Poetic Puzzles: Two Forms that Challenge & Intrigue The Pantoum & the Sestina A Pantoume Past &Presont + Onna in Malaya (15th) as a short ok poe, typialy made up of So mymng couple that woe rected or sn + Moda parours may be o any length What's puzzling about a pantoum? * Composed of 4-ine stanzas in which the 2nd and 4th lines of each stanza, seive as the ‘st and 3rd line of the next stanza ‘+ Subtle shits in meaning occur as repeated phrases are given a new context through changed punctuation Pantoums’ Paramotors 4, Stanzas must be 4 lines long. 2. The poem must begin & end with the same line. 43, The 2nd & 4th lines ofthe first quatrain become the ‘st & 3rd lines of the nex, and so on 4, The rhyming of each quatrain is a-b-2-b. 5. Inthe final quatrain, the unrepeated 1st & Sr lines (from stanza 1) are sed in reverse as 2nd & 4th lines, Examples, “Pantoum’ by John Ashberry (handout) “September Elegies" by Randall Mann hitowww.poets.orgviewmedia. php/prmMiD/22072Pantoum John Ashbery Eyes shining without mystery, Footprints eager for the past Through the vague snow of many clay pipes, ‘And what isin store? Footprints eager for the past The usual obtuse blanket. ‘And what is in store For those dearest to the king? ‘The usual obtuse blanket. Of legless regrets and amplifications For those dearest to the king, Yes, sits, connoisseurs of oblivion, Of legless regrets and amplifications, ‘That Is why a watchdog Is shy. Yes, sirs, connoisseurs of oblivion, ‘These days are short, brittie; there Is only one night. ‘That Is why a watchdog Is shy, Why the court, trapped in a silver storm, is dying. ‘These days are short, britte; there is only one night And that soon gotten over. Why the court, trapped in 2 silver storm, is dying ‘Some blunt pretense to safety we have ‘And that soon gotten over For they must have motion. ‘Some blunt pretense to safety we have Eyes shining without mystery, For they must have motion ‘Through the vague snow of many clay pipes.Randall Mann in memory of Seth Walsh, Justin Aaberg, Billy Lucas, and Tyler Clementi "There are those who sufer in plain sight, there are those who suffer in private Nothing but secondhand details: a last shovter, a request fora pen, tll red oak. ‘There are those who suffer in private. ‘The one in Tehachapi, aged 13. A last shower, a request fr a pen tal ed oak: hoe had had enough torment, 0 he hanged himself, ‘The one in Tehachapi, aged 13; the one in Cooks Head, aged 15: tne had had enough torment so he hanged himself, He was found by his mother. ‘The one in Cooks Head, aged 15. ‘The one in Greensburg, aged 15: the was found by his mother. “Tove my horses, my club lambs. They are the world to me," the one in Greensburg, aged 15, posted on his profile. "Tove my horses, my club lambs. They are the world to me.” “The words turn and turn on themselves, Posted on his profile, “Jumping off the gw bridge sotry”: the words tun, and turn on themselves, like the one in New Brunswick, aged 18. Jumping off the gw bridge sorry. “There ate those who sufer in plain sight like the one in New Brunswick, aged 18. Nothing but secondhand details,a + A.complex, 39-line form utilizing intricate repetition + Invented by troubadours in the 12th cy; original sestinas' typical theme was of courtly love What's puzzling about a sestina? + Follows a strict patter of the repetition of the initial six end-words of the first stanza throughout the remaining five 6-line stanzas, culminating in @ three-ine envoi + Lines may be of any length Sestinas’ Structure ‘The numbers below = the stanza position / the letters 1,ABCDEF 2.FAEBDC 3.CFDABE 4.ECBFAD 5.DEACFB @.BDFECA 7.(envol) ECA or ACE “This recurrent pattem of end-words is called "lexical repetition.” What's up with the envoi? ‘+ Sometimes called a tomada ‘+ Must also include the remaining three end-words (BDF) in the course of the three lines so that all six recurring words appear in the final three lines Does this thing have to rhyme, too?! + Inplace of a rhyme scheme, sestinas rely on the end-word repetition to effect a sort of rhyme Examples “Sestina” by Elizabeth Bishop “Six Words" by Lloyd Schwartz hitp:siww.poets.orghviewmedia.pho/prmMID/20167Sestina by Elizabeth Bishop September rén falls on the house. Inthe failing light, the old grandmother sils in the kitchen with the child beside the Little Marvel Stove, reading the jokes from the almanac, Tauphing and talking to hide her tears. ‘She thinks that her equinoctal tears ‘and the rain that beats on the roof of the house \were both foretold by the almanac, ‘ut only known toa grandmother. The iron kel sings on the stove. ‘She cuts some bread and says tothe child, Ws time for tea nov; but the child jis watching the teakettle's small hard tears dance like mad on te hot black stove, the way the rain must dance onthe house. Tidying up, the old grandmother hangs up the clever almanac on ts string, Birdlike, the almanac hovers half open above the child, hovers above the old grandmother and her teacup full of dark brown tears. ‘She shivers and says she thinks the house feels chilly, and puts more wood inthe stove. Iwas tobe, says the Marvel Stove T know what I know, says the almanae. With crayons the child draws a rigid house and a winding pathway. Then the eild puts in a man with butons like tears and shows it proudly tothe grandmother. ‘But secretly, while the grandmother busies herself about the stove, ‘the litle moons fll down like tears from between the pages ofthe almanae into the flower bed the child hhas carefully placed in the front ofthe house, ‘Time to plant tears, says the almanse, ‘The grandmother sings to the marvelous stove and the child draws another inscrutable house,‘SixWors Lloyd Schwartz, 1941 yes maybe sometimes: always Never? Yes. Always? No. Sometimes? Maybe— maybe ‘onetines aivays always maybe. No: yes. Sometimes, sometimes (always) yes. Maybe No, Never. Always? Maybe. Yes— yes no ‘maybe sometimes always never: