The Red Book: a sestina

Primsong

Primsong

New member
The orange jello and Copperfox mentioned sestinas on his sonnet thread, which made me remember I had one I had put together just a bit ago. Thought I might share it, in case it was of interest to anyone.

For those who are unsure what I mean by 'sestina', it is a poem consisting of:

* Six stanzas of six-lines each
* followed by a three-line envoy.

The words ending the lines of the first stanza are repeated in a different order at the end of lines in each of the subsequent five stanzas and, two to a line, in the middle and at the end of the three lines in the closing envoy.

The patterns of word-repetitions are as follows:
(each row in the following diagram represents one stanza, and the numbers represent the last words in each line of the first stanza)

1 2 3 4 5 6
6 1 5 2 4 3
3 6 4 1 2 5
5 3 2 6 1 4
4 5 1 3 6 2
2 4 6 5 3 1
(6 2)
(1 4)
(5 3)

The Red Book: A Sestina

Within your ancient, leatherbound covers
Lies a story of a life with a tale for forever.
The written words whisper at the turning
As the heavy parchment is leafed through, read
With understanding or without, the stories
Of adventures, of living and dying within your pages.

Carefully prepared leaves, the finest quality pages
Were chosen with care to speak between the covers.
With every eye who follows your remembered stories,
Other minds will feel anew your painful saga forever.
Your story will not be forgotten as long as it is read,
Nor will the sacrifices of lives fade in the turning.

The autumn leaves of every season turning
Would seem a fitting tribute to the dry, old pages
But instead it seems to remain evergreen, ever-read
With the heartbeats and longing fears between covers
Captured, in spidery and flowing handwriting forever
Replaying something worth telling, a story of stories.

The Red Book you are called, a collection of stories
Gathered not only from desires and dreams, but a turning
Of the experiences of days and nights, forever
Captured in the confines of red leather-bound pages,
Into a river that pulls the reader along and covers
Their imagination, sweet and poignant to read.

The readers of your fine lettering will only wish to read
Again your tale, will dream of being a part of your stories,
Even though they know the authors are gone. Your covers
Hold all that is left of them and their days, the turning
Of the Ages is merciless, and Time's own pages
Will be turned by the hand of the sun and moon forever.

Still, the readers will dream. They will forever
Feel that longing to know more, to live what they read,
To breathe the air of the places written of in your pages
And to hold close the people written of in your stories.
There is a life that is remembered in the turning
Of the pages, and in the opening of the ancient leather covers.

The tale among the pages, a tale for all people forever;
The well-worn soft leather covers, showing it often read:
Thirsting for the truth in the stories, to history they are turning.

-
 
i only have one thing to say

WOW
there is only one person who i've read who has written a 'true sestina'
and now you're the second

NOTE TO OTHERS: this isn't at all easy to write.
 
Thank you! I enjoy trying out different poetic forms, and yes, some are more work than others. I hope some of the writers here might be encouraged to give one a try too.
 
Are ALL those middle placements equally mandatory as the line-end placements? Like, is it optional whether to go 3-5 or 5-3 inside a line?
 
The Book of Forms (Lewis Turco) that I have is pretty firm about the order that they are to be placed, including the pairs in the envoy, the first in the pair being enjambed into the verse, the second ending it. The sestina is one of the more 'defined pattern' varieties.
 
Dang! Well, I refuse to be intimidated; it'll just take me some time. When I do get one written, because I already stated an intention to post it in "Marketplace," that's what I'll do.
 
But what the hey? Who's to tell me I _can't_ post it here _also,_ since Primsong was so helpful in explaining to me how the sestina works? Using keywords provided by Theorangejello, HERE IS MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT A SESTINA:


The Second Person of the Godhead, alias Aslan,
Source of the valor of the valiant Queen Lucy,
Did not plan for her to be famed for the sword,
But for that which is represented by her cordial:
The healing of harms, and advancement of love;
It was for such ends that she entered the Wardrobe.

The first soul she met upon passing the Wardrobe
Was needy indeed, having lost faith in Aslan.
Faun Tumnus needed the friendship and love
Of the vulnerable, innocent child called Lucy.
Thus, before she heard of the fireflower cordial,
She saved him by piercing him with her moral sword.

His heart was as truly pierced as with a real sword,
As the trusting, purehearted girl from the Wardrobe,
The one who would later possess that rare cordial,
Awakened his conscience, as planned by Aslan.
From serving the Witch, he was led by Lucy
To honor--from evil, to courage and love.

This Faun, whom Queen Lucy would always love,
Was himself meant for other deeds than bearing sword.
He became an advisor to valiant Queen Lucy,
And to the others who had come through the Wardrobe.
When the four were sent back to their world by Aslan,
Tumnus never forgot the Queen with the cordial.

Lucy Pevensie might well have wished for that cordial,
As a way to have shown fellow humans her love
When they suffered on Earth; but the will of Aslan
Cut off the way to Narnia, as if a sword
Had hacked apart the magical Wardrobe;
Thus imprisoned by Earthly conditions was Lucy.

But there were to be new times in Narnia for Lucy,
And even the chance again to use her cordial.
Though not again transported by the Wardrobe,
She would find other Narnians whom she could love,
Including, of course, a bold mouse with a sword,
Who needed to learn some humility from Aslan.

More charmed than the Wardrobe, the heart of Lucy
Intimate with Aslan, distilled its own cordial,
In the form of gallant love, stronger than the sword.
 
Thank you, Amy, I welcome the affirmation!


There once was a lady named Amy,
Who thought that "Callandra" was zany.
So she made it LC,
Which is OK with me;
But if I say "Amy," don't blame me.
 
Copperfox said:
But what the hey? Who's to tell me I _can't_ post it here _also,_ since Primsong was so helpful in explaining to me how the sestina works? Using keywords provided by Theorangejello, HERE IS MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT A SESTINA:


The Second Person of the Godhead, alias Aslan,
Source of the valor of the valiant Queen Lucy,
Did not plan for her to be famed for the sword,
But for that which is represented by her cordial:
The healing of harms, and advancement of love;
It was for such ends that she entered the Wardrobe.

The first soul she met upon passing the Wardrobe
Was needy indeed, having lost faith in Aslan.
Faun Tumnus needed the friendship and love
Of the vulnerable, innocent child called Lucy.
Thus, before she heard of the fireflower cordial,
She saved him by piercing him with her moral sword.

His heart was as truly pierced as with a real sword,
As the trusting, purehearted girl from the Wardrobe,
The one who would later possess that rare cordial,
Awakened his conscience, as planned by Aslan.
From serving the Witch, he was led by Lucy
To honor--from evil, to courage and love.

This Faun, whom Queen Lucy would always love,
Was himself meant for other deeds than bearing sword.
He became an advisor to valiant Queen Lucy,
And to the others who had come through the Wardrobe.
When the four were sent back to their world by Aslan,
Tumnus never forgot the Queen with the cordial.

Lucy Pevensie might well have wished for that cordial,
As a way to have shown fellow humans her love
When they suffered on Earth; but the will of Aslan
Cut off the way to Narnia, as if a sword
Had hacked apart the magical Wardrobe;
Thus imprisoned by Earthly conditions was Lucy.

But there were to be new times in Narnia for Lucy,
And even the chance again to use her cordial.
Though not again transported by the Wardrobe,
She would find other Narnians whom she could love,
Including, of course, a bold mouse with a sword,
Who needed to learn some humility from Aslan.

More charmed than the Wardrobe, the heart of Lucy
Intimate with Aslan, distilled its own cordial,
In the form of gallant love, stronger than the sword.
Click to expand...


awww I really like it! Kudoes!
 
A fine attempt, well crafted. Very nicely done, especially in light of the fact that did not choose the key words yourself.
 
Thank you, Dayhawk and all fair-speakers; and yes, John, I did understand why you referred to "feet."

As for being given words not of my choosing, since my dear Umbrella has taken interest in the sestina form, I have invited her to pick six words for me to try in a second sestina.
 
Sorry to admit that I have not yet caught on to what's happening by comparing what I see to the charts I'm shown. I'll have to look these things over a bit and maybe try one.

Or I might just get mean and start a thread on Sound Texts. ;)
 
I like both the poems in here, Primsongs' and CF's, but I am with John -- I don't understand the form yet. Still, I am amazed.

What were the "six words" in CF's?
And in Primsong's?

And what did they have to do ...?
 
My six words were Aslan, Lucy, Wardrobe, sword, cordial, and love. If you look again at my sestina, you'll see that every line in it ends with one of those words; and the order of use of those words changes with each stanza.
 
WATCH THIS SPACE!!

Umbrellaxscenexcore has just issued me a set of six new keywords:

Star
Sky
Whisper
Dust
Faith
Thunder

In the near future, God willing, my next sestina will appear, using these words!
 
Great! Way to go Umbrella!!!!! Looking forward to the next creation in sestina form, which I had never heard of before a couple of days ago!
 
AND HERE IT IS! Almost the very moment I saw the words Umbrella had selected for me, I realized that they could easily serve a Biblical theme; SO....


Anyone can say he seeks his own star,
Yet not know the God Who created the sky.
Where the foolish boast in shouts, I shall whisper,
As one made, in a sense at least, from dust,
That worthwhile knowledge is reached with faith,
And persistent ears can catch God's thunder.

This God, the true God, sent a sample of thunder,
In the form of Elijah, who worshipped no star,
But followed the Maker of stars by faith.
Israel disobeyed, so God shut up the sky,
And a drought changed the fertile soil to dust,
As dry winds breathed their merciless whisper.

It was a time when the saints had to whisper;
False gods were trying to steal the Lord's thunder.
Ahab and Jezebel dragged through the dust
The honor of Him Who had made every star.
Even though it was their sin which dried out the sky,
They were far too stubborn to welcome true faith.

On Mount Carmel there came the contest between faith
And self-deception; in more than a whisper,
Elijah mocked liars who claimed that the sky
Was the province of Baal with his mythical thunder.
The Lord sent His flame like the blaze of a star,
To reduce one offering to ashes and dust.

False prophets that day fell slain in the dust;
And the rain came, rewarding Elijah's faith.
But the faith of his friends was a falling star;
The cheers of his friends dropped off to a whisper,
When Jezebel threatened with spiteful thunder.
They left him to fear under that rainy sky.

So Elijah, forsaken, sought the desert sky,
Ashamed of his victory crumbling to dust.
His depression was shaken off by God's thunder,
And the elements helped in restoring his faith,
Till once more he could hear the sacred whisper,
And seek out Elisha, God's next mortal star.

In time, God's thunder, not just in the sky,
Dropped the star of Jezebel into the dust,
While those having faith could still hear God whisper.
 
inkspot said:
I like both the poems in here, Primsongs' and CF's, but I am with John -- I don't understand the form yet. Still, I am amazed.

What were the "six words" in CF's?
And in Primsong's?

And what did they have to do ...?
Click to expand...

In Primsongs' example, the 6 words can be found at the end of each line:
covers, forever, turning, read, stories, pages.
Within your ancient, leatherbound covers
Lies a story of a life with a tale for forever.
The written words whisper at the turning
As the heavy parchment is leafed through, read
With understanding or without, the stories
Of adventures, of living and dying within your pages.

Now for the form. I may never have written structured poetry, but I do have an analytical mind and I think I can help explain.

Copperfox said: Umbrellaxscenexcore has just issued me a set of six new keywords:
Star (1)
Sky (2)
Whisper (3)
Dust (4)
Faith (5)
Thunder (6)

In a sestina, the lines are grouped into six stanzas and a concluding tercet. Thus a Sestina has 39 lines.

Lines may be of any length. Their length is usually consistent in a single poem.
1 2 3 4 5 6 - End words of lines in first stanza
6 1 5 2 4 3 - End words of lines in second stanza
3 6 4 1 2 5 - End words of lines in third stanza
5 3 2 6 1 4 - End words of lines in fourth stanza
4 5 1 3 6 2 - End words of lines in fifth stanza
2 4 6 5 3 1 - End words of lines in sixth stanza.
(6 2) (1 4) (5 3) - Middle and end words of lines in tercet.

The first line of each stanza after the first ends with the same word as the one that ended the last line of the stanza before it. (see thunder, whisper, below, in the first 2 stanzas, e.g.)

Using CF's second-ever sestina as an example for we students:

Anyone can say he seeks his own **star(1),**
Yet not know the God Who created the **sky (2).**
Where the foolish boast in shouts, I shall **whisper (3),**
As one made, in a sense at least, from **dust(4),**
That worthwhile knowledge is reached with **faith(5),**
And persistent ears can catch God's **thunder (6).**

This God, the true God, sent a sample of thunder, (6)
In the form of Elijah, who worshipped no star, (1)
But followed the Maker of stars by faith. (5)
Israel disobeyed, so God shut up the sky, (2)
And a drought changed the fertile soil to dust, (4)
As dry winds breathed their merciless whisper. (3)

The six words continue to appear at the end of each line according to the pattern indicated above.

It was a time when the saints had to whisper;
False gods were trying to steal the Lord's thunder.
Ahab and Jezebel dragged through the dust
The honor of Him Who had made every star.
Even though it was their sin which dried out the sky,
They were far too stubborn to welcome true faith.

On Mount Carmel there came the contest between faith
And self-deception; in more than a whisper,
Elijah mocked liars who claimed that the sky
Was the province of Baal with his mythical thunder.
The Lord sent His flame like the blaze of a star,
To reduce one offering to ashes and dust.

False prophets that day fell slain in the dust;
And the rain came, rewarding Elijah's faith.
But the faith of his friends was a falling star;
The cheers of his friends dropped off to a whisper,
When Jezebel threatened with spiteful thunder.
They left him to fear under that rainy sky.

So Elijah, forsaken, sought the desert sky,
Ashamed of his victory crumbling to dust.
His depression was shaken off by God's thunder,
And the elements helped in restoring his faith,
Till once more he could hear the sacred whisper,
And seek out Elisha, God's next mortal star.

In the closing tercet, each of the six words is used, with one in the middle of each line and one at the end.

In time, God's thunder, not just in the sky,
Dropped the star of Jezebel into the dust,
While those having faith could still hear God whisper.

========================================================

I hope that helps.

Now, Copperfox and Umbrellaxscenexcore, may I say you have done a fine job!

CF - despite the complexity of the form, still God's gift shines through your words and phrases. There's an unexplainable beauty in this sestina. Thank you for teaching us, both in your skill and in your word pictures. Blessings!

May we beg for a third, from CF, or perhaps from EveningStar, Primrose, Inkspot, or another? I'll provide 6 words, selected from things on my desk:
gift
champion
highway
Chaldeans
celebration
charity
(Gees, that seems way too hard...someone else feel free to suggest 6 words.)
 
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