April 29, 2018

• October Paradelle

  Billy Collins was the poet laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003 and is a highly regarded poet who has won many awards for his work. He is also a man with a mischievous sense of humor. Back in the late 90's, Collins claimed to have discovered a French poetry form from the 11th century called the paradelle. It was, he said, "one of the more demanding French forms." The rules for the paradelle are as follows:

  • The paradelle is a 4-stanza poem.
  • Each stanza consists of 6 lines.
  • For the first 3 stanzas, the 1st and 2nd lines should be the same; the 3rd and 4th lines should also be the same; and the 5th and 6th lines should be composed of all the words from the 1st and 3rd lines and only the words from the 1st and 3rd lines.
  • The final stanza should be composed of all the words in the 5th and 6th lines of the first three stanzas and only the words from the 5th and 6th lines of the first three stanzas.

  Collins' attempt at composing a paradelle was titled Paradelle for Susan. Due to the ridiculous constraints of the form, his last line was, "Darken the mountain, time and find was my into it was with to to."

  Because he was such a highly regarded poet, the "discovery" of this ancient poetic form, and Paradelle for Susan, were both taken seriously by critics, the media, and other poets. Eventually, Collins admitted he'd made it all up as a joke. Even the word "paradelle" was a combination of "parody" and "villanelle." He was poking fun at restrictive forms and the poets who followed a form beyond the point of common sense.

  Even after his admission that he'd just pulled off one of the greatest literary pranks ever, many poets decided to try their hand at a paradelle and eventually the form gained a life of its own. When I read the rules, I have to admit I was taken with the challenge and decided I, too, was one of those foolish people who just had to give it a try. Here, then, is my attempt at a paradelle, using the final prompt in the NPM Scavenger Hunt, #15: Refer to one season, seasoning, and one phase of the moon.

  OCTOBER PARADELLE

  Autumn comes in shades of gold.

  Autumn comes in shades of gold.

  Fiery leaves, a feast for the eye.

  Fiery leaves, a feast for the eye.

  In fiery gold shades of autumn leaves,

  A feast comes for the eye.

   

  In October the air smells like apple.

  In October the air smells like apple.

  A sweet scent of cinnamon lingers.

  A sweet scent of cinnamon lingers.

  A sweet apple scent lingers, like

  Smells of cinnamon in the October air.

   

  The harvest moon shines round and full.

  The harvest moon shines round and full.

  At night, grapes are picked under lights.

  At night, grapes are picked under lights.

  The full moon shines, and lights round grapes

  Under harvest, picked at night.

   

  Gold moon shines like a round eye,

  Lights grapes at night for the harvest,

  Picked in the sweet autumn air.

  Under leaves in fiery cinnamon shades,

  A feast comes full of smells;

  The October apple scent lingers.

   

   

  • 11:05 am
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