Types of Poem Forms - French Pantoum Poems
I like to think of the French Pantoum form of poetry as a dance, one step forward, and two steps back, a slow waltz of sorts type of poem, especially for the author of the poem when it comes to writing one. Now, the idea for this French poetry form didn’t originate in France, but was an adaptation in the 19th century by French poets of an old Malay song form, so you could actually call it a Malay-French poem form turned English if you so wanted.
Rules For Writing A Pantoum Poem
All of the stanzas are written in four lines, with the second and fourth lines of each stanza becoming first and third lines of the next stanza. By the time the poet comes to the last stanza, the second and fourth lines are the third and first lines of each stanza, making the beginning and the end identical in the pantoum. Other rules are:
- The French Pantoum has no limit on the number of quatrains.
- The French Pantoum has lines of no fixed rule in terms of length which is solely a decision left up to the poet.
- The French Pantoum’s key appeal is that it says everything twice, and the repetition is quite in harmony in terms of how the poem flows.
Repetition In Pantoum Poems
The pantoum poem is really all about “repetition,” but not in a boring or laborious way, but more in format that evokes a caring and mellower time in the distant past. In case you are wondering what the difference is between the French Pantoum form of poetry and its predecessor the Malayan pantun, the differences are subtle. They both follow the same rhyme and line scheme. However, the Malayan pantun was more rigidly traditional in theme and imagery and both may not be obvious to the English speaking reader or listener.
The Malayan pantun has been key to teaching and passing on values to the next generations, particularly when it comes to understanding and symbolizing nature. Along with Malayan pantuns about religion, cultural and social values, it is a gift from the past that hopefully will revitalize one culture's poetic form of lullaby that is currently on the endangered list when it comes to writing poetry.
Now, you would think that the repetition would make writing of the pantoum poems difficult, but I find that such devices actually make the poem flow quickly once you form a theme. Inspiration can be found all around us, even in the daily news. Here's my pantoum poem, drawing from current events and the seed the Malayan pantum gave pantoum poems in passing on cultural and social values of the times:
Pantoum of the Occupy Wall Street Protests
When we the middle class became one of the poor
The land of the free stopped being the land of the blind
Handmade signs and people across the nation
Chanting and shouting I am one of the ninety-nine.
The land of the free stopped being land of the blind
When fifteen hundred were applying for job openings for five
Chanting and shouting I am one of the ninety-nine
Bail out the people not the banks.
When fifteen hundred were applying for job openings for five
No longer suffering in silence about it
Bail out the people not the banks
Losing our homes and our jobs and way of life.
No longer suffering in silence about it
Capitalism used to be a proud eagle
Losing our homes and our jobs and way of life
Morphing the eagle into a vulture.
Capitalism used to be a proud eagle
Blood, sweat, and tears in the land of the once free
Morphing the eagle into a vulture
The cost of living devouring our shrunken dollar.
Blood, sweat, and tears in the land of the once free
Homeless Veterans begging on street corners
The cost of living devouring our dollar
No one knows when the end of this will be.
Homeless Veterans begging on street corners
Food pantries with empty shelves
No one know when the end of this will be
Some are crying the cost of living is killing me.
Food pantries with empty shelves
Kitchen cupboards at the end of the month bare
Some are crying the cost of living is killing me
While others are dying for lack of health care.
Kitchen cupboards at the end of the month bare
Evictions and foreclosures just about everywhere
While others are dying for lack of health care
The rich and the politicians go their way without a care.
Evictions and foreclosures just about everywhere
The land of the free stopped being the land of the blind
The rich and the politicians go their way without a care
When we the middle class became one of the poor.
Jerilee Wei © 2001
Examples Of Well-known Pantoum Poems
There are numerous examples of pantoum poems in print. Some of the better known examples are:
- John Ashberry's "Pantoum"
- Carolyn Kizer's "Parents' Pantoum"
- Donald Justice's "Pantoum of the Great Depression"
- Brander Matthews' "En Route"
- Nellie Wong's "Grandmother's Song"
If You'd Like To Know More About Writing Pantoum Poems!
- Pantoum
- Poetry Form - The Pantoum
How to write a Pantoum: Description and explanation of the Pantoum, a poetry form from Malaya via France. - Poetic Form: Pantoum- Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More
The pantoum originated in Malaysia in the fifteenth-century as a short folk poem, typically made up of two rhyming couplets that were recited or sung. However, as the pantoum spread, and Western writers altered and adapted the form, the importance of - The Revitalization of Pantun (Malayan Quatrain) | Melayu Online
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