Subscribe: by Email | in Reader

Villanelle (minimalist): One Drunken Night -- Peter Schaeffer

       
(Poem #393) Villanelle (minimalist): One Drunken Night
 I think
 she'll pour
 my drink.

 I wink
 at more,
 I think,

 than minx
 who pours
 my drink.

 I sink
 to floor,
 and think

 she stinks!
 I roar,
 "My drink,

 you fink!"
 I snore,
 and think
 I drink.
-- Peter Schaeffer
What is a villanelle? "Seven-syllable lines using two rhymes, distributed in
(normally) five tercets and a final quatrain with line repetitions", saith
the Britannica, which also calls it a "rigorous and somewhat monotonous
form". Rigorous it may be, but half the beauty of a villanelle lies in the
poet's efforts to conform without lapsing into monotony. Indeed, by its very
nature the villanelle seems to cry out for some sort of wordplay or other -
it is hard to write an entirely 'serious' poem under the constraints[1].

The most usual form of wordplay is simply the setting up of the repeated
lines so that the word meanings shift and change. Schaeffer takes a slightly
different approach here - rather than trying to write so 'naturally' as to
distract attention from the rigid form, he embraces it for humorous effect.
For instance, in 'The Art of the Villanelle' (see links) he explicitly
comments on the repetition - "Attend this line, which you'll have heard.../
until you're sick of every word."[2]

Today's poem, on the other hand, uses a different technique - it strips the
villanelle of its usual trappings, simultaneously poking fun at both the
villanelle and at minimalist verse. (See also the last verse for an example
of villanelle-induced wordplay).

[1] making it all the more impressive when managed - as in Dylan Thomas's
classic poem (see links)

[2] see my comment on self-referential humorous verse, poem #194

Links:

Just over half a minstrels ago, we ran Schaeffer's mindbogglingly good
'Juggler, Magician, Fool - A Pantoum': poem #195

The canonical example of the English villanelle is surely Dylan Thomas's 'Do
Not Go Gentle into That Good Night': poem #38

which includes, as a bonus, another of Schaeffer's villanelles, 'The Art of
the Villanelle'

And for some lovely pieces of minimalist verse, see Pound's 'In a station of
the Metro': poem #319

and Corman's untitled poem: poem #348

- martin

13 comments: ( or Leave a comment )

Anonymous said...

This is a topic that's close to my heart... Thank you! Exactly where are your contact details though?

Here is my webpage ... Cheap Oakley Sunglasses

Anonymous said...

Keep sharing such ideas in the future as well. This was actually what I was looking for, and I am glad to came here! Thanks for sharing the such information with us.www.steppescaribbean.co.uk |

www.hawnbyhotel.co.uk |

www.partridgeplace.co.uk |

www.newelfin.co.uk |

www.subito2.co.uk |

www.kingsofbassline.co.uk |

www.beckyandneil.co.uk |

www.antichew.co.uk |

www.oldtimegrates.co.uk |

my168 said...

Isc888 เว็บพนันอันดับ 1 เปิดให้บริการพนันครบวงจร กีฬา คาสิโน สำหรับสมาชิกที่สนใจทางเรามีทีมงานดูแลแก้ไขปัญหาตลอด 24 ช.ม. เราพร้อมให้บริการนักพนันทุกท่านอย่างครบวงจรเล่นง่าย ได้เงินจริง พบกับเกมเดิมพันมากมายไม่ว่าจะเป็นเกมยอดนิยมอย่าง บาคาร่า สล็อต แบล็คแจ็ค รูเล็ตต์ และเสือมังกร isc888 สมัคร พร้อมรับโบนัสเครดิตและโปรโมชั่นส่วนลดมากมายที่หาไม่ได้จากที่อื่น

orclord said...


betflix สมัครสมาชิก คาสิโนออนไลน์ เปิดบริการ 24 ชั่วโมง ฟรีเครดิต 100บาท ไม่ต้องทำเทิร์น

Post a Comment