Poetry Forms (Pantoum, Terza Rima, Limerick)

There are other ways to create patterns in poetry than with rhythm or rhyme. In Malaysia, the lines of a PANTOUM make the pattern. The second and fourth line of the first stanza are repeated as the first and third lines, respectively, in the second stanza. Rhyming is not required, even though the pattern conveniently lends itself to an A-B-A-B rhyming scheme.

Stanza #1

A man went searching for his soul
He looked within and without -=A=-
He asked wise men and fools
For clues of his identity -=B=-

Stanza #2

He looked within and without -=A=-
He travelled mountains and valleys -=C=-
For clues of his identity -=B=-
He felt part of himself was missing -=D=-

Stanza #3

He travelled mountains and valleys -=C=-
He wandered here and there
He felt part of himself was missing -=D=-
Until he saw her standing afar

A TERZA RIMA takes the tercet rhyming scheme a step further. The `blank' sound ending the second line in the first stanza, becomes the rhyming sound for the second stanza:

The day is done
The night comes in A-B-A
Down goes the sun

Think of me, dear
Looking at stars C-D-C...etc.
Wanting you here

The LIMERICK is a pattern of rhythm and rhyme. A favorite of many people, it is often taught as a syllable pattern using the iambic meter. In reality, it is a stressed beat pattern. The first, second, and fifth line rhyme and contain 3 stressed beats. The third and fourth lines rhyme with each other and have only 2 stressed beats. In the iambic meter it translates into the following diagram:

line 1 -- A rhyme -- 7 syllables -- (3 beats)
line 2 -- A rhyme -- 7 syllables -- (3 beats)
line 3 -- B rhyme -- 5 syllables -- (2 beats)
line 4 -- B rhyme -- 5 syllables -- (2 beats)
line 5 -- A rhyme -- 7 syllables -- (3 beats)

For practice: write a poem using one of the forms discussed in this lesson.

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