Poetry Challenge—Introducing the Englyn: Form 9—the Englyn Proest Cadwynog

An englyn is a form of Welsh or Cornish verse, with a reputation of being hard to master. It has several different variants, all of which are governed by strict rules. This week, we’ll look at the englyn proest cadwynog.

The englyn proest cadwynog consists of a four-line verse. Each line has seven syllables. The first and third lines rhyme and the second and fourth lines half rhyme on the same vowel sound as the first and third lines.

The Troll Lord’s Queen

The troll lord’s queen came stalking

Set beasts and babies bawling

into the darkness walking

Behind her alarms calling

We followed her through night dark

We followed her to sun start

We followed her to lair dark

And then tore her world apart

Why don’t you give it a try? Try writing at least one englyn proest cadwynog for each day of the week.

You can find out more about how to write englyns from the following sites:

http://www.volecentral.co.uk/vf/englyn.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Englyn

http://www.poetrysoup.com/poems/englyn

http://www.poetrysoup.com/dictionary/englyn

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/188329/englyn

http://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/zoebrigley/entry/the_measures_of_1/

http://dversepoets.com/2012/10/11/formforall-englyn/

http://www.oocities.org/sca_bard/childrensenglynmilwr.html

http://www.oocities.org/sca_bard/childrensenglynmilwr.html