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Friday, March 8, 2013

Diminishing Hexaverse


• The Hexaverse is:
• a hexastich, a poem in 6 lines.
• syllabic, 6 syllable lines.
• unrhymed.

• Diminishing Hexaverse is an invented form which can be found in various poetry communities and blogs across the web without any reference to its source. Most use the same definition which strangely ignores the meaning of hexa and describe the form with only 5 stanzas, diminishing from 5 lines and 5 syllables each to 4 lines and 4 syllables each and so on ending in a single stich of 1 syllable. With that description the frame would better be termed a Diminishing Pentaverse.

•  Finally I came upon a site that seems to me to get it right at Tir na nOg, diminishing from 6 lines of 6 syllables each to 5 lines of 5 syllables each and so on to a single stich of one syllable and my faith was restored. I have to believe the original concept began with the 6 line beginning and was somehow corrupted to only 5 stanzas along the way and the lemmings followed. The form is fine with 6 or 5 stanzas but it just makes more sense to me to use the correct terminology to reflect the frame used.

The Diminishing Hexaverse
• a poem in diminishing 6 stanzas, made up of a sixain, followed by quintet, followed by a quatrain, followed by a tercet followed by couplet and ending in a single stich.
• syllabic, L1-L6 6 syllables each, L7-L11 5 syllables each, L12-L15 4 syllables each, L16-L18 3 syllables each, L19-L20 2 syllables each and finally L21 1 syllable.
• unrhymed.

These being finally the most cogent of the various description I found are the words of Judi Van Gorder,aka tinker from PoetryMagnumOpus, which is linked from this site.


• x x x x x x
x x x x x x
x x x x x x
x x x x x x
x x x x x x
x x x x x x

x x x x x
x x x x x
x x x x x
x x x x x
x x x x x

x x x x
x x x x
x x x x
x x x x

x x x
x x x
x x x

x x
x x

x



Example Poem

Tell Him No

Her lips are parted now.
My lips are closing in.
Expecting to taste somehow,
A promise of our sin.
Before we've made a vow
our mating will begin.
Nothing good can come
from this rendezvous.
I am just a bum
who does not love you.
Dreams will not come true.
I'll say the words
That most men say.
We are just turds,
who want our way
So lassies
Just beware
and take care
this way.
Just say
no.

(c) Lawrencealot - May 13, 2012

2 comments:

  1. Diminishing Hexaverse, come on... In this description of form I actually express a personal opinion and you still copy and paste without reference to the source. It would appear to anyone reading this that it is your description and your findings. It isn't really that big a deal but it is irritating when you recognize your words written as if they are anothers. I get it if someone copies & pastes one of my outlines from Poetry Magnum Opus without referencing the source. The outline simply appears as facts. The specific and deliberate language pattern is easily overlooked... but when the copy and paste clearly includes someones deduction and expression of personal opinion...and no reference to its source is provided, that is clearly an infringement.

    We just had a discussion at Poetry Magnum Opus about this type of pladgerism. I have seen you link a couple of times to PMO so I know you are aware it should be done. Actually permission should be asked but hey that takes too much energy. I really think this just may be enthusiasm or laziness. Either way it isn't right. Please be more diligent, please link to the source when you choose to copy and paste. Thanks.

    Note: I see your copy and paste of my work on Welsh Forms here too. Minute Poem, Cyhydedd Fir, Cyhydedd Hir, and more...I haven't read everything you've written but it is easy to scan a month and my style of writing is pretty distinct. If you like my work so much, let other know where to find it. Give me some credit please.

    Judi Van Gorder AKA Tinker

    ReplyDelete
  2. Actually I have asked permission at times, and have even offered corrections to some site with mixed result so far as getting replies. Yeah, one does get lazy, but there will be a renewed effort to provide full ATTRIBUTION ere I be done.

    ReplyDelete