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Poetic form

What is a Villanelle?

Definition

A 19-line form with two refrains that return like waves — obsession in verse.

The villanelle is poetry's obsessive thought: nineteen lines in which two refrain lines keep returning — alternating as the endings of each stanza until they collide in the final couplet. Five tercets, one quatrain, two rhymes, and no escape.

The form's circling makes it perfect for what won't leave us alone: grief, insomnia, defiance. Dylan Thomas's 'Do not go gentle into that good night' is the most famous modern example of the form's power.

Structure of a villanelle

  • 19 lines: five tercets + one quatrain
  • Two refrains: line 1 returns at lines 6, 12, 18; line 3 returns at lines 9, 15, 19
  • Only two rhyme sounds throughout (ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA ABAA)

How to write a villanelle

  1. Write your two refrain lines first — they must bear repetition and mean more each time.
  2. Make the refrains grammatically flexible so context can reshape them.
  3. Choose easy rhyme sounds; you'll need six or seven of each.
  4. Let the final couplet feel inevitable: the two thoughts were always going to meet.

Common questions

Why do villanelles feel obsessive?

The two refrains return six times in 19 lines. The form literally cannot stop repeating itself — perfect for thoughts that won't let go.