Luc Bat

The luc bat is a Vietnamese form of poetry.
It means simply "six eight" due to its pattern of syllables per line: 6,8,6,8,6,8, etc. There is no set length to the luc bat, so it can be as long or as short as you'd like.

But what really makes this form interesting is the rhyming structure, which sounds a little complicated but is easy to grasp in practice.

The sixth syllable of every eight-syllable line rhymes with the last syllable of the six-syllable line before it, which in turn rhymes with the eighth syllable of the eight-syllable line before it. When the end of the poem is reached, the last line jumps back and rhymes with the first. In other words, the syllables go like this:

* * * * * a
* * * * * a * b
* * * * * b
* * * * * b * c
* * * * * c
* * * * * c * d
* * * * * d
* * * * * d * a
...although of course the poem can be as long as you wish.
Remember that it is always the final line of the poem which
ends in the "a" rhyme, linking it back to the beginning



Example Poem

Farewell Denied

The ship I sailed and sank
those final years, was dank by then.
I tried to save her when
all hope seemed lost.  My men put out
in boats, and with a shout
"Farewell", I set about to save
that ship in a nearby cave.

I was not really brave; just done.
I thought it might be one
small chance for grounding run in firth.
Slight chance to find some berth
I tried for what it's worth, but failed.

Thru all the years I sailed,
and all the sirens hailed with cheer
I never thought I hear
one close until my dear, you found
me sinking soon to drown.
"I'd love for you to down here stay
and with this sprite now play,
but death to you that way I'll stop."
You brought me to the top.

A mortal life you swap to free
a mortal from the sea
although you wanted me to stay
I clung to life that day,
but thoughts of you held sway since then.
I'll leave the world of men
and dive in where back then, I sank.

© Lawrencealot - August, 2012

Author just noted on review that this poem does
not comply to specifications and will be re-rewritten.

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