Pantoum
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The pantoum is a rare form of poetry similar to a villanelle.
It is composed of a series of quatrains; the second and fourth lines of each stanza are repeated as the first and third lines of the next.
This pattern continues for any number of stanzas, except for the final stanza, which differs in the repeating pattern.
The first and third lines of the last stanza are the second and fourth of the penultimate; the first line of the poem is the last line of the final stanza, and the third line of the first stanza is the second of the final. Ideally, the meaning of lines shifts when they are repeated although the words remain exactly the same: this can be done by shifting punctuation, punning, or simply recontextualizing.
The pantoum is originally Malaysian, but was adapted in France.[1] French and British writers were particularly fond of the form in the nineteenth century; Victor Hugo is credited with introducing it to European writers.[2]
American poets such as John Ashbery, Erica Funkhouser, Marilyn Hacker, Colette Inez, Donald Justice, Carolyn Kizer, and David Trinidad have done work in this form. Neil Peart used the form for the lyrics of "A Larger Bowl" on Rush's 2007 album, Snakes & Arrows[3]
There is also the imperfect pantoum, in which the final stanza differs from the form stated above, and the second and fourth lines may be different from any preceding lines.
[edit] Notes
- ^ The Pantoum Verse Form
- ^ Poetic Form: Pantoum
- ^ Peart, Neil: The Game of Snakes & Arrows, [1] (press release giving background information on the writing and recording of the album Snakes & Arrows)
[edit] External links
[edit] Examples of pantoums
- "Iva's Pantoum" by Marilyn Hacker
- "Pantoum of the Great Depression" by Donald Justice
- "Parent's Pantoum" by Carolyn Kiser (includes audio clip of poet reading the poem)
- "Harmonie du soir" by Charles Baudelaire (imperfect pantoum, in French; also includes four English translations)
- "I Am Going to Like It Here" by Oscar Hammerstein (and Richard Rogers) (imperfect pantoum from the musical Flower Drum Song)
