Haiku, Limerick & Villanelle

Haiku

A haiku is a short poetic form from Japan characterized by juxtaposition, seasonal imagery, and number of on, which are similar to syllables. 

The form has been adopted into other languages with a focus on the number of syllables; in English, haiku is a three-line poem with phrases of five, seven, and five syllables, respectively. 

However, in traditional Japanese haiku the most important element was the juxtaposition between different images with a transition via a “cutting word” (known as kireji in Japanese). 

This cutting word can change the stream of thought or provide a comparison between the different lines. It is similar to the concept of the volta in the sonnet form, or the audible pause in classical poetry known as the caesura.

The word haiku comes from hokku, which is the opening verse of an older and longer Japanese poetic form called the renga. 

Beginning in about the mid-seventeenth century, poets began to create hokku that were independent from longer poetic forms. 

To differentiate these poetic forms, the poet Masaoka Shiki renamed the standalone hokku a haiku. Thus, while the word comes from the late nineteenth century, the definition of haiku is a few hundred years older.

Limerick

A limerick is a poetic form comprised of one stanza with five lines and a rhyme scheme of AABBA that usually is humorous. The humor can be clean, though it often verges on the obscene. 

The first, second, and fifth lines of limerick examples often contain three anapestic feet while the third and fourth lines are shorter, with just two anapestic feet. 

However, there is a great deal of variation in the exact meter of limericks; the main feature is a rolling sound produced by the pattern of two unstressed syllables between every stressed syllable.

The origin of the word limerick is debated, though it is generally understood to be a reference to the city of Limerick in Ireland. There was an 18th century nonsense verse game that predated the limerick form that included the line, “Won’t you come to Limerick?” The definition of limerick was popularized by Edward Lear in the 19th century.

Perhaps the most famous example of limerick begins with the line: There once was a man from Nantucket. There are numerous limerick variations that begin this way, many of which are considered “dirty” or inappropriate.

Villanelle

Villanelle is derived from the Italian word villano, which means “peasant.’ In fact, a villanelle is a dance song coupled with pastoral themes. In literature, it is defined as a poetic device that which requires a poem to have 19 lines and a fixed form. It has five tercets (first 15 lines), a quatrain (last four lines), and a couplet at the end of the quatrain.

Major Features of Villanelle

Here are the major characteristics of a villanelle:

  1. There is no well-organized meter in a villanelle, but it has a set rhyme scheme.
  2. There are no fixed numbers of syllables.
  3. The refraining pattern of a typical villanelle is arranged as shown below:

Refrain: Refrain is a verse, a line, a set, or a group of lines that appears at the end of stanza, or appears where a poem divides into different sections. It originated in France, where it is popular as, refraindre, which means “to repeat.” Refrain is a poetic device that repeats, at regular intervals, in different stanzas. However, sometimes, this repetition may involve only minor changes in its wording. It also contributes to the rhyme of a poem and emphasizes an idea through repetition.

(A1) refrain 1
Line 2 (b)

(A2) refrain 2
Line 4 (a)
Line 5 (b)

(A1) refrain 1
Line 7 (a)
Line 8 (b)

(A2) refrain 2
Line 10 (a)
Line 11 (b)

(A1) refrain 1
Line 13 (a)
Line 14 (b)

(A2) refrain 2
Line 16 (a)
Line 17 (b)

(A1) refrain 1
(A2) refrain 2

Here, the letters “a” and “b” denote two rhyming sounds, while “A” indicates refrain, and the numerals “1” and “2” denote refrain 1 and refrain 2 respectively.

Examples of Villanelle in Literature

Example #1: Mad Girl’s Love Song (By Sylvia Plath)

“I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead; (A1)
I lift my lids and all is born again. (a)
(I think I made you up inside my head.) (A2)

The stars go waltzing out in blue and red, (a)
And arbitrary blackness gallops in: (b)
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead. (A1)

I dreamed that you bewitched me into bed (a)
And sung me moon-struck, kissed me quite insane. (b)
(I think I made you up inside my head.) (A2)

God topples from the sky, hell’s fires fade: (a)
Exit seraphim and Satan’s men: (b)
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead. (A1)

I fancied you’d return the way you said, (a)
But I grow old and I forget your name. (b)
(I think I made you up inside my head.) (A2)

I should have loved a thunderbird instead; (a)
At least when spring comes they roar back again. (b)
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead. (A1)
(I think I made you up inside my head.)” (A2)