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: Pronounced ‘aye, freshly’ as in “has this room been painted?” “aye, freshly” (booo hisssss, baaad pun)…this is an Irish syllabic, quatrain stanza form. There is so much to say about Celtic Forms that we really should do a full post on it. So we will: check out the post on our favorite masochistic poetry past...Read More

History: Amanda’s PinchHistory: Amanda's Pinch is a form created by Amanda Norton on AllPoetry.com, and we're still trying to find the original source page for this. Structure: • stanza of 8 lines • syllable count 12/12/10/8/8/10/12/12 • Rhyme Scheme abcDDcba • Line 5 repeats line 4 • Alliteration is required in every line • poem...Read More

History: The BaccresiezéHistory: The Baccresiezé is a syllabic form attributed to E. Ernest Murell as, according to its history, an exercise in repetition. Not much else besides than has been found about it or Murell. If anyone has any more information, especially on the especially interesting name, let us know. Structure: • Twelve lines total...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

Historia La décima es básicamente una composición poética de diez versos octosílabos. En forma de canción, la décima trovada, consiste de cuarenta y cuatro versos que incluyen una primera estrofa de cuatro versos y cuatro subsiguientes estrofas de diez versos que glosan la primera estrofa, terminando cada una de estas cuatro estrofas en un verso...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: Previously called Hokku, HaikuHistory: Previously called Hokku, Haiku was given it's name by Masoka Shiki around 1900. Hokku, meaning starting verse, is the opening stanza of a Japanese orthodox collaborative linked poem, renga, or of its later derivative, renku (haikai no renga), and its establishment as an independent verse form is credited to Basho and...Read More

History: According to A History of Old Norse Poetry and Poetics by Margaret Clunies Ross, The HrynhentHistory: According to A History of Old Norse Poetry and Poetics by Margaret Clunies Ross, The Hrynhent ('flowing-rhymed) is widely attributed to Arnórr Þórðarson jarlaskáld, but the claim that he invented or at the very least was the first to use the form...Read More

History: KnittelversHistory: Knittelvers, also Knüttelvers or Knittel, can be traced back to Otfrid of Weissenburg “who, using Latin verse as a model, introduced couplets into German verse in the 9th century. From the Middle High German knittel meaning "rhyme", but also knütte or keule meaning “club” because of it’s clumsy, irregular rhythm. Knittelvers was originally a German verse measure...Read More