Related pages:
Books of Poetry Form. Alphabetic list of poetry forms and related topics. How to Write Poetry. Essays on how to write specific forms:
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Las formas de la poesía en Español:
El Poema Concreto. |
Books of Poetry Form. |
The Ballade Verse Form
by Ariadne Unst
History. Form. Your Composition. References.
The Ballade originated in France. It is a French rhymed and syllabic form. The Ballade's name derives from the Old French balade ("a dancing song").
The Ballade tradition as a poem first appeared in France.
One if its most famous practitioners was the French poet François Villon (1431-1463 or shortly after that).
In a traditional Ballade:
For the shorter Ballade
(the 'true' Ballade) | For the longer Ballade
(the Ballade Supreme) | |
Length of first three stanzas | 8 lines (an octave) | 10 lines |
Length of final stanza (the "envoy") | 4 lines (a quatrain) | 5 lines |
syllables per line | 8 syllables | 10 syllables |
total number of rhymes in the poem | 3 | 4 |
rhyme scheme of first three stanzas (upper-case for refrain) | ababbcbC | ababbccdcD |
rhyme scheme of final stanza | bcbC | ccdcD |
The rhyme and repetition in a Ballade made this form popular with audiences. The form allowed the listener to catch the poem more clearly at first hearing or first reading.
Here are some steps to take in composing one:
Just because you start with the intention of writing a Ballade, you do not have to keep your poem in that form if it does not work for you. Your attempt to write a formal poem may help you find words that you would not have found otherwise. And you may decide that you choose to end up with a poem in a different form, perhaps even a prose poem.
Poetry of François Villon. |
Related pages:
Books of Poetry Form. Alphabetic list of poetry forms and related topics. How to Write Poetry. |
Copyright
© 2007-2016 by Ariadne Unst.
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