Stornello: Poetic Forms
Poetic Form Fridays are made to share various poetic forms. This week, we look at the stornello, an Italian tercet form.
Poetic Form Fridays are made to share various poetic forms. This week, we look at the stornello, an Italian tercet form.
Stornello Poems
The stornello is an Italian tercet (or 3-line stanza) form with 11 syllables per line and an aaa end rhyme. It's as simple as that!
Note: There is a variant version of the stornello in which the first line of each tercet is shorter than 11 syllables, but it retains the same rhyme scheme while holding 11 syllables in both lines two and three.
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Master Poetic Forms!
Learn how to write sestina, shadorma, haiku, monotetra, golden shovel, and more with The Writer’s Digest Guide to Poetic Forms, by Robert Lee Brewer.
This e-book covers more than 40 poetic forms and shares examples to illustrate how each form works. Discover a new universe of poetic possibilities and apply it to your poetry today!
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Here’s my attempt at a stornello:
the birds &, by Robert Lee Brewer
bees elevate the solstice with their bumble
& deer celebrate the day as they stumble
through dew-soaked fields filled with lovers who tumble
into twilit mornings after moonlit nights
wandering through shadows & electric lights
bound to surrender to summer's sweet delights
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
