Poetic Forms: the Dizain

The Dizain has its roots in 14^th and 15^th century French poetry; details of its earliest use are difficult to gather, but the time frame seems to correspond to early sonnets, as poets sometimes chose between the two forms.

The Dizain is a complete poem containing only one verse ten lines, or sometimes eight, each using eight or ten-syllables, and rhyming in a specific pattern. If it has ten lines, it may also be called a "decastich." The number of syllables should be the same for every line, either eight syllables or ten. There should be no variation from line to line.

There is no specific meter required in a dizain, though it is customary to use a classic meter, such as iambic pentameter (see "Poetic Meter").

Using only four rhymes, the rhyming pattern should be "a - b - a - b - b - c - c - d - c - d" for the original ten-line stanza, "a - b - a - b - c - d - c - d" for the octet, or eight-line version.

Remember that in a rhyming pattern, lines ending in a sound designated by "a" only rhyme with other "a" lines, "b" lines only with other "b" lines, and so on.

Example:

A Masterpiece Revealed

He gently leapt from frond to lanky stem,
while dragging with him bonds of future meals.
With expert stitching, strands became a hem,
completing this, his latest of ordeals,
and only when the morning dew reveals
this masterpiece can others grasp his skill.
He'll lie in wait, quite patiently, until
a passerby flies blindly in the space
reserved for those whose protein fits the bill,
then wrapped, preserved in unrelenting lace.

Copyright © 2009 by Jack Huber