Sonnet I: His Favour

At rest she lieth down within her bed,
Doth close long lidded eyes, though not to sleep
In her repose for soft, round limbs to rest;
And then, in longing yet, her thoughts toward him:

Of words so closely shared, or left unsaid;
Such secrets, told or not, as cause to weep;
With his remembrance tight against her prest,
Though now, so tattered, once yet thought a whim,

Her tears to calm, his favour held instead,
That holdeth now her heart in safety’s keep,
To lull, so sweet her countenance, to rest–
Then close her eyes again, as night grew dim.

And once we wed, doth dream my love now deep,
As blest, our lives entwined, as any hymn.

This sonnet is part of a short sequence: click here to read it all:

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Today’s pair, and other stories….

This one probably cannot be analysed outside of the context of its accompanying sonnet.  Still it would be a difficult task for anyone but Browning.  Or God.

Oddly though, there are many ways in which these both may be read; and yet, the intended meaning might be more difficult to divine than such as I more usually write.

On another note:  I believe I shall not move sonnets around, except in rare circumstances.  I think it will make things simpler.   If I write sonnets in sequences that are interspersed with others, I can simply link them with a unique tag.  This will make it seem less futile to insert the “next” links.  Which, when I move things around, are rather a chore to fix, because they are not automatically generated.  I suppose that would be the advantage of ftp access, or at least a professional theme.  We shall see.

The Inverse:

And for the inverse, I offer up the following:

  1. C                                                    1             (14
  2. A                                     1                            (7
  3. B                     1                                            (8
  4. A                                     2                            (5
  5. C                                                    2             (9
    .
  6. B                     2                                            (6
  7. A                                     3                            (2
  8. B                     3                                            (3
  9. C                                                    3             (4
    .
  10. E           1                                                      (13
  11. D     2                                                            (12
  12. D     2                                                            (10
  13. E           1                                                      (11
  14. C                                                    4             (1

Interpret it as you will!  No, I relent.  As in the previous example, the columns are:

  • line number,
  • lettered rhymescheme,
  • numbered instance of each rhyme, staggered for easier reading,
  • and finally, a number designation of each discrete rhyming word.

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Sonnet: (template) ((More “Etudes” comming))…

This…  is evidently the way in which I avoid working on my poetry.  As well, this is evidently the way in which I avoid working on my sonnet site.  Am I the archetypal mismatcher–the quintessential oppositional personality?  I shall let you be the judge.

In any event, I offer up the following for your consideration:

  1. C                                                1          (1
  2. A                                 1                         (2
  3. B                  1                                        (3
  4. C                                                2          (4
    .
  5. A                                 2                         (5
  6. B                  2                                        (6
  7. A                                 3                         (7
  8. B                  3                                        (8
  9. C                                                3          (9
    .
  10. D            1                                              (10
  11. E      1                                                    (11
  12. D            2                                              (12
  13. E      2                                                    (13
  14. C                                                4          (14

Recently I have experimented with Italian varieties wherein the lines numbered 9 and 14 rhyme.  The above is an attempt to create a unique form specific to this idea rather than simply modifying the Petrarchan (Italian) scheme.  My only quandary now, is what to call it….  “Northwestern” perhaps?  “Portlandian?”  “455,” as in “four five five?”

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Follow-Up on Teaching Sonnets | Wanderings in the Labyrinth

A comment I wrote for a recent post caused me to revisit a few things and write the following comment; which once again, is a far too lengthy one  not to make of it a regular post.

I am at a loss to explain why you eschew iambic pentameter in your form exercise, as you say, “even if the poem makes no sense.” Although “One thing at a time” might be a guess at your answer–which certainly would make a degree of sense. Still the iambic rhythm is most definitely a thing to get ones head around.

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How to Teach Writing Sonnets | Wanderings in the Labyrinth

Although I am indeed able to write a sonnet in far less than 15 minutes, (I have written six months worth of these at least one per day, and) I find that typically I spend several hours on each one; although this may include research or additional constraints on the form. I could add a few more weapons to the arsenal of method, so to speak, that… Continue reading