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9.28.2006

A Poetic Form: The Pantoum

I was introduced to a new poetic form the other day. It's called the Pantoum, and it's one of the most brilliant forms I've encountered. It originates from Malaysian, often used in song form, and it goes something like this:

First line
Second Line
Third Line
Fourth Line

Last Second Line
New Second Line
Last Fourth Line
New Fourth Line

.
.
.
.

Last Second Line
Original Second Line
Last Fourth Line
Original First Line


The structured repetitions produce a hypnotic trance state. I will try to find examples of them.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

If you're still looking for an example you could use one of the several written by Sydney poet (and friend), Greg McLaren.

There a copy of his "Everything Falls In"
here.