The Villanelle is a very old Italian folk song form which was brought into English by poets at the end of the 19th century. It is based on an intricate rhyme scheme and a schematic repetition of key lines. The effect is mesmerizing; it makes the music of the poem a kind of haunted waltz. It is easier to give examples than to describe. Two of the best known are: Dylan Thomas's "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" and Sylvia Plath's "Mad Girl's Love Song".
Floyd Emmerling will be teaching an encore lesson on writing the villanelle at 1:00 p.m. on March 8, 2002, at the First Service Bank in Clinton, Arkansas. Members, guests and visitors are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. Warning....writing villanelles can be obsessive!
Members of Poets of the Lake wish to share these following villanelles with you: