Poetry Writing – The Sestina
By Jon Vaitl
The sestina form has been around for several centuries. It’s origin is credited back to the 12th century. Although many traditional forms of poetry make use of strict rhyming structures and meter, the sestina does not necessarily require either characteristic. In their place, the sestina incorporates repetition, often to very powerful ends.
At 39 lines, the sestina is one of the longer traditional forms. The poem is divided into six stanzas of six lines each and concludes with a three line envoy.
The last word in each line of the first stanza are repeated throughout the poem. The poet needs to make those choices wisely because if the words are too common, we (as readers) may not even notice the repetition. On the other hand, if the words are too remarkable, then the repetition may stand out too much. This is what leads to the greatest challenge of writing sestinas – choosing six words that are interesting, can carry tremendous meaning, but are not too common or uncommon.
The Pattern
The repetition follows a specific pattern. Think of a snail shell that starts spiraling from the bottom. It moves from bottom to top to bottom to top, advancing toward the center.
To illustrate this a little easier, we can imagine the six line-ending words of the first stanza as being assigned numbers and aligned vertically as follows:
1
2
3
4
5
6
Now imagine we have a snail shell that starts at 6, swings up to 1, then circles back down to 5, before going up to 2, down to 4, and up to 3. Can you see it in your head? That’s the pattern that subsequent 6-line stanzas will follow.
So the second stanza ends:
6
1
5
2
4
3
The third stanza ends:
3
6
4
1
2
5
The fourth stanza ends:
5
3
2
6
1
4
The fifth stanza ends:
4
5
1
3
6
2
And the six stanza ends:
2
4
6
5
3
1
As you can imagine, the poet sets the tone with the first stanza. If the poet picks words that will be hard to work into this pattern of repetition, then the remaining stanzas will probably feel awkward and forced to read.
Once all six stanzas are completed, the poem simply needs a three-line envoy that includes all six repeated words, two per line. The first line uses number 2 somewhere in the line and ends with number 5, the second line uses number 4 and ends with number 3, and the final line of the poem uses number 6 and ends with number 1.
Famous Sestina Poets
Some of the earliest sestina poets were Dante and Petrarch, although more modern poets, such as Elizabeth Bishop and Ezra Pound, have also tackled the form. The links below will take you to some examples of sestinas. The form lends itself well to more contemporary poets because of its reliance on repetition over rhyme and meter. The contemporary affinity for free verse makes any form that doesn’t require specific meter more attractive.
The Effect of Sestinas
As with any kind of poetry, the effect of a poem is often more dependent on the reader than the poet. It’s inherently subjective. However, sestinas do create a certain echoing effect for the reader. In sestinas where the six words, by themselves, can carry the weight of the poem’s meaning, then the repetition only hammers home the point.
In addition, by repeating the words, the poem can access the subconscious space easier. It becomes a type of subliminal message that underscores the intent of the poem. It’s not an easy thing to pull off, but when it’s done well, the result is exceptional!
Learn more about sestinas by visiting Poets.org, which provides an outstanding overview, or my own Squidoo page: Poetry 101: The Sestina
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