Victor’s Crown: Villanelle

Victor’s Crown: Villanelle
©2016 Rosemawrites@A Reading Writer

Whom shall I fear?
is it the sea of grief?
I think I know the answer.

Soul’s dark, nothing’s clear
enemy’s so fast so brief,
whom shall I fear?

Waiting in pain, rescue’s not near
should I jump in sadness’ cliff?
I think I know the answer.

Hope burned not just seared,
faith stolen by mighty thief,
whom shall I fear?

No one sees or even hear,
am I like a forgotten leaf?
I think I know the answer.

I am not alone, my Redeemer’s here
With victor’s crown he’s my life’s chief
Whom shall I fear?
I think I know the answer.

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Photo credit: Micah. H

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In response to Blogging from A to Z Challenge: V is for Villanelle

Villanelle

Villanelle (a rustic, peasant song or dance) is an intricate French verse that is distinguished by its pastoral subject matter and alternating refrain. A member of the Rondeau family, it expands on the Rondeau’s signature, “rentrement”, a repetition of the 1^st line or phrase as a refrain, by also including the 3^rd line as an alternating refrain. The Villanelle originated in the 15th century becoming standardized by the 17th century.

The Villanelle is:

• metered, primarily iambic pentameter.
• in French stanzaic, written in any number of tercets and finally ending in a quatrain.
• in English, written in a total of 19 lines, made up of 5 tercets and ending with a quatrain.
• L1 and L3 of the first stanza, alternate as the refrain in the following tercets.
• composed with L1 and L3 of the first tercet repeated as the last two lines of the poem.
• written with only 2 end rhymes with a rhyme scheme of A¹bA², abA¹, abA², abA¹, abA², abA¹A².
• originally composed with a pastoral theme.

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Missed a letter/poem? Read all Poetry from A-Z here.