Poetry Forms : Zanze

Monday, April 7, 2014

The Zanze is a verse form with variable syllabic pattern introduced by Walden Greenwell.

The Zanze is:

a poem in 16 lines made up of 4 quatrains.
syllabic, 8-8-8-8 6-6-6-6 4-4-4-4 2-4-6-8 syllables per line.
rhymed, Abab cdcd efef gagA.
L1 is repeated as L16, L5 is the repetition of first 6 syllables of L1, L9 is the repetition of first 4 syllables of L1 and L13 is the repetition of the first 2 syllables of L1.

My Thanks to Judi Van Gorder for the wonderful resource at PMO

Although the rhyme pattern suggest there is one refrain, ther are actually four!

My Example poem

Now I Lay Me Down, Let's Sleep (Zanze)

If you wait 'til the morning dear

I'll be more sober and awake

It's better when my head is clear,

I'll know you then for heaven's sake.

If you wait 'til the morn

I'll treat you like a queen

and not as a lowborn

with limbs to come between.

If you wait 'til

the time is right

I know I will

give you delight.

If you

forgive my beer

I promise I'll come through.

If you wait 'til the morning dear.

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