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temperance14Per Stephen Fry (from Ode Less Travelled):
"The Ballade, not to be confused with the [English] ballad...is a venerable form of French form of some fiendishness for English poets. The difficulty arises...from the number of rhyme sounds needed. It ends in an envoi which, tradition dicates, must be addressed to a Prince..."
The traditional rhyme scheme is based on only two end rhymes, and the refrain, which must rhyme with the first, or "a", rhyme scheme (the refrain is notated as "A"). There are three stanzas of 8 lines of mirrored abab rhyme:
abab babA.
Then the envoi of babA
All together: ababbabA ababbabA ababbabA babA
So, in English, one must come up with 10 lines that end with rhyme "a", and 14 with rhyme "b". Ouch.
To return to Mr. Fry,
"This is no doubt a doddle in French but the very bastard son of a mongrel bitch in English."
But, it's been done. So, for Valentime's Day, an essay by Dorothy Parker. Note she makes life easier for herself, and sparkles the poem, by adding a "c" rhyme and "C" refrain.:
Ballade of Unfortunate Mammals
Love is sharper than stones or sticks;
Lone as the sea, and deeper blue;
Loud in the night as a clock that ticks;
Longer lived than the Wandering Jew.
Show me a love that was done and through,
Tell me a kiss that escaped its debt!
Son, to your death you'll pay your due--
Women and elephants never forget.
Ever a man, alas, would mix,
Ever a man, heigh-ho, must woo;
So he's left in the world-old fix,
Thus is furthered the sale of rue.
Son, your chances are thin and few--
Won't you ponder before you're set?
Shoot if you must, but hold in view
Women and elephants never forget.
Down from Caesar past Joyson-Hicks
Echoes the warning, ever new
Though they're trained to amusing tricks,
Gentler they, than the pigeons coo,
Careful son, of the cursed two--
Either one is a dangerous pet;
Natural history proves it true--
Women and elephants never forget.
L'Envoi
Prince, a precept I'd leave for you,
Coined in Eden, existing yet:
Skirt the parlor, and shun the zoo--
Women and elephans never forget.
"The Ballade, not to be confused with the [English] ballad...is a venerable form of French form of some fiendishness for English poets. The difficulty arises...from the number of rhyme sounds needed. It ends in an envoi which, tradition dicates, must be addressed to a Prince..."
The traditional rhyme scheme is based on only two end rhymes, and the refrain, which must rhyme with the first, or "a", rhyme scheme (the refrain is notated as "A"). There are three stanzas of 8 lines of mirrored abab rhyme:
abab babA.
Then the envoi of babA
All together: ababbabA ababbabA ababbabA babA
So, in English, one must come up with 10 lines that end with rhyme "a", and 14 with rhyme "b". Ouch.
To return to Mr. Fry,
"This is no doubt a doddle in French but the very bastard son of a mongrel bitch in English."
But, it's been done. So, for Valentime's Day, an essay by Dorothy Parker. Note she makes life easier for herself, and sparkles the poem, by adding a "c" rhyme and "C" refrain.:
Ballade of Unfortunate Mammals
Love is sharper than stones or sticks;
Lone as the sea, and deeper blue;
Loud in the night as a clock that ticks;
Longer lived than the Wandering Jew.
Show me a love that was done and through,
Tell me a kiss that escaped its debt!
Son, to your death you'll pay your due--
Women and elephants never forget.
Ever a man, alas, would mix,
Ever a man, heigh-ho, must woo;
So he's left in the world-old fix,
Thus is furthered the sale of rue.
Son, your chances are thin and few--
Won't you ponder before you're set?
Shoot if you must, but hold in view
Women and elephants never forget.
Down from Caesar past Joyson-Hicks
Echoes the warning, ever new
Though they're trained to amusing tricks,
Gentler they, than the pigeons coo,
Careful son, of the cursed two--
Either one is a dangerous pet;
Natural history proves it true--
Women and elephants never forget.
L'Envoi
Prince, a precept I'd leave for you,
Coined in Eden, existing yet:
Skirt the parlor, and shun the zoo--
Women and elephans never forget.
