07 May 2014

Isbourne

On Cotswold lawn, one afternoon,
a teeming river whirls around
with waves that shape a turning tune
through mellow flow to rowdy bound.

A teeming river whirls around
in ribbonry of blue, green, black
through mellow flow to rowdy bound
from singing streams to lightning crack!

In ribbonry of blue, green, black
while thunder threatens overhead
from singing streams to lightning crack!
banks burst, floods surge, rocks run rich red.

While thunder threatens overhead
swift currents churn, roar gleefully,
banks burst, floods surge, rocks run rich red
in splashing, dashing melody.

Swift currents churn, roar gleefully
with waves that shape a turning tune
in splashing, dashing melody
on Cotswold lawn, one afternoon.

* * *

This poem is called a pantoum. This pantoum is my first attempt at the form and I hope it’s as fun to read as it was to write!

In a pantoum, the second and fourth lines of each four-line verse are repeated as the first and third lines of the next verse, with the very first first-and-third popping up again as the fourth and second lines, respectively, of the last verse. It seems appropriate to describe a performance of so many turns itself! To remember the form, I use the following sequence:

A-B-C-D, B-E-D-F, E-G-F-H, G-I-H-J, I-A-J-C

However, there’s no limit to the number of verses in a pantoum and you don’t have to use a set rhythm. I've written with iambic tetrameter in mind for performance here, because I feel it suits the dance.

For more information on pantoum and iambic tetrameter, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantoum and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iambic_tetrameter

And here’s a great video of Happenstance’s performance at Sankey Marine, 2013: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noA6QOIVbB8


<(:-)

PS: Mr T. just can’t get enough of the Isbourne! Here he is, signing the Way: http://www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/Lace-boots-Winchcombe-Walking-Festival/story-21058529-detail/story.html