Rondel Double: Poetic Forms
Poetic Form Fridays are made to share various poetic forms. This week, we look at the rondel double, a 16-line French form.
For this week's poetic form, let's look at the rondel double, a 16-line French form. (In case you're wondering, there is rondel single, which is actually 13 lines and not eight.)
Here are the guidelines for the rondel double:
- Poem comprised of four quatrains (four-line stanzas)
- Rhyme scheme (capitals are refrains): ABBA/abBA/abba/ABBA
- As with most French forms, usually eight- to 10-syllable lines
Also, be sure to check out the 14-line rondel supreme.
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Play with poetic forms!
Poetic forms are fun poetic games, and this digital guide collects more than 100 poetic forms, including more established poetic forms (like sestinas and sonnets) and newer invented forms (like golden shovels and fibs).
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Here's my attempt at a rondel double:
"Trouble," by Robert Lee Brewer
We swallow love as if it's rain
and sing our songs with nonstop joy
and sing our songs with nonstop joy
swallowing love as if it's rain
falling from hearts that feel the stain
of every girl and every boy
who sing our songs with nonstop joy
swallowing love as if it's rain.
A storm, a shower without pain
is one that will never annoy
or excite and might be too coy--
we can't not chant the sweet refrain:
We swallow love as if it's rain
and sing our songs with nonstop joy
and sing our songs with nonstop joy
swallowing love as if it's rain.
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.
