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The sestina is a strict ordered form of poetry, dating back to twelfth century French troubadours. It consists of six six-line (sestets) stanzas followed by a three-line envoy. Rather than use a rhyme scheme, the six ending words of the first stanza are repeated as the ending words of the other five stanzas in a set pattern. The envoy uses two of the ending words per line, again in a set pattern. (Courtesy of Shadow Poetry)

First stanza, ..1 ..2 ..3 ..4 ..5 ..6
Second stanza, ..6 ..1 ..5 .. 2 ..4 ..3
Third stanza, ..3 ..6 ..4 ..1 ..2 ..5
Fourth stanza, ..5 ..3 ..2 ..6 ..1 ..4
Fifth stanza, ..4 ..5 ..1 ..3 ..6 ..2
Sixth stanza, ..2 ..4 ..6 ..5 ..3 ..1

Concluding tercet:
middle of first line ..2, end of first line ..5
middle of second line ..4, end of second line..3
middle if third line ..6, end of third line ..1

Famous poets who have written Sestinas include Ezra Pound, Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petrarch, Rudyard Kipling, Elizabeth Bishop, Sir Walter Raleigh, Robert Francis, Donald Justice, David Lehman, and Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

This was my first attempt at a Sestina. For comparison, I will give you a much better rendition, in the work of Ezra Pound (1885 - 1972) His being in answer to a work by Dante Alighieri.

Ezra Weston Loomis Pound was an expatriate US poet and critic who was a major figure in the early modernist movement. His contribution to poetry began with his development of Imagism, a movement derived from classical Chinese and Japanese poetry, stressing clarity, precision and economy of language. (See complete bio: http://www.poetrysoup.com/ezra_pound/biography)

Today, I am happy to have conveyed my message in my first sestina. I will spend a lifetime striving to achieve Pound's eloquence with imagery. I hope you will enjoy this selection. :) Kim

Sestina: Altaforte

LOQUITUR: En Bertans de Born.
Dante Alighieri put this man in hell
for that he was a stirrer up of strife.
Eccovi! Judge ye! Have I dug
him up again? The scene is at his castle, Altaforte.
"Papiols" is his
jongleur.
"The Leopard," the device of Richard Coeur de Lion.


I

Damn it all! all this our South stinks peace.

You whoreson dog, Papiols, come! Let's to music!
I have no life save when the swords clash.

But ah! when I see the standards gold, vair, purple, opposing
And the broad fields beneath them turn crimson,
Then howl I my heart nigh mad with rejoicing.


II

In hot summer I have great rejoicing
When the tempests kill the earth's foul peace,
And the lightning from black heav'n flash crimson,
And the fierce thunders roar me their music
And the winds shriek through the clouds mad, opposing,
And through all the riven skies God's swords clash.


III

Hell grant soon we hear again the swords clash!
And the shrill neighs of destriers in battle rejoicing,
Spiked breast to spiked breat opposing!
Better one hour's stour than a year's peace
With fat boards, bawds, wine and frail music!
Bah! there's no wine like the blood's crimson!

IV

And I love to see the sun rise blood-crimson.

And I watch his spears through the dark clash
And it fills all my heart with rejoicing
And pries wide my mouth with fast music
When I see him so scorn and defy peace,
His long might 'gainst all darkness opposing.


V

The man who fears war and squats opposing
My words for stour, hath no blood of crimson
But is fit only to rot in womanish peace
Far from where worth's won and the swords clash
For the death of such sluts I go rejoicing;
Yea, I fill all the air with my music.


VI

Papiols, Papiols, to the music!
There's no sound like to swords swords opposing,
No cry like the battle's rejoicing
When our elbows and swords drip the crimson
And our charges 'gainst "The Leopard's" rush clash.

May God damn for ever all who cry "Peace!"

VII

And let the music of the swords make them crimson!
Hell grant soon we hear again the swords clash!
Hell blot black for always the thought "Peace!"

by Ezra Pound

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