This is my first attempt at a villanelle. It was fairly hard, especially getting the refrains to make sense in more than one position or form. It’s not very good, in my opinion, though practice may bring me to make a finer version.

There is a fire on a hill,
Set long ago by men of old,
Burning away a bygone chill.

Twas kindled by their ancient skill
In deep forests above the wold;
There is a fire on a hill.

By its light they made mental drill
To fill their minds all they could hold,
Burning away a bygone chill.

The flame is beacon to us still,
And we proclaim with voices bold:
There is a fire on a hill.

Now we hold their high vigil,
Sounding thoughts that they had told,
Burning away a bygone chill.

Rememb’ring this our children will
Shelter their souls against the cold:
There is a fire on a hill,
Burning away a bygone chill.

There you have it. Quite an interesting style of verse if you want to challenge yourself.

2 Responses to “There is a Fire on a Hill”

1. Aaron Hann says:

   September 19, 2006 at 4:11 pm

   Hey, sweet, this works. I truly like that poem, Brian. I’ve yet to be able to write any poetry that keeps a consistent meter and rhyme for any legth, so the above one is quite impressive (assuming, of course, you haven’t been taking online poetry composition courses for the last few years without telling anyone…) Keep it up!
2. Brian says:

   September 19, 2006 at 4:35 pm

   Thanks!

   Villanelles might be a bit easier rhyme-wise since you have to reuse the same lines over and over, in a strict pattern.

   The meter required several edits, and even then I didn’t stick to the 10-beat tradition in modern villanelles (think Dylan Thomas’ Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night).

   Also: I love free-form poetry as well. Nothing wrong with that