sestina

sestina

A poet carefully writes a sestina in a notebook.

Definition
  1. Noun:
    • A fixed poetic form: A "sestina" is a highly structured poem consisting of six stanzas of six lines each, followed by a three-line envoi (or tornada). The form is defined by the repetition of six end-words in a specific, rotating pattern across the stanzas.
Usage Examples
  • Noun:
    • The poet composed a sestina about the changing seasons. (A poem with six stanzas and a repeating pattern of six end-words.)
    • Learning to write a sestina requires careful attention to the rotation of key words. (Understanding the structural rules of this poetic form.)
Advanced Usage

  • "The sestina's rotating end-words": The six words that end each line in the first stanza are repeated in a fixed, permuted order in subsequent stanzas.

    • In a sestina, the end-words shift positions according to a strict mathematical pattern. (The six line-ending words are rearranged in each stanza.)

  • "The envoi of a sestina": The final three-line stanza that incorporates all six end-words, usually two per line.

    • The envoi of the sestina brings the poem to a close by using all the repeated words. (The concluding three lines summarize or resolve the theme.)
Variants and Related Words

  • Sestina (plural: sestinas or sestine): The term itself; no direct variants in English, but the form is sometimes called "sextain" (archaic).

    • She wrote several sestinas in her career. (Multiple poems in this form.)

  • Sestine (n): An alternative spelling of "sestina," used occasionally.

    • The sestine is a challenging form for novice poets. (A variant spelling of the same term.)
Synonyms
  • Sextain: A rare synonym for "sestina," though "sextain" can also refer to any six-line stanza.
  • Fixed-form poem: A broader category that includes sestinas, villanelles, and sonnets.
Related Idioms

  • "To write a sestina": To undertake a complex poetic composition.

    • He decided to write a sestina to test his skill with repetition and structure. (To compose a poem with the sestina's strict rules.)

  • "The sestina's wheel": A metaphor for the rotating pattern of end-words.

    • The poet struggled with the sestina's wheel, but eventually mastered the rotation. (The challenging cyclic movement of the repeated words.)