Last month I wrote about the kyrielle. I told you at that time about four different rhyme schemes the kyrielle can take. I’ve learned of some new ones since then.
There are kyrielles that are written in quatrains – most of them in fact. Then there are some kyrielles that are written as couplets, like this:
aA
aA
aA
Of course, a kyrielle has no set number of stanzas, be they quatrains or couplets. They could feasibly go on forever.
The interesting thing about the kyrielle is where it gets its name. Originally, this form was written by Christian Troubadors during the Renaissance. Because of their religious faith, they named the form after a popular Christian liturgy, the kyrie. Kyrie is actually a derivation of the Greek word kyrios, which means “Oh Lord.” Therefore, many of the early kyrielles used that phrase, or the phrase “Lord have mercy,” in the poems.
For more on the kyrielle, and a sample kyrielle written by Thomas Campion, head over to World Class Poetry, and don’t forget to check out Hyperbole.
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