Form

| Paradelle |

If form is precept, form is just a pain.
If form is precept, form is just a pain.
If so, your work, the norm, will be in vain.
If so, your work, the norm, will be in vain.
In precept pain, your work is just a norm.
If so, if vain, the form is will be form.

Let form be what you need to tell your thing!
Let form be what you need to tell your thing!
Set poetry which anyone can sing.
Set poetry which anyone can sing.
Be form what anyone can tell you set.
Your thing, sing poetry, need which to let!

If standardized, your poem will be kind.
If standardized, your poem will be kind.
And anyone, still proud, will errors find.
And anyone, still proud, will errors find.
Be kind, and anyone will errors still,
if standardized, your poem, find. Proud will!

What form can tell, if form is just your pain,
find anyone in precept let to sing!
Your poetry, if standardized, be vain
if work, your poem, will be norm, a thing.
Need errors. You form so which is, proud still.
Be kind, and anyone will set the will.


| They say | the paradelle was invented in the U.S. as a parody of the villanelle. The rules of the form are rigid. It should be made up of four sestets. In the first three stanzas, the second line should be identical with the first line, and the fourth line should be identical with the third line. In the fifth and sixth line, words can only be used which are present in the lines above. All the words must be used, and only those words. Similarly, in the last, the fourth, stanza you can use only the words you have used in the three first stanzas. All words must be used, and only those words.

There is no demand for rhythm and rhyme in the poem. But my paradelle is written with rhythm and rhyme to show that a poet can do it.

The form is made up to ridicule formalism in poetry. So to write a good paradelle is to ridicule those who, by pointing to the paradelle, ridicule the use of form.