As I wrote in my previous post, Villanelle #1, a villanelle poem adheres to a strict form. It comprises nineteen lines—five tercets of three lines each, and one four-line quatrain at the end. There is a fixed rhyming pattern, and the first and third lines of the opening tercet are called the refrain and are repeated alternately in the last lines of the succeeding stanzas. In the final stanza, the refrain is the poem’s two concluding lines. Most villanelles are written in good old iambic pentameter, meaning ten syllables per line, alternating stressed and unstressed syllables.
Swan Song
The swan in my pond has begun a song
Its melody as lovely as wishes
A legend says death will soon be along.
I am sad my friend had to wait so long
Giving nothing but snorts and hisses
The swan in my pond has begun a song.
This one has a mate to which it belongs
Together for a lifetime of kisses
A legend says death will soon be along.
The end approaches, we’ve done right and wrong
Our brief stay here marked by hits and misses
The swan in my pond has begun a song.
Follow the swan, let our voices be strong
We can share stories and reminisces
A legend says death will soon be along.
Sing with passion today, do not prolong
Fears and sorrows your heart dismisses
The swan in my pond has begun a song
A legend says death will soon be along.
