The Triolet

  

Basic features & history of the verse form:
  
Number of lines 8
Structure / divisions The triolet, perhaps because of its length, usually appears as a single unit
Rhyme scheme ABaAabAB
Meter In English, often iambic tetrameter or iambic pentameter
Refrain line or lines Yes — refrain lines are designated by A and B
Time / place of origin 14th-century France
Medieval / Renaissance poets
  associated with this form 		Jean Froissart, Francois Villon
Examples written in English
  by or before — 		17th century (Patrick Carey)

  

An example of a triolet:

Triolet III
by Patrick Carey (1624-1657)

  1. (A)  Yes (my dear Lord) I've found it so;
  2. (B)  No joys but thine are purely sweet;
  3. (a)  Other delights come mixt with woe,
  4. (A  )Yes (my dear Lord) I've found it so.
  5. (a)  Pleasure at courts is but in show,
  6. (b)  With true content in cells we meet;
  7. (A)  Yes (my dear Lord) I've found it so;
  8. (B)  No joys but thine are purely sweet.

A Brief Guide to Some Medieval and Renaissance Verse Forms

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Table and its contents copyright © 2002 by Jennifer M. Tom    ( Jennifer Monroe Franson )