Home / Brain Boosting / Strengthen Your Thinking / Sculpted Poetry and Triolets - Creative Writing

Strengthen Your Thinking - Sculpted Poetry and Triolets - Creative Writing

What is a Triolet?

A Triolet is type of ‘Formal Poem.’ A Formal Poem is one which has certain rules about how it is made, for example, the number of lines, the lines that are used, the rhythm that is used, etc.

A Triolet is an eight line poem which uses repetition and, in its original form, rhyme to create patterns. It is a medieval French form which goes back to the 13th century. To begin with, we are going to create a triolet which doesn't rhyme. Later, if you feel confident, you can try to write a triolet that rhymes. The rules about the rhyme scheme used in a triolet are at the end of this worksheet.

 

Why use this technique?

Creating Triolets can give us more confidence with poetry and introduces to the use of patterns in poetry, and builds up skills and techniques that we can use.

 

View our examples below:
 

Click on the arrows to view the examples

First the seed of the plant is sown

After a while it roots in the ground

It shooteth forth strings or threads

First the seed of the plant is sown

The hottest herb is thyme

That which grows upon colder herbs

First the seed of the plant is sown

After a while it roots in the ground

 

Joy

The plant monster

 

It has slender long spine and a crown of stiff bristles

It eats worms and spiders and purplish hollow flowers

With its tongue it catches the dew or rain which falls

It has slender long spine and a crown of stiff bristles

And it lives in a stately and beautiful plant

By the banks of a river

It has slender long spine and a crown of stiff bristles

It eats worms and spiders and purplish hollow flowers

 

Edward Cowan

Sweet Marjoram

 

Government of virtue

Orbiting the planets

The order set in granite

Government of virtue

Sweet Marjoram we implore thee

Soothe the grief of womb

Government of virtue

Orbiting the planets

 

JB

Savory

 

This plant will cure all

wasps stings and bad tummies

for all sufferings, geometrical, metaphysical and mortal

This plant will cure all

During the ascent as man as it is good

Although surgeons decline its temptations

This plant will cure all

wasps stings and bad tummies


Liam Michael Hunt

 

Page 6 of 9