Greetings from E-Calliope, the on-line poetry muse. For this visit, I thought we might have some fun with a relatively simple poetic form, called the triolet, which probably originated in France at the end of the thirteenth century. The fun (and the challenge) of writing in a given form is in thriving to say something free and new, despite (or because of) the constraints of certain rules of rhyme, stanza structure, etc.

The Triolet Structure

The triolet is an eight-line poem, built on two rhymes. It is divided into two, four-line stanzas (or quatrains).

The first line is repeated as the fourth and seventh lines. The second line is repeated as the eighth line. One way to begin writing a triolet is to decide on your first and second lines; then, fill in their repetitions, as described above. All that is left to do is to come up with lines 3, 5, and 6, where lines 3 and 5 rhyme with line 1, and line 6 rhymes with line 2.
Poets show such a rhyme scheme as follows: A B a A a b A B.

Here's an example of a triolet by Thomas Hardy:

How great my grief, my joys how few,
Since first it was my fate to know thee.
--Have the slow years not brought to view
How great my grief, my joys how few,
Nor memory shaped old times anew,
Nor loving-kindness helped to show thee
How great my grief, my joys how few,
Since first it was my fate to know thee.

Suggestions for Writing

Using the description and the example by Thomas Hardy, above, try writing a triolet. Consider writing it for a friend or family member and putting it on a homemade greeting card.

If you would like to share your poem with visitors to the Montgomery County Poet web site, please e-mail them to Montcopoet@verizon.net by April 18th for posting on the E-Calliope blog.

Thanks. And have fun!

David Simpson
2007 Montgomery County Poet Laureate