlouetteHistory: The Alouette is a form created by Jan Turner on the poetry community site Shadow Poetry some time around 2008/2009. The form name means 'Skylark' in French, and also can mean a children's song sung in a group. Structure: • 2 or more stanzas • 6 lines per stanza • Meter: 5,...Read More

History: The AmphionHistory: The Amphion is another poetry form attributed to Viola Berg and her 1977 book Pathways for the Poet which we have yet to read and find. Structure: • a poem of 10 lines. • Lines 1, 4, 7, and 10 are tetrameter (4 beats), and they alternate with couplets in dimeter (2...Read More

History: The AsefruHistory: The Asefru, plural being Isefra (as in "I wrote an Asefru, but my friend Bill showed me up and wrote two Isefra"), is, according to common western understanding, a poetry form of the Berber people, or i-Mazigh-en(singular: a-Mazigh) of Kabylia, a Berberophone area of Algeria. However, this understanding is to be taken with a...Read More

History: BikuHistory: Biku is a poetry form, called by Hadas a "poetic mechanism", similar to a haiku, created by Eran Hadas in 2014 inspired by and in honor of Tanya Reinhart's (linguist, activist and "one of Noam Chomsky’s favorite PHD students") explanation that "each media item could (and should) be have a threefold reaction. We...Read More

History: The Blood QuillHistory: The Blood Quill is a form created by Jim T. Henriksen in 2008 on the site AllPoetry.com. According to the man himself, on the post where he first presented it: "I am a huge fan of World of Warcraft, and this is for the guild Poetic Justice. This is written in...Read More

History: ClogyrnachHistory: Clogyrnach, pronounced clog-ír-nach, (or even simpler a Clog Ear Nak, more or less) is a 16th codified Welsh meter, one of 24 official Welsh meters, and falls under the category of Awdl, or ode. Structure: Honestly, as far as Gaelic or Welsh forms go, this one is not that bad. Some get down right...Read More

History: An Englyn is a traditional Welsh and Cornish short poetry form. It has been found in the earliest Welsh literature, from the 5th century AD, and the earliest were found written in the margins in a tenth century Juvencus Manuscript. Although there is speculation that it’s creation can be sourced in Latin poetry and...Read More

History The French RondelHistory The French Rondel is a mideaval French verse form related to the triolet and rondeau, invented in the 14th century and popularized by Charles d’Orleans. Sort of. Like the terms roundel and rondeau, the term rondel in the Middle Ages did not apply to one fixed form but to a “round” song...Read More

All glossary entries are continually being updated. If you have a contribution, let us know.  History: The GhazalAll glossary entries are continually being updated. If you have a contribution, let us know.  History: The Ghazal, also spelled ghazel or gasal, Turkish gazel, and pronounced “guzzle” in some languages and “gu-ZAHL” in others, though in both with a guttural “g” almost...Read More