Villanelle¶
villanelle · form · validated
Nineteen lines in five tercets and a quatrain, on two rhymes, with two refrain lines alternating and closing as a couplet.
Provenance¶
- Source: Traditional; fixed in its modern shape by Jean Passerat (1606)
- Attribution:
traditional— classical or folk; no single origin to name - Checkability:
self— decidable from the text and its parameters alone - Attested:
codified— formulated as a rule by a tradition rather than declared by an author
Details¶
- Kind: restrictive
- Languages: en
- Requires:
tokens,phonemes - Deterministic: yes
- In other languages: Villanelle (de), Villanelle (fr)
Prompt hint¶
Write nineteen lines on two rhymes, alternating two refrains and pairing them at the end.
Parameters¶
| Name | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
unknown_rhyme |
string | undecidable |
What a line ending absent from the pronouncing dictionary means: leave the pair unscored (undecidable), let it satisfy the scheme (free), or fail it (strict). |
Examples¶
nineteen-lines¶
en — this text satisfies the procedure.
the cat can see the moon above the tree
the dog will run across the field today
a bird can fly around the house at three
the cat can see the moon above the tree
the sun will set behind the hill in may
the cat can see the moon above the tree
the cat can see the moon above the tree
the dog will run across the field today
a bird can fly around the house at three
the cat can see the moon above the tree
the sun will set behind the hill in may
the cat can see the moon above the tree
the cat can see the moon above the tree
the dog will run across the field today
a bird can fly around the house at three
the cat can see the moon above the tree
the sun will set behind the hill in may
the cat can see the moon above the tree
a bird can fly around the house at three
Source: constructed example; two rhymes and two alternating refrains
too-short¶
en — this text does not satisfy the procedure.
the cat can see the moon above the tree
the dog will run across the field today
a bird can fly around the house at three
the sun will set behind the hill in may
the fox will hide beneath the fallen stone
the birds will sing before the break of day
Source: constructed counterexample
neunzehn-zeilen¶
de — this text satisfies the procedure.
der Wandrer zieht durch jenes weite Land
der Wind bewegt die Blätter in der Nacht
das Feuer brennt und wärmt die kalte Hand
der Wandrer zieht durch jenes weite Land
der Regen fällt und niemand hat gelacht
der Wandrer zieht durch jenes weite Land
der Wandrer zieht durch jenes weite Land
der Wind bewegt die Blätter in der Nacht
das Feuer brennt und wärmt die kalte Hand
der Wandrer zieht durch jenes weite Land
der Regen fällt und niemand hat gelacht
der Wandrer zieht durch jenes weite Land
der Wandrer zieht durch jenes weite Land
der Wind bewegt die Blätter in der Nacht
das Feuer brennt und wärmt die kalte Hand
der Wandrer zieht durch jenes weite Land
der Regen fällt und niemand hat gelacht
der Wandrer zieht durch jenes weite Land
das Feuer brennt und wärmt die kalte Hand
Source: constructed example; two rhymes and two alternating refrains
dix-neuf-lignes¶
fr — this text satisfies the procedure.
Le vent emporte notre amour
Il traversait un long chemin
Le silence dure toujours
Les feuilles tombent tout autour
Il se levait tôt le matin
Le vent emporte notre amour
Il espérait un prompt retour
Il s'endormait dans le jardin
Le silence dure toujours
La nuit tombait douce et de velours
Chacun suivait son destin
Le vent emporte notre amour
Le roi passait dans la cour
Le loup rôdait chez le voisin
Le silence dure toujours
Le peuple appelait au secours
Il tenait fort avec sa main
Le vent emporte notre amour
Le silence dure toujours
Source: constructed example; two rhymes and two alternating refrains
trop-court¶
fr — this text does not satisfy the procedure.
Le vent emporte notre amour
Il traversait un long chemin
Le silence dure toujours
Les feuilles tombent tout autour
Il se levait tôt le matin
Le vent emporte notre amour
Source: constructed counterexample
villanelle-passerat¶
fr — this text does not satisfy the procedure.
I'ay perdu ma Tourterelle:
Eft-ce point celle que i'oy?
Ie veus aller aprés elle.
Tu regretes ta femelle,
Helas! außi fai-ie moy,
I'ay perdu ma Tourterelle.
Si ton Amour eft fidelle,
Außi est ferme ma foy,
Ie veus aller aprés elle.
Ta plainte fe renouuelle;
Toufiours plaindre ie me doy:
I'ay perdu ma Tourterelle.
En ne voyant plus la belle
Plus rien de beau ie ne voy:
Ie veus aller aprés elle.
Mort, que tant de fois i'appelle,
Pren ce qui fe donne à toy:
I'ay perdu ma Tourterelle,
Ie veus aller aprés ell.
Parameters: unknown_rhyme='free'
Source: Jean Passerat, 'Villanelle' (J'ay perdu ma Tourterelle), in Recueil des œuvres poétiques de Ian Passerat (Paris: Morel, 1606), pp. 344–345; original orthography per the 1606 base text (long-s and ß retained as printed). Rejected: one broken_refrain. Line 24 reads aprés ell where line 3 reads aprés elle. Whether that is Passerat's 1606 spelling or a transcription slip is NOT VERIFIED against the print; the case is shipped as it was supplied and the question is left open rather than silently mended.