poetry Poetry Prompt 7 - Blank Verse

[Irritable1]

This month’s poetry prompt is based on the verse form I use most often because of its conversational rhythm and ease: blank verse. 

 

Blank verse is defined as verse that keeps to a regular meter but doesn’t rhyme.  The definition includes a requirement that the verse be not only regular, but specifically in iambic pentameter (five iambs per line: in other words, ten syllables on every line, following a rhythm of da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM, etc.)

 

Unlike most of the forms discussed in the poetry prompts, blank verse is not most commonly read, but heard. We are all exposed to blank verse at some point during our school years, and we’re usually forced to listen to it performed, or at worst, haltingly read out loud—because sooner or later, even the most unwilling reader must come to grips with the greatest blank verse poet of all: Shakespeare.

 

The first known instance of blank verse in English dates from 1554, when the Earl of Surrey translated the Latin epic poem, the Aeneid, into English and transposed the Latin dactylic hexameters of the original into conversational-sounding English iambic pentameter.  This rhythm, rhymed and unrhymed, was pleasant-sounding to the ears of English speakers and it was popular with Elizabethan poets and playwrights. Here are some sinister lines spoken by a murderous character created by Shakespeare’s contemporary, Christopher Marlowe, in a play ominously titled Massacre at Paris:

 

Where are those perfumed gloves which late I sent

To be poysoned, hast thou done them? speake,

Will every savour breed a pangue of death?

 

Marlowe is supposed to have been the first writer to make blank verse truly usable in drama, but Shakespeare made it iconic.

 

Here’s Juliet, yearning for sunset, which will allow Romeo’s arrival to consummate their marriage.

 

Come, night; come, Romeo; come, thou day in night;

For thou wilt lie upon the wings of night

Whiter than new snow on a raven's back.

Come, gentle night, come, loving, black-brow'd night,

Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die,

Take him and cut him out in little stars,

And he will make the face of heaven so fine

That all the world will be in love with night

And pay no worship to the garish sun.

 

The last five lines of this excerpt from Juliet’s speech are among the most famous in English verse. Note that there is something special about iambic pentameter to an English speaker: the rhythm is not strained either by Juliet’s repetitive exclamations, which are realistic enough for a teenager in love, or by the lyrical flight at the end of the quote. Not only does Juliet’s voice vary, but several characters in the play have their own distinctive patterns of speech, and they all fit comfortably into iambic pentameter.

 

Shakespeare was one of the first writers of what we think of as “classic” blank verse, but there have been many other classic blank verse poems since, including Milton’s long Paradise Lost, and a number of works by the Romantic poets. Tennyson’s richly musical Ulysses is one of my favorites. This is the aged Ulysses urging his companions to one last voyage:

 

The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks:

The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep

Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends,

'T is not too late to seek a newer world.

Push off, and sitting well in order smite

The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds

To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths

Of all the western stars, until I die.

 

Our well-read AC Benus has pointed out to me that one of the most-quoted works of modern times was also in blank verse--WB Yeats’s terrifying The Second Coming, written in 1920:

 

The darkness drops again; but now I know

That twenty centuries of stony sleep

Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,

Slouches toward Bethlehem to be born?

 

And lastly for this piece, there’s the American giant Robert Frost, who used the conversational flexibility of blank verse in his Death of the Hired Hand:

 

“What did he say? Did he say anything?”

 

“But little.”

“Anything? Mary, confess

He said he’d come to ditch the meadow for me.”

 

“Warren!”

“But did he? I just want to know.”

                                                                                                                                                                                 

 

So that’s blank verse—one of the oldest, most distinguished, and easiest of English poetic forms. Your poetry prompt, should you choose to accept it, is to:

 

Write a poem in ten lines of blank verse (defined in the usual way as non-rhyming iambic pentameter) as an address to a friend or a loved one. OR, if you're feeling adventurous, write a speech (or speeches) for a character (or characters) whom you've created, all in blank verse.

 

[JamesSavik]

Last Call

 

The lights are down and the band has gone home,

The place smells like stale beer, cigarettes and rust.

No one is here because their life works too well,

Lonely people drinking away another lonely night.

It doesn't have to be the romance of the season,

It would be enough if it were the romance of tonight.

Edited March 13, 2015 by jamessavik

[AC Benus]

I got inspired this morning, Irri. I'll have it vetted and post a little later on. Thank you for taking on this interesting subject! 

[AC Benus]

Poetry Prompt 7 - Blank Verse - Reply:

 

 

I glance over my shoulder; sparkling sweat

Glimmers just above the roof of my sight.

Gardening with you like this brings back memories,

Ones that like all the stored sights of color,

Parade slowly and show off all at once.

I wipe my brow and sweat now coats my palm –

A marriage is like a garden that's planned,

But some of the purest joys just Spring up

To make me pause in my efforts and know

What we've planted will continue to grow.

Edited March 15, 2015 by AC Benus

[Irritable1]

That's really great, AC, especially the last little nod to sonnet form I like the implicit references to work throughout, and the pun. 

Edited March 15, 2015 by Irritable1

[Dolores Esteban]

Another nice prompt. Here's mine:

 

Speech to the Battered King

[Aditus]

I just wrote a poem for last month's prompt. It's not finished yet, it needs some finishing touches. Next I will try my hands at blank verse. Blank verse for me always means Goethe's Iphigenia in Tauris (German: Iphigenie auf Tauris). Great explanation, Irri.

[AC Benus]

Another nice prompt. Here's mine:

 

Speech to the Battered King

I really like this; a little more experience and I bet you could give ole Billy Boy a run for his money! 

[Irritable1]

Strongly agree.... I'll write a proper review tomorrow though.

 

Here's mine. Once again, I wandered way off where I was supposed to be... but the beauty of blank verse is, you can write another 1000 lines to haul yourself back on track, and still totally be in compliance with the form!

 

Edit: ack, I meant to say, Gary, thank you for your open-minded review. Freakin autocorrect!

Edited March 17, 2015 by Irritable1

[AC Benus]

Here's mine. Once again, I wandered way off where I was supposed to be... but the beauty of blank verse is, you can write another 1000 lines to haul yourself back on track, and still totally be in compliance with the form!

 

 

This is a beautiful poem. It's very moving and evocative, and at one point I thought the fiery little girl was a reference to the poet herself when she was that age    

[Irritable1]

This is a beautiful poem. It's very moving and evocative, and at one point I thought the fiery little girl was a reference to the poet herself when she was that age    

 

I wish! No, it's definitely the Glint. No one was ever as fierce as the toddler Glint. She gave me the best negative feedback ever: one day I was being way too hard on the kids, getting them to school in the morning, and she shouted back at me that I shouldn't yell at the Dove or put him in timeout. And she was right. She had just turned two. I took a hard look at myself that day, and made some changes.

 

Anyway. I'm concerned that the poem makes everyone think of the Pearly Gates, makes me wonder where those dream gates are from really. When I dream of them they are always the gates on a fancy country estate a bit run to seed, sort of like an Indian Manderley.

[Aditus]

I'm late.

[AC Benus]

I'm late.

Never too late, my friend. Never!

[totallyy]

I would rather do anything than study some more, so I wrote this: https://www.gayauthors.org/story/totallyy/rhymes/13

[AC Benus]

I would rather do anything than study some more, so I wrote this: https://www.gayauthors.org/story/totallyy/rhymes/13

Thanks for taking the challenge!!! I will leave a review for you on the posting.

[Puppilull]

A little romantic blank verse. Hope you enjoy!

 

https://www.gayauthors.org/story/puppilull/puppilullspoetryprompts/10

[Emi GS]

Like I already said in last prompt I am not a huge writer in writing poetry. But I'll accept the challenge, and write anyway... This stupid lines got out of my brain and I just put down here... So bare it...

 

*Starts Now*

They never told Me what I have to Write,

They have never given a Chance to Understand.

They even made Me to write as I Like,

They never got to terms with what I Write.

Whatever the Idea I got, they Restricted.

Finally Writing never expected, I got the Trophy.

When taking Prize money, they expect Me write it for Donation.

Now I never Understand What to Write...

*Ends Now*

[Headstall]

Here is my attempt at the Poetry Prompt 7 Blank Verse challenge. It is about the two main characters in 'Cards on the Table"... I call it 'Michael's Ode to Kendall'.

 

https://www.gayauthors.org/story/headstall/headstallspoetryprompts/11

[AC Benus]

Like I already said in last prompt I am not a huge writer in writing poetry. But I'll accept the challenge, and write anyway... This stupid lines got out of my brain and I just put down here... So bare it...

 

*Starts Now*

 

They never told Me what I have to Write,

They have never given a Chance to Understand.

They even made Me to write as I Like,

They never got to terms with what I Write.

Whatever the Idea I got, they Restricted.

Finally Writing never expected, I got the Trophy.

When taking Prize money, they expect Me write it for Donation.

Now I never Understand What to Write...

*Ends Now*

Thanks for taking the challenge! I left a review on the posting in your poetry collection. Good job.

Here is my attempt at the Poetry Prompt 7 Blank Verse challenge. It is about the two main characters in 'Cards on the Table"... I call it 'Michael's Ode to Kendall'.

 

https://www.gayauthors.org/story/headstall/headstallspoetryprompts/11

This is a beautiful poem, Gary. I'll leave a review on the actual posting, but thanks for taking the poetry prompt challenge!

[Headstall]

Okay, so apparently I wasn't done. Kendall insisted on his turn. Mikiesboy's Free Verse inspired me to try it. I hope it kind of fits here... sometimes poetry has a mind of its own...

 

https://www.gayauthors.org/story/headstall/headstallspoetryprompts/12

[Emi GS]

Thanks for taking the challenge! I left a review on the posting in your poetry collection. Good job.

 

Thank You... For all the Comments and Review...

[Mikiesboy]

OK.. here is my offering.. it's called Beloved:  https://www.gayauthors.org/story/mikiesboy/timmysjournal/25

[J.HunterDunn]

It seems, tim, we were working on the same prompt. Here is my attempt:

 

https://www.gayauthors.org/story/jhunterdunn/petersprobationarypoems/3

[Mikiesboy]

It seems, tim, we were working on the same prompt. Here is my attempt:

 

https://www.gayauthors.org/story/jhunterdunn/petersprobationarypoems/3

We are! And I love yours. I have no likes though! We have similar themes as well! Love, remembrance, the sweet things our loves do. Who said men are not thoughtful or romantic? I'm sure your poem, printed and found later in his suitcase would be adored.

[J.HunterDunn]

We are! And I love yours. I have no likes though! We have similar themes as well! Love, remembrance, the sweet things our loves do. Who said men are not thoughtful or romantic? I'm sure your poem, printed and found later in his suitcase would be adored.

 

Actually, when I pack his suitcase I always hide a note somewhere, just like I know I will find a note sooner or later in an unlikely place  .