What is the Paradelle?
The Paradelle is a very odd and yet touching form of poetry which employs repetition and strict formatting rules to create a poetry masterpiece. The first Paradelle being titled "Paradelle for Susan" and ending with the line " Darken the mountain, time and find was my into it was with to to." You may be wondering how this type of abomination poetry got started, so before we learn how to write a Paradelle we are going to look into the story of Billy Collins, the founder of Paradelles.
The Paradelle: A Parody
In 1997 Billy Collins first released his "Paradelle for Susan", the very first Paradelle. At first, Billy claimed the form was invented in 11th century France but he eventually admitted to having created it himself as a parody of stricter forms, particularly the Villanelle. The form was also meant to criticize the tendancy of amatauer poets to forgo sense in attempts to appeal to formalism. Some reviewers completely missed the point of the Paradelle and sharply critiqued "Paradelle for Susan" as a failed attempt at a difficult form. Other poets took the form seriously and, seeing it as a challenge, attempted to write their own Paradelles. In 2005 an anthology of Paradelles was published by Red Hen kicking off the start of a new poetry form. So, even though the Paradelle was invented solely for the purpose of parody, it took off becoming a modern form of art. The strange ramblings became artistic. The disjointed connections became rich. The repetitive lines became beautiful.
"Paradelle for Susan" by Billy Collins
I remember the quick, nervous bird of your love.
I remember the quick, nervous bird of your love.
Always perched on the thinnest, highest branch.
Always perched on the thinnest, highest branch.
Thinnest love, remember the quick branch.
Always nervous, I perched on your highest bird the.
It is time for me to cross the mountain.
It is time for me to cross the mountain.
And find another shore to darken with my pain.
And find another shore to darken with my pain.
Another pain for me to darken the mountain.
And find the time, cross my shore, to with it is to.
The weather warm, the handwriting familiar.
The weather warm, the handwriting familiar.
Your letter flies from my hand into the waters below.
Your letter flies from my hand into the waters below.
The familiar waters below my warm hand.
Into handwriting your weather flies you letter the from the.
I always cross the highest letter, the thinnest bird.
Below the waters of my warm familiar pain,
Another hand to remember your handwriting.
The weather perched for me on the shore.
Quick, your nervous branch flew from love.
Darken the mountain, time and find was my into it was with to to.
NOTE: The paradelle is one of the more demanding French fixed forms, first appearing in the langue d’oc love poetry of the eleventh century. It is a poem of four six-line stanzas in which the first and second lines, as well as the third and fourth lines of the first three stanzas, must be identical. The fifth and sixth lines, which traditionally resolve these stanzas, must use all the words from the preceding lines and only those words. Similarly, the final stanza must use every word from all the preceding stanzas and only those words.
How To Write Your Own Paradelle
The Paradelle is a four stanza poem with six lines in each stanza. In the first three stanzas: lines one and two and lines three and 4 are repeat lines, lines five and six use all the words from the previous lines. The example above should help you visualize this concept. The final stanza is composed of all the words from the previous stanzas. This may seem like a daunting task at first but with a bit of practice, several revisions, and some simple tips you will have created a masterpiece Paradelle: both beautiful and strange.
Choose an interesting topic. Start with a powerful line that will draw the reader in using crafted speech, a defined voice, specific words, and a magnetizing statement. Something mysterious and strange will make for an especially rewarding Paradelle. Check out our previous post Finding Inspiration with Google's Advanced Image Search, it may help you get inspired. Be creative and try out a couple ideas until you find one that really sparks.
Pick your words carefully. Since you will be reusing the same words throughout the poem try to use words with dual meanings. Here is a list of words to help get you started. If you are trying to make a sensible poem from the Paradelle format then dual meanings are going to be one of your major helpers. Still, it is not unfavorable to let the Paradelle take control and form your poem into a strange beauty.
Be unique. As always unique poems stand out. Whether it is word choice, style, voicing, or something else employ your personal skills and create a poem that cannot be ignored. Everyone appreciates a rich, creative, and fresh look on a simple idea (or a complex one) so do your best to make your own plagiarism free, cliche free poetry.
Embrace the oddity. The Paradelle is intentionally strange, this is what makes it so deep and artistic. So, embrace the repetitiveness, allow the form to mold your words, immerse your ideas in the strange formality, let sense be subdued by structure, create a Paradelle complete with all its terrors, be creative, be an abomination.
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