The standard structure of a Villanelle is as follows:
1B2
AB1
AB2
AB1
AB2
AB12
Letters stand in for rhyming scheme and numbers stand in for repeated lines.
EG: (Villanelle in nonametre)
Insomnia Villanelle
A red LED kept still alight
The room filled red, or squared incursions
Up at three AM, low contrast moves
Low shunting hums shuffle at windows
Flicked switch never off; on in tension
A red LED kept still alight
Clattering click on plastic glass blows
Double-paned argon stuck in motion
Up at three AM, low contrast moves
The tiny point could cast such shadows
Miniscule traces of erosion
A red LED kept still alight
Slight drips of HVAC betray such air flows
Twisting left once, to sped-up torsion
Up at three AM, low contrast moves
Beyond nylon drapes, permanent glows
Standing wave summer's subtle fusion
A red LED kept still alight
Up at three AM, low contrast moves
V1 -- Homophonic, Homonymic & Heteronymic Villanelles
The repeated lines in the Villanelle are identical to each other, but only
phonically. Words sound the same, but they mean different things. Or, the
repeated lines in the Villanelle are identical in spelling, but their meaning
and pronunciation are different. Words look the same, but they mean different
things; words sound the same but mean different things.
A) Homophonic variant -
the repeated lines are completely homophonic; syllabic structure is as follows:
876/678/876/678/876/8786
Holy Bight Bite Wholly
Cited bytes' sensor reigns wholly
as they pass through such a place
so seize two by vain ways
Overlaid passages
kept partly parted in case
sighted bites censor rains, holy
Overlook from disparate ledges
in towards an empty face
sow seas too, buy vein wheys
Closest to the edges
but only once in this case
sited bights, censer reins (holey)
Remains of those privileges
Cannot but only erase
sew sees to (bye) vane weighs
Lacking in all those overages
needed to make the displace
cited bytes' sensor reigns wholly
so seize two by vain ways
B) Heteronymic variant --
the repeated lines are heteronymic with changing meaning based on pronunciation
with the spelling remaining identical.
Syllabic structure is as follows:545/445/445/445/445/4455
Presents Project
Wound subjects present
Presently, yes
Complex project lead
Air pressure weighs
As a compress
Wound subjects present
Bridge gateway
As a redress
Complex project lead
Corps de ballet
(Nevertheless)
Wound subjects present
At a buffet
Not quite endless
Complex project lead
Stuck in Chimay
It's all a mess
Wound subjects present
Complex project lead
V2 -- Bilingual Villanelle
A Villenelle in which the repeated lines are in L'egal Franglais and each
stanza is either in French or English. The following pattern can be utilised:
EG: (A Villanelle of the above structure in L'egal Franglais w/ 5 words per line)
Dent Defile (Tooth Parade)
Tape a chat, rayon Roman
Did you ask for sense?
Labour laid on reel, entrain!
L'effet de texte residual {The effect of text residual}
Dans roman, les lignes d'elegence {In the novel lines of elegance}
Tape a chat rayon roman {Cat tape radius novel}
"Can't scan, must do manual"
Rolling scrape of constant presence
Labour laid on reel, entrain!
Gathered crowd disperses, all gradual
Through a viewfinder framed dense
Tape a chat, rayon Roman
Tu affiches en dés, dual {You display on cubes, dual}
Simuler, c'est tout, en reference {Simulate, that's all, as reference}
Labour laid, on reel entrain! {Ugly tillage, we're going crazy!}
If it was the usual
They didn't give it deference
Tape a chat, rayon Roman
Labour laid on reel, entrain!
**NOTE: this villanelle variant can be used in any two languages with
overlapping vocabulary (whether the words mean the same thing in both languages
or not); however, both languages must share a writing system for this
constraint to work**
V3 -- Decomposition Villanelle
A decomposition Villanelle in which the text is increasingly lipogramatic in
each stanza. The repeated lines must be converted to conform to the lipogram
constraint; however, it must mean the same thing. The letters in the two
rhyming endings must not be included in the lipogram.
EG:
(In this case, the poem doesn't disintegrate, but each stanza is a lipogram in
all the letters which are not contained in the line repeated. Also, it uses
nonametre.)
To play a Game of Backgammon
And to play a round of Backgammon
(AKA Shesh Besh or Narde, nearly)
Mind configuration, lastly, morph
To lay back, to land far too normal
And to fork back food usually
And to play a round of Backgammon
To Philo's opus confirm, formal
Flip through it fast or casually
Mind configuration, lastly, morph
And on ground a mark of plans, Dormal?
No, a mark of round, dark plays (no dally)
And to play a round of Backgammon
Don't romp through locations of past partial
(Fish cold arrays on, figurally)
Mind configuration, lastly, morph
To sip from glass or crystal (formal?)
And to yap at nothing finally
And to play a round of Backgammon
Mind configuration lastly morph
V4 -- Villanelle with Syllabic Constraint
Combine the larger scale Villanelle structure with a smaller scale syllabic
structure, constraint or poetic metre. An example of this would be a Villanelle
with a Haiku as each stanza.
EG: (A Haiku Villanelle except the last stanza which is a clinamen)
Along the Ceiling
A drip through the crack
Start-stop configuration
Slight flinch on dropped path
Slip in front of it
Lean left for animation
A drip through the crack
Too strong Akvavit
A musty emanation
Slight flinch on dropped path
Grinding with the grit
There is no reservation
A drip through the crack
There is a digit
Of no other relation
Slight flinch on dropped path
Standing for a bit
Got off at the last station
A drip through the crack
Slight flinch on dropped path
V5 -- Single Rhyme Villanelle
Switch a rhyming line out for a repeated line so that the Villanelle is now of
the following format:
123
A21
A23
A21
A23
A213
[In this example, the ends of the lines A do not rhyme; however, the same first
word is repeated]
The Cat Returning
Since last week
The cat has returned
At the same time everyday;
And at maybe six o'clock
The cat has returned
At the same time everyday;
And during the workweek
The cat has returned
at the same time everyday;
And for luncheon
The cat has returned
Since last week;
And even for midnight snacks
The cat has returned
At the same time everyday;
And in the morning
the cat has returned
at the same time everyday.
V6 -- All-Repetition Villanelle
A Villanelle in which all lines are repeated. There is no rhyming anywhere.
Meaning is modulated in every stanza and line through moving or adding
punctuation and brackets. The form of this Villanelle is as follows:
123
421
423
421
423
4213
Eg: A variation based on Marcel Benabou's combinatorial aphorisms
Aphorisms are split into two parts at the clause seams then combined in
repetition. The Villanelle structure coordinates the poem.
AB CD EF
GH CB AD
GF CH ED
GD CB AH
GD CF EH
GH CD AB EF
So:
Added Ages
Every dog has its day
Every cloud has silver lining
Don't count your chickens before they hatch
A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush
Every cloud has its day
Every dog has silver lining
A bird in the hand is better until they hatch
Every cloud is better than two in the bush
Don't count your chickens' silver lining
A bird in the hand is better than silver lining
Every cloud has its day
Every dog is better than two in the bush
A bird in the hand is better than silver lining
Every cloud, until they hatch
Don't count your chickens better than two in the bush
A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush
Every cloud has silver lining
Every dog has its day
Don't count your chickens before they hatch
V7 -- Villanelle Royale
Integrating the Chant Royale form into a Villanelle. At the point of
integration, the Villanelle wraps around the Chant Royale's rhyme scheme while
the Chant Royale expands and reproduces the Villanelle. It is possible, as it
is with all rhyme schemes, to utilise the rhyme scheme format as repeated words
in sentences, ouliporhymes (rolling endings which together spell out a complete
word), tautogrammic repetitions, and others. The form is as follows:
132
AB1
AB2
CC1
DD2
3D12
(the above X5 times as 5 sections)
+
DD3D3
