Pantoums
A pantoum is a form of poetry in which there are repeating lines throughout the poem. It is composed of a series of quatrains; the second and fourth lines of each stanza are repeated as the first and third lines of the next. This pattern continues for any number of stanzas, except for the final stanza, which differs in the repeating pattern. As with the other stanzas, the first and third lines of the last stanza are the second and fourth of the penultimate, but the first line of the poem is the last line of the final stanza, and the third line of the first stanza is the second of the final (after Wikipedia). I have numbered the lines in order to emphasise the structure. By the way, the pantoum doesn't have to rhyme, but I'm given to self-inflicted suffering.
The Pantoum of the Opera
1 “Vesti la giubba”* sings Canio the clown.
2 The show must go on—the circus has come to town!
3 All the world’s a stage and he must enter on his cue.
4 They’ve paid good money for their seats; he must give them what’s their due.
2 The show must go on—the circus has come to town!
5 He mustn’t disappoint them, ’though his life has broken down.
4 They’ve paid good money for their seats; he must give them what’s their due.
6 Clown-jobs—after all—are far-between and few.
5 He mustn’t disappoint them, ’though his life has broken down.
7 He knows no other craft that’ll earn him a half-a-crown.
6 Clown-jobs—after all—are far-between and few.
8 Who else, who else—he sadly asks—could know the grief he knew?
7 He knows no other craft that’ll earn him a half-a-crown.
3 All the world’s a stage and he must enter on his cue.
8 Who else, who else—he sadly asks—could know the grief he knew?
1 “Vesti la giubba” sings Canio the clown.
Kevin S Weir
April 2012
2 The show must go on—the circus has come to town!
3 All the world’s a stage and he must enter on his cue.
4 They’ve paid good money for their seats; he must give them what’s their due.
2 The show must go on—the circus has come to town!
5 He mustn’t disappoint them, ’though his life has broken down.
4 They’ve paid good money for their seats; he must give them what’s their due.
6 Clown-jobs—after all—are far-between and few.
5 He mustn’t disappoint them, ’though his life has broken down.
7 He knows no other craft that’ll earn him a half-a-crown.
6 Clown-jobs—after all—are far-between and few.
8 Who else, who else—he sadly asks—could know the grief he knew?
7 He knows no other craft that’ll earn him a half-a-crown.
3 All the world’s a stage and he must enter on his cue.
8 Who else, who else—he sadly asks—could know the grief he knew?
1 “Vesti la giubba” sings Canio the clown.
Kevin S Weir
April 2012
*Vesti la giubba (Italian) = Put on the jacket; referring to putting on his clown costume. Vesti la Giubba is an aria from I Pagliacci, by Ruggiero Leoncavallo. It tells a story of betrayal and murder. Canio sings about having to entertain the public, even though his heart is breaking because his wife has betrayed him. He is one of my favourite operatic characters. By the way, the giubba part is pronounced “joobah”.
A Pantoum On Writer’s Block
1 I’m really threatened by this pantoum.
2 In silent agony I hide in my room.
3 This is writer’s block (in which I’m well-versed).
4 It feels as though my muse has been cursed.
2 In silent agony I hide in my room.
5 I’m trapped in a state of artistic gloom.
4 It feels as though my muse has been cursed
6 To live a life of artistic thirst.
5 I’m trapped in a state of artistic gloom--
7 A fate awaiting me since the womb--
6 To live a life of artistic thirst.
8 Of all the fates, this must be the worst.
7 A fate awaiting me since the womb.
3 This is writer’s block (in which I’m well-versed).
8 Of all the fates, this must be the worst.
1 I’m really threatened by this pantoum.
Kevin S Weir
April 2012
2 In silent agony I hide in my room.
3 This is writer’s block (in which I’m well-versed).
4 It feels as though my muse has been cursed.
2 In silent agony I hide in my room.
5 I’m trapped in a state of artistic gloom.
4 It feels as though my muse has been cursed
6 To live a life of artistic thirst.
5 I’m trapped in a state of artistic gloom--
7 A fate awaiting me since the womb--
6 To live a life of artistic thirst.
8 Of all the fates, this must be the worst.
7 A fate awaiting me since the womb.
3 This is writer’s block (in which I’m well-versed).
8 Of all the fates, this must be the worst.
1 I’m really threatened by this pantoum.
Kevin S Weir
April 2012
A Pantoum On The Artist’s Way
1 As in trepidation I set out upon the Artist’s Way,
2 I wonder: dress casual or formal?
3 This could be disaster, or the high-point of my day.
4 “Oh heavens”, I sigh, “what if they think I’m abnormal?”
2 I wonder: dress casual or formal?
5 I can’t think straight wearing shoes or a tie.
4 “Oh heavens”, I sigh, “what if they think I’m abnormal?”
6 If I feel like a misfit, I know I shall die.
5 I can’t think straight wearing shoes or a tie.
7 If I were a drinker, I’d have a stiff gin.
6 If I feel like a misfit, I know I shall die.
8 So I quietly say: “Don’t venture, don’t win”.
7 If I were a drinker, I’d have a stiff gin.
3 This could be disaster, or the high-point of my day.
8 So I quietly say: “Don’t venture, don’t win”.
1 As in trepidation I set out upon the Artist’s Way.
Kevin S Weir
April 2012
(Thanks to Noeleen Sparks for the inspiration!)
2 I wonder: dress casual or formal?
3 This could be disaster, or the high-point of my day.
4 “Oh heavens”, I sigh, “what if they think I’m abnormal?”
2 I wonder: dress casual or formal?
5 I can’t think straight wearing shoes or a tie.
4 “Oh heavens”, I sigh, “what if they think I’m abnormal?”
6 If I feel like a misfit, I know I shall die.
5 I can’t think straight wearing shoes or a tie.
7 If I were a drinker, I’d have a stiff gin.
6 If I feel like a misfit, I know I shall die.
8 So I quietly say: “Don’t venture, don’t win”.
7 If I were a drinker, I’d have a stiff gin.
3 This could be disaster, or the high-point of my day.
8 So I quietly say: “Don’t venture, don’t win”.
1 As in trepidation I set out upon the Artist’s Way.
Kevin S Weir
April 2012
(Thanks to Noeleen Sparks for the inspiration!)