Samuel Peralta here…
While studying at the University of Wales, I lived in Swansea – Abertawe, in Welsh. Days I would spend working in the laser laboratory, high in the sciences building, optimizing argon-ion-pumped dye lasers and preparing samples of high-temperature superconductors.
My doctoral thesis was on the laser-induced photothermal spectrometry of condensed matter.
In between re-configuring optical tables and preparing photopyroelectric film detectors, I would take in, from the vista of my lab window, the waters off the wonderful swath of coastline of the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands. And yes, write poetry.
For Swansea was no ordinary university town. It was the town where my love of science and literature first blended into the strange alchemy that has become my poetry. And here was inspiration. Here was born the poet Dylan Thomas.
I lived on Sketty Road, in a student house in an area of Swansea called the Uplands. And if I took a short walk from my flat, up to the park near Cwmdonkin Drive, I would come to the house where he had lived.
Thomas’ poetry is acknowledged to be among the greatest written of any time, and few poems are more beloved than that villanelle which has no other title than its first line, “Do not go gentle into that good night”.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
You can read the poem in full, and listen a reading by the poet himself, at the Academy of American Poets’ site, “Poets.org”.
A villanelle is a poetic form composed of nineteen lines. These are arranged as five tercets (three-line stanzas) followed by a quatrain (four-line stanza).
There is no established meter to the villanelle – modern villanelles tend to pentameter, while early villanelles used trimeter or tetrameter.
The most striking thing about a villanelle is that it has two refrains (“A1” and “A2”) and two repeating rhymes (“a” and “b”). The first and third line of the opening tercet are repeated alternately as the refrains, until the last stanza, which includes both refrains.
With this, the pattern of the villanelle can be illustrated as as A1bA2 – abA1 – abA2 – abA1 – abA2 – abA1A2 where “a” and “b” are the two rhymes, and the upper case letters (“A1” and “A2”) indicate the refrains.
The Thomas poem illustrates this well, with the opening tercet’s first line “Do not go gentle into that good night” (“A1”) and its last line “Rage, rage against the dying of the light” (“A2”) serving as the two rhymed ( “a”) refrains. The middle line “Old age should burn and rave at close of day” sets up the other rhyme (“b”).
Oscar Wilde and Edwin Arlington Robinson were among the first English practitioners of the villanelle. Early on, modern poets eschewed the villanelle because of its formality and structure.
But poets like Thomas, W. H. Auden, Theodore Roethke, Sylvia Plath and Elizabeth Bishop began composing villanelles, and brought the form to a level of popularity in the latter part of this century, that it had not previously enjoyed.
But, for me, no villanelle was ever able to touch Dylan Thomas’ “Do not go gentle”, written as he had watched his aging father, formerly in the Army, grow frail and weak – and as Thomas had attempted to convince his father to rage, to fight against the death that drew near. For me, this poem is Thomas’ masterpiece.
In Swansea, in the shadow of Dylan Thomas’ legacy, inspired by where he had lived, where he had worked, what he had written, I tried to write villanelles. In vain. Every draft I ever wrote in Swansea was committed to flame.
Years later, in Canada, I was again surrounded by the accoutrements of high technology – monolithic optoelectronic semiconductor chip fabrication labs, robots that traversed nuclear reactors to extract radioactive debris. And finally, like electrons settling in their orbitals, it all came together.
Years later, after having written hundreds of other poems, thousands of other lines, I finally found the right refrains, the right theme, the right voice, in the villanelle “War”.
Why do we keep on marching out to war?
If every fiber in us cries for peace,
Someone tell me what are we fighting for?
“War” is one of the centerpiece poems of my Kindle book ”War and Ablution” – and with that piece, the villanelle “War”, I could finally look towards Swansea, towards Cwmdonkin Park, and whisper “Thank you.”
—–
Tonight, join me in paying tribute to Dylan Thomas and share a villanelle, new or old – I’d love to see what people do with the form.
As usual, share your work via the link button below, and please, visit your fellow writers to see what they’ve come up with. I’m definitely looking forward to it.
—–
Samuel Peralta – on Twitter as @Semaphore – is the author of five titles in The Semaphore Collection – Sonata Vampirica, Sonnets from the Labrador, How More Beautiful You Are, Tango Desolado and the just-released War and Ablution – all of which hit #1 on the Amazon Kindle List of Hot New Releases in Poetry on their debut. War and Ablution, his newest collection, was released on October 20, 2012, and includes two poems which have been featured on dVerse Poets, “Cento from the Diary of Anne Frank”, and the villanelle “War”.
Copyright (c) Samuel Peralta. All rights reserved. Cover art for “War and Ablution” from “The Murmur of the Innocents 20 (2010)” by Gottfried Helnwein. Used with permission.
Other images public domain / via WikiMedia Commons or as attributed.
Susan L Daniels said:
Oh, what fun, and thanks for the great article, Sam. I submitted my villanelle, where I messed with meter and slant rhymes, as per usual.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Nice to see you here, Susan, and thanks for joining in! As I noted, you’re free to choose your own meter, so it should be fine!
Susan L Daniels said:
🙂 I fixed it to conform… I was a scooch rebellious in the last tercet & final quatrain, but I brought myself back in line, hahaha.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
What?! That was sneaky!
Susan L Daniels said:
🙂 had an attack of the guilties…
Victoria C. Slotto said:
A wonderful post, Sam. I love the blending of science and art, Dylan Thomas…especially that particular poem and a well-executed villanelle–a form that I find so challenging. I’ve only written one, but would like to give it a whirl with a new one. I’ll try, but it may take a while. Thank you.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
I’ve only written one that I’ve ever been happy with, too, but hopefully I’ll be able to muster a couple more in my lifetime. Will look for yours!
brian miller said:
on my last break at my training and figured i would check in…this was a lot of fun sam….i chose politics for my first villanelle…or villain-elle…hehe..look forward to seeing what everyone brings in this…
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
I always know that yours will subtly bend the form… or break it! So it’ll be something to look forward to!
brian miller said:
and congrats on the new book too….great cover shot…
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Thanks Brian! It is a powerful painting, and very complementary to the book. I was quite fortunate in being able to obtain permission to use it.
ManicDdaily said:
Hi Sam, congrats on the book, and so interesting to hear your background. For years, villanelles were a favorite form so I have written a number of them, many of which I’ve posted before. I would like to try a new one but will see. k.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Thanks Karin, I know you have a steady hand when working within formal poetry, so it’ll be great to see yours!
ManicDdaily said:
Ha! I haven’t started my new one yet, but we’ll see. Thanks. k.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
One of your earlier villanelles will do just fine 🙂
ManicDdaily said:
Well, I’m working on new one now. I’ think I’m almost done. If it’s not very good I’ll use old. I have about seven or eight posted I think. I used to really like the form a great deal. I still do, but I used to feel a bit dependent on them I think (because of their wonderful music.)
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Don’t tell me you’ve got to enter villanelle rehab… 😉
ManicDdaily said:
No – the one you read was the new one. They used to be my go-to form, so I have several. But you should check out the cartoon one as that is kind of cute. Not such great poetry, but nice illustrations.
hedgewitch said:
Really an excellent and fascinating piece, Samuel. I especially enjoyed the back story of your experiences in Wales, and the photographs of Thomas’ house and statue. That is a fine villanelle of his– for me he wrote everything with a truly golden voice. I look forward to reading yours.
I’ve posted an older one, but it’s never been widely read so hopefully it will new to most. I’ll be around later to see what others have done with one of my favorite forms.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Best thing about Swansea is that they valued poetry! I won a BBC & UK Poetry Society Award and became a minor celebrity at pubs! People actually came up to me and asked me to recite poetry – so surreal.
hedgewitch said:
That could just never happen in Oklahoma. ;_) Poetry is a rather Welsh tradition though–the bards were pretty important types there. Many congrats on your book, also.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Thanks, the book is doing better than I thought, given the subject matter.
Joseph Harker said:
I remember going to the Dylan Thomas house as a kid, very inspiring and all. And his villanelles are great, but “Fern Hill” remains (one of) my favorite poem(s) of all time. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Will flex the Formalist muscles soon… I liked the physics footnotes as well, might try to fold that inspiration in.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
“Fern Hill” is amazing – and I have another soft spot for “A Refusal to Mourn the Death, By Fire, of a Child in London”. In fact, I used the structure of the latter poem to write another poem. Looking forward to you working in physics into a villanelle! 😉
Gay said:
Nice to see a reprise of the Villanelle form,Sam. I am posting my most recent one. I have written a series of Nocturnes and several are in the villanelle form. This one is my latest. Some of you may have already read it, but I’ll post it again for those who haven’t.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
I’m not sure I’ve seen your latest villanelle, Gay, so it’ll be a pleasure! 🙂
Sherry Blue Sky said:
I loved your post, Sam, and the mix of science and poetry that is your life….love your whispered “thank you” towards Battersea………….Fascinating read.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Thanks Sherry, I’ve always wanted to write a memoir, and this gave me a chance to write a chapter. Who knows, maybe I can put a few chapters together into a full-length work!
claudia said:
villanelles are my fav form poetry and i LOVE dylan thomas’ do not go gentle…thanks for tending bar sam and congrats on the book as well… will make my rounds as soon as i get off work…can’t wait to read…
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Oh! Glad villanelles are your favourite form! I love them, I just find them so difficult to write. Good for you!
claudia said:
oh..i didn’t say that i find them easy to write…i just like them…but often we tend to fall in love with the things that challenge us most…don’t we….?
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
That we do, Claudia, that we do.
vivinfrance said:
Sam your poem is superb. I doubt we can top Thomas’s or yours.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Oh I don’t know about that. Mine is okay because it took me years to write and maybe three or four dozen revisions. 😉
vivinfrance said:
Mine took about a year, with – like you – dozens of revisions: it was written for my final assignment for my degree!
Jessica Lynn Lang said:
I knew you guys would cover the villanelle eventually. I love reading this form.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Thanks, Jessica, glad you love reading the form – I’m sure you’ll find quite a few really good ones tonight.
Okelle said:
One of my favorite forms — and one that’s quite hard to execute well. FYI, I’m a poet who works in IT.
brian miller said:
nice…i hope to see one by you….
at football practice now so will check back in once it is done and see what fun people have had…
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
A poet who works in IT! That’s excellent!
Ginny Brannan said:
Have written a few Villanelles, I love the format,and have read some amazing pieces in this format. I still struggle with making them feel effortless. Am sharing my very first one written a couple of years ago. You will actually see my learning process, as on that post was the first try, and then the finished poem in correct format. To read any of my other Villanelles (such as they are) click the ‘Villanelle’ tag at the bottom of my poem shared. So happy that you shared this format, Sam. Will be interested to see what the others have shared!!!
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Ginny – I agree, it’s making them flow and seem effortless that’s the difficult part. Even the one I put out there doesn’t have the flow of other villanelles I’ve read, but it was good enough. Will be checking out your blog for all of yours!
claudia said:
got stuck in the office…then stuck in traffic…but i’m here now…smiles…see you on the trail in a bit…
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Happens to me all the time. Just finished dinner… am starting on the trail…
brian miller said:
ha, similar here…forever getting boys to bed tonight so stumbling back in myself…
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Stumbling? Had a bit of a brandy on the way back, eh? 😉
brian miller said:
ha, no…frozen knees from standing out by the football field for 2.5 hours…maybe…
gardenlilie said:
Hello. Mine is from March about kids and war. One of my lines describes the awful situation for children, being so young and imminent death that it is a bitterness, like unripened fruit or a tartness which we can not ignore!
henryclemmons said:
What you wrote was/is very true. We have traveled a lot to bring help to youth in war torn areas. It is a major passion of ours. I’m glad their are others.
gardenlilie said:
I only watch on my tv as they report atrocities. thanks.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
You’ve held up a mirror to the sad realities facing many children in the world. Heartbreaking.
henryclemmons said:
Late to the party, per usual, after reading everybody’s, I think I should have done that first before writing my own. But it was fun reading what everyone did. I do not fair well with forms, but they are fun to try.
brian miller said:
i feel you man…form often boggles me…i think if you read viv’s you understand…smiles….and you did well…told a story, gave me goosebumps a bit…smiles…
the thing with these exercises is to try so in doing that you succeed…i try not to get caught up in it having to be perfect….
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Brian… you didn’t break the form! You surprised me again!
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Henry… formally structured poems definitely are fun to read and try.
claudia said:
wouldn’t it have been fun to meet dylan thomas in a pub down the road…ha…sorry…just reading the details of your article now that i have a bit time to breathe…smiles
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Mind you, Dylan Thomas was well-known in the pubs, he could drink anyone under the table. Hmmm… meaning he’d probably be at home here at the pub!
beckykilsby said:
Fantastic post, Sam. I know Swansea quite well – one of my sons completed his undergrad degree there, although I believe he spent more time lite-surfing than reading 🙂 Wonderful campus with the sea unfolding across the road.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Talk about a small world!
Yes, surfing is a popular undergraduate major at Swansea 😉
ManicDdaily said:
Hi Sam – so I did new one which ended up on the silly side – not where I intended to go originally, but the silly side of me is pretty strong, I’m afraid.
By the way I like the title of your book – so interesting to use the term ablution and not for instance absolution – with war. k.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Then it’ll be a tickle to read!
About the title of the book – thanks! “War” is the title of one of the pivotal poems in the collection, and “Ablution” is the title of another. The latter is possibly one of the most intense poems I’ve ever written, many who’ve read it have told me it is one of the most horrifying poems they’d ever read. It’s hard to describe without giving it away…
ManicDdaily said:
Well, sounds interesting certainly. k.
Carys said:
I believe we’ve spoken about your time in Swansea before Samuel. The city is less than an hour from my home in Pembrokeshire. Laugharne, with DT’s famaous Boathouse an writing shed less than half an hour so poetry and especially villanelles are in my blood. I’ve posted the first villanelle I ever wrote, I’ve written 15 in all and hope to write many more.
Sadly it was written from a personal perspective. I wrote it when the eldest son of a family who were our friends and neighbours was killed in Afghanistan, such a tragic waste of lovely young man and such sadness for a family to bear. They brought him home the day before armistice day hence the title. The use of the word ‘raged’ was indeed a nod to the master of the villanelle but also indicative of how I felt and still feel about the war.
I’m away for a few days but will come and visit and comment on everyone’s wonderful work on my return.
claudia said:
i still remember your book villanelle julie…and it has been a while since i read it…you’re doing great with form…off to your place to read..
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
I feel lucky to have written one villanelle… but fifteen! I am awed. I am now filled with expectation…
Cressida de Nova said:
Good to see you back again Semaphore. You have been missed. Thank you for this challenging but fun form. Loved your poem.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Thanks! Aside from work, I have been taking time to finish and edit “War and Ablution”. Now that it is out, I hope to have more time for reading.
David King said:
Tough one, very tough, but fun trying – and good for the soul, no doubt! My thanks.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Thanks for stopping by, David, and yes, it is good for the soul.
PoetJanstie said:
Much as I don’t tend to give time to highly structured poetic forms, simply because I write in whatever form evolves at the time of my inspiration, you have just written the best description of the Villanelle that I’ve yet read, as well as referencing one of its best examples (enter stage right, Dylan Thomas) and it has inspired me to attempt one, well at least one. Whether I manage to get one done for this exercise is not as important as the fact… that I now ‘get it’.
As for our friend, the wizard, Dylan Thomas, as masterful and unique a poet as ever walked this earth. His refusal to align himself with any ‘school’ of poetry, his independence tells of a man who recognised his own uniqueness as well as that of all individuals and his observations of the human condition in “Under Milk Wood” are simply testament to this. All of these qualities make him immortal in my book. As for “Do Not Go Gentle…”, what a masterclass of expression of such strong feeling as felt at the dying of a parent.
And something else that resonates with me in this post: whilst you have researched argon-ion-pumped dye lasers and preparing samples of high-temperature superconductors, I spent some time, albeit as an undergraduate, studying the behaviour of laser light as it passes through single crystals of Lithium Fluoride. But that was back in 1973, when, following presentation of my final year thesis on this subject, my tutor (a Welshman as it happens) told me that I ought to go into politics, not science! My biog, including “Reluctant Matallurgist..” is testament to fact that I took at least one part of his advice, the “not science” bit! I didn’t go into politics, however 😉
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
It always amazes me to see the richness and diversity of the poets in this group. And of course, meeting fellow scientists and engineers is also a thrill. Although I consider myself a poet with a very classical foundation, I do like to weave science and technology into my own work where possible.
brian miller said:
nice…great to wake up to a nice crop of poems…and enjoying the comments just as much…smiles….will be in and out throughout the day to see what else it brings…
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Good morning! I’m only half-done with all the poems shared last night (I do give each one a well-considered read), and so far it has been – as always – an incredible journey.
Unfortunately, I’ve got to disappear into the corporate labyrinth for now. Will be back later tonight to respond to comments and seek more inspiration from your poetry…
claudia said:
smiles…don’t get lost in that labyrinth sam…happens all too easy, doesn’t it..
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
I found my way out of the labyrinth again! Back on the trail!
John (@bookdreamer) said:
Well fancy you being at Swansea. It’s where I did my MScEcon, met my wife and did my first professional job!
Folks seen to be able to write this form a lot quicker then me! Mine is based on a reflection from Quaker Faith & Practice by Donald Court in the 1960’s about perceptions of truth.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Well, well, well… we are alumni!
Looking forward to reading your villanelle…
Luke Prater said:
My favourite form… sadly my blog is still out of action or I’d link one…
claudia said:
i know…you introduced me to this form when i took my very first poetic form steps…hope your blog is soon ok again..
Luke Prater said:
Thanks Cloudy xx
brian miller said:
i echo man…was excited to get the email the other day and sad to get the new one today….
Luke Prater said:
Hey thanks Bri… love ya man
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Haven’t chatted in a while, Luke, hope things are going well with your poetry and publications…
Luke Prater said:
thanks Samuel… book is on hold until Jan at least I think, needing to spend time/energy elsewhere right now (sadly)
ManicDdaily said:
Sam, you know I posted a newly written villanelle, but I did a cartoon Villain-elle at one point, that is actually quite cute, and people might like it – it was for an illustrated book that I never published but may – a Villain-elle for children with little elephants. Here’s the link: http://manicddaily.wordpress.com/2011/12/22/contrastvillanellesvillain-elle-with-watercolors-and-elephants/
If people have been writing them, they may find it fun as the pictures are very cute (I think.)
k.
brian miller said:
very cool…will check it out this evening…as it did not make it through the filter here at school k….sounds fun…
claudia said:
very cool..love your sense of humor k…and very cool illustrations
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Intriguing… looking forward to a look-see..
claudia said:
enjoyed to catch up with the overnites and now off to disappear into that corp. labyrinth as well..
Susan said:
I’ve attempted a new villanelle, knowing that it’s too formulaic but maybe has a moment of insight too, particularly for an audience of poets. I love your connection to Dylan Thomas and all of hhe pictures of Wales. One of my first performances was “voice one” in “Under Milkwood”–accent and all! This writing was quite an experience. Thanks.
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
You did “voice one”, that is so cool! Glad you thought the writing was an experience!
janehewey said:
I always love to see you at the bar, Samuel. I’ve attempted a villanelle, posted, and will be thirstily reading later on today. Thank you!
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Thanks, so kind of you to say that, Jane! Will be by your place in a bit!
Elizabeth Barrette said:
I host a monthly poetry activity on my LiveJournal, and one of my favorite forms is the villanelle. I gathered links to some of my villanelles in this post: http://ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com/2547364.html
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Very cool! More to read!
claudia said:
back and out on the trail…hope everyone had a great friday…
brian miller said:
hey you….was just checking in myself….and going back to k’s from december too…some really fun plays on the form with this….and great job as well to Sam!!
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Thanks! Have just gotten back from the labyrinth and will be out on the trail in a bit!
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Well, this is it for tonight, folks! A few more to read for me, but it’s late and I’ll pick it up again in the morning. Have a good night!
pinkladybing said:
i am quite impressed… a scientist (impressive credentials at that) with a heart… i have been to semaphore and wow, i wish i can write like that!!! i want to do this challenge but my deadlines are blocking my creative juices. hopefully i can break out of the cycle tomorrow and perhaps start creating a villanelle i can share. 🙂
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Thanks so much for your kind words on “Semaphore”. The poems of that series took decades of writing practice, studying other poets, and – most importantly – endless, pitiless revision. But thank you, I do appreciate it.
…Ping me on Twitter or Facebook when you’ve got a villanelle finally done, I’d love to come by your site and have a look. 🙂
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Back again today for the last villanelles… 🙂
Samuel Peralta / Semaphore said:
Thank you all, it’s been a pleasuring sharing villanelles with everyone, and I hope to see you again next time!
Joseph Harker said:
Well, I’m late to the party, but I defy this Mr. Linky expiration stuff. Here’s a depressing one from a historical moment. 😛