Poetic Forms

Poetic Forms

Sestina, Tritina, Pantoum

Sestina• Sestina comes from the Latin word for

sixth.

• A sestina is a repetitive form of poetry invented by the poet Arnaut Daniel.

Sestina• A sestina consists of:• Seven stanzas• The sixth line of each of the first six

stanzas end in one of six words that are repeated in a specific order.

• The seventh stanza, the envoy, has only three lines and includes two of the six words in each of its lines.

• 1. A sarcastic brother2. it can get very annoying3. it’s even worse since he’s older4. When I’m around him, I’m blue5. He stu…stu…stutters.6. He likes cookies, they’re made out of ginger.

• 1. I don’t like ginger.2. I don’t like my brother. 3. We both….both…stutter4. We both are annoying.5. It’s always blue.6. He’s much older.

How to Set it Up• Stanza One

• 123456

How to Set it Up• Stanza Two

615243

How to Set it Up• Stanza 3

• 364125


• 532614


451362


• 246531

How to Set it Up• Envoy

• 1-23-45-6

Can you identify the structure?

• Read “A Sestina for Michael Jordan” in your orange packet. This poem is an example of a sestina. Can you read the poem and identify which words are repeated throughout? Where is the envoy?

• You have five minutes to write.

Tritina• Tritina comes from the Latin word for three.

Like the sestina, it is a repetitive form of poetry that consists of:

• Three stanzasEnvoy

• The three lines of each of the three stanzas end in one of three words, repeated in a specific order. The envoy is one line that contains all three words.


• 123


• 312


• 231

How to Set it Up• Envoy

• One line that uses all 3 words


• Read “A Trintina for Mom” can you identify the structure for a trintina? What words are repeated in this poem?

Pantoum• The pantoum originated in Malayan

literature as an oral form of poetry. • The pantoum that we read and write

today was first described by Victor Hugo who wrote The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Miserables. He wrote during the 1820s.

Pantoum• The pauntoum consists of four line

stanzas with lines repeated in a set pattern.

• The second and fourth lines of each stanza reappear as the first and third of the next. The length of a pantoum—the number of stanzas—is up to the poet.


• Line 1Line 2Line 3Line 4


• Line 5: same as Line 2, above• Line 6:

Line 7: same as Line 4, above

Line 8


• Line 9: same as Line 6, above• Line 10• Line 11: same as Line 8, above• Line 12


• Read “A Pantoum for Blue,” what makes a pantoum different from a sestina or a trintina? How many stanzas does a pantoum, have? Are words repeated? Which words?

Time to Write• Practice writing sestinas, trintinas, and

pantoums. Start with the trintina. Pick a topic from you list “Where Poetry Hides” and start writing. The formula for a trintina is listed in your orange packet.

Time to Share• You will have ten minutes to write your

trintina, if you finish early move on to writing a sestina about a different topic.

Homework• Your homework assignment is to write

a pantoum for a specific color. Use “A Pantoum for Blue” as your inspiration. We will begin class tomorrow by reviewing these poetic forms, and sharing our pantoums.

Documents

Poetic Forms