It’s New Form Friday for your Poetic Palates.

Today I bring you the CHANSO.

This is a French form made popular by troubadours in 12th century Europe. Often about the chivalrous manner to treat women. (More details coming in updates or a new post. You know I love the historic details of things.)

Here it goes the How To Write:

• 4 or more STANZAS
• The number of lines for a STANZA is up to you. But EACH STANZA will be that number of lines.
• SYLLABLES should be the same for each line throughout. The number is your choice.
• The RHYME SCHEME is your choice, but whatever you set for the FIRST STANZA, should be the same for all STANZAS.

The RHYME PATTERN for a four-line four STANZA Chanso would look like this: (Image)

(Text Version)
RHYMING PATTERNS for a four-line, four stanza CHANSO.
Each stanza is to use its OWN rhymes, not those of
the previous stanza’s rhymes.
A                                A
B                                A
A                                B
B                                 B

C                                 C
D                                 C
C                                 D
D                                 D

E                                  E
F                                  E
E                                  F
F                                  F

G                                  G
H                                  G
G                                  H
H                                  H

I                                   I
J                                   I

• You choose the NUMBER OF STANZAS you want your Chanso to have.
• The FINAL STANZA called an ENVOY or TORNADA, is a summary of the poem or a dedication to the subject the poem is about if that applies in any way.
• The ENVOY/TORNADO is half the number of lines as the main stanzas.
• For the ABOVE PATTERN, the ENVOY is a 2 line stanza because the main stanza is 4 lines
  If the main was a 6 line stanza, the final stanza would be a 3 line stanza.
• The RHYME PATTERN for the ENVOY/TORNADA is the same as the main stanza
  beginning with line one. If this were a 6 line main stanza, then the envoy/tornada would be IJI or IIJ.

© 2020- Ronovan Hester Copyright reserved. The author asserts his moral and legal rights over this work.