1. Sestina Learn the Sestina pattern This material is the property of the AR Dept. of Education. It may be used and reproduced for non-profit, educational purposes only after contacting the ADE Distance Learning Center at http://dlc.k12.ar.us edrhttp://dlc.k12.ar.us

2. History Historically, the Sestina is a French poem form first appearing in the 12 th century. It was used by troubadours or court poets and singers in the service of French nobles. It often contained themes romantic flirtation and desire.

3. Lyric Poetry The Sestina is a form of lyric poetry –Lyric poetry is a form of poetry that does not attempt to tell a story but is of a more personal nature instead. –Rather than portraying characters and actions, the lyric poet addresses the reader directly, portraying his or her own feelings, states of mind, and perceptions.

4. Traditional Sestina Form The lines are grouped into six sestets and a concluding tercet. –A sestet is a stanza containing six lines –A tercet is a stanza containing three lines The Sestina has 39 lines. Lines may be of any length. Their length is consistent in a single poem. You can use long lines or short lines…just keep them consistent.

5. Traditional Sestina Form The six words that end each of the lines of the first stanza are repeated in a different order at the end of lines in each of the subsequent five stanzas. The particular pattern is given below. (This kind of recurrent pattern is lexical repetition.) The repeated words are unrhymed.

6. Traditional Sestina Form The first line of each sestet after the first ends with the same word as the one that ended the last line of the sestet before it. In the closing tercet, each of the six words are used, with one in the middle of each line and one at the end.

7. Traditional Sestina Form The pattern of word-repetition is as follows, where the words that end the lines of the first sestet are represented by the numbers 1 2 3 4 5 6:

8. Stanza Pattern 1 2 3 4 5 6 - End words of lines in first sestet. 6 1 5 2 4 3 - End words of lines in second sestet. 3 6 4 1 2 5 - End words of lines in third sestet. 5 3 2 6 1 4 - End words of lines in fourth sestet. 4 5 1 3 6 2 - End words of lines in fifth sestet. 2 4 6 5 3 1 - End words of lines in sixth sestet. (1 2) (3 4) (5 6) - Middle and end words of lines in tercet.

9. The Tercet In the tercet (at the end of the poem) three of the end-words appear in the middle of the lines and three at the ends –Check the order: it’s back to 123456. Common Variation: Many poets arrange the tercet end-words in any order they want. The traditional pattern ends with 123456.

10. Choosing Repeating Words The repetition of words in a Sestina makes this form a good match for a story that uses common vocabulary. – In conversation the repetition of key words is common. The writer of a Sestina can use the repetition to delve more deeply into the material. –Each stanza can revisit that material and show more facets of what the poet feels. Ending words should have some sort of meaning or symbolism for the poem.

11. Line Length Traditionally, one keeps the same line length, as that gives the rhythmic repetition that the ear associates with music. It also gives a pleasant appearance on the page. Don't be lazy and cut lines short or run them on because you can't be bothered to fix the poem's flaws.

12. End Words Traditionally, the Sestina keeps the same end words.