Poetic Forms
Sestina, Tritina, Pantoum
Sestina
• Sestina comes from the Latin word for sixth.
• A sestina is a repetitive form of poetry
invented by the poet Arnaut Daniel.
Sestina
• A sestina consists of:
• Seven stanzas
• The sixth line of each of the first six stanzas
end in one of six words that are repeated in a
specific order.
• The seventh stanza, the envoy, has only three
lines and includes two of the six words in each
of its lines.
• 1. A sarcastic brother
2. it can get very annoying
3. it’s even worse since he’s older
4. When I’m around him, I’m blue
5. He stu…stu…stutters.
6. He likes cookies, they’re made out of ginger.
• 1. I don’t like ginger.
2. I don’t like my brother.
3. We both….both…stutter
4. We both are annoying.
5. It’s always blue.
6. He’s much older.
How to Set it Up
• Stanza One
•1
2
3
4
5
6
How to Set it Up
• Stanza Two
6
1
5
2
4
3
How to Set it Up
• Stanza 3
•3
6
4
1
2
5
How to Set it Up
• Stanza 4
•5
3
2
6
1
4
How to Set it Up
• Stanza 5
4
5
1
3
6
2
How to Set it Up
• Stanza 6
•2
4
6
5
3
1
How to Set it Up
• Envoy
• 1-2
3-4
5-6
Can you identify the
structure?
• Read “A Sestina for Michael Jordan” in your
orange packet. This poem is an example of a
sestina. Can you read the poem and identify
which words are repeated throughout? Where
is the envoy?
• You have five minutes to write.
Tritina
• Tritina comes from the Latin word for three. Like
the sestina, it is a repetitive form of poetry that
consists of:
• Three stanzas
Envoy
• The three lines of each of the three stanzas end in
one of three words, repeated in a specific order.
The envoy is one line that contains all three words.
How to Set it Up
• Stanza 1
•1
2
3
How to Set it Up
• Stanza 2
•3
1
2
How to Set it Up
• Stanza 3
•2
3
1
How to Set it Up
• Envoy
• One line that uses all 3 words
Can you identify the
structure?
• Read “A Trintina for Mom” can you identify
the structure for a trintina? What words are
repeated in this poem?
Pantoum
• The pantoum originated in Malayan literature
as an oral form of poetry.
• The pantoum that we read and write today
was first described by Victor Hugo who wrote
The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les
Miserables. He wrote during the 1820s.
Pantoum
• The pauntoum consists of four line stanzas
with lines repeated in a set pattern.
• The second and fourth lines of each stanza
reappear as the first and third of the next. The
length of a pantoum—the number of
stanzas—is up to the poet.
How to Set it Up
• Stanza 1
• Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
Line 4
How to Set it Up
• Stanza 2
• Line 5: same as Line 2, above
• Line 6:
Line 7: same as Line 4, above
Line 8
How to Set it Up
• Stanza 3
• Line 9: same as Line 6, above
• Line 10
• Line 11: same as Line 8, above
• Line 12
Can you identify the
structure?
• Read “A Pantoum for Blue,” what makes a
pantoum different from a sestina or a trintina?
How many stanzas does a pantoum, have? Are
words repeated? Which words?
Time to Write
• Practice writing sestinas, trintinas, and
pantoums. Start with the trintina. Pick a topic
from you list “Where Poetry Hides” and start
writing. The formula for a trintina is listed in
your orange packet.
Time to Share
• You will have ten minutes to write your
trintina, if you finish early move on to writing a
sestina about a different topic.
Homework
• Your homework assignment is to write a
pantoum for a specific color. Use “A Pantoum
for Blue” as your inspiration. We will begin
class tomorrow by reviewing these poetic
forms, and sharing our pantoums.