Crown of Heroic Sonnets Challenge
Poetry Contest
I remember how popular this contest was a year ago, organized by Kaff. Only the seasoned sonneteers dared enter (smile) at that time because of its complexity.
Well - how about another stab at it?
This is how Kaff described the challenge:
I was reminded of the epic sonnet contest we had here on the site when I decided to propose a new kind of challenge: The Crown Of Heroic Sonnets Challenge. Warning: This is not a form for those with short attention spans. This should not be mistaken for the "Heroic Crown Of Sonnets" or "Sonnet Redoubled" (which in my opinion would be asking way too much).
The definition I found on line is:
A crown of sonnets is a sequence of seven sonnets, usually addressed to some one person, and concerned with a single theme.
Each of the sonnets explores one aspect of the theme, and is linked to the preceding and succeeding sonnets by repeating the final line of the preceding sonnet as it's first line, and by having it's final line be the first line of the succeeding sonnet. The first line of the first sonnet is repeated as the final line of the final sonnet thereby bringing the sequence to a close.
Consequently, NO RHYME WORDS WERE PERMITTED TO BE REPEATED.
In other words: Your last line to the first sonnet acts as the first line to the next and chains them. This happens to each of them until the end. Unfortunately, you are not permitted to repeat any rhymes except for the linking of each sonnet. Also, the first line to the very first sonnet is used as the last line to the very last sonnet. That's it in a nutshell.
Here, the poet uses variations of Italian poetry forms to produce a lovely example of a Crown of Sonnets:
#1 Here, in the Silence (Italian Sonnet)
Here, in the silence of my warm home
I watch my thoughts as they turn inside
There, with no place for the mind to hide
I see it shrink back from a darkened dome
Where once the light of our love did roam
My poor mind and heart now flee in fright
It is cold here, no comfort yet in sight
My thoughts are shrouded in icy foam
From deeper inside a glow can be seen
A gentle warm feeling does now arise
It comforts me like a big stroking hand
At last I know that the worst part has been
I feel this light touch with sudden surprise
The light will return to this dark mind's land <--- Now watch how this line continues in the next sonnets first line.
#2 The Light will return (Italian Sonnet)
The light will return to this dark mind's land
Though at this moment there still is some doubt
My hurting heart cannot stop to cry out
It yearns so much to be touched by your hand
The mind does reason, it is on the mend
Yet wishing to know what this was about
Hard won peace might be shredded by shout
Still honour is asking to firmly stand.
Respect of self is foremost in my mind
To live without it, that cannot be done
The strength from within is holding the fort
Gets help from without from minds of a kind
Thus taking care pain and doubt will stay gone
Life's ship will be lead into a safe port.
#3 Life's ship will be lead (Italian Sonnet)
Life's ship will be lead into a safe port
Here it can shelter till storms all have passed
From a sea clear, blue and silent at last
It will then set sail for tales to record
Strongly defended by word and by sword
Swiftly it sails on the waves moving fast
On the ocean of life which is truly vast
Serving the reign of an inner known lord.
It's best to stop to hold on at all cost
The future's still open to travel anew
A great chance to let bygones be bygones
Each day a new way to find what was lost
To share happy moments of which there aren't few
To reach out for life, be ready to dance.
#4 To reach out for Life (Sicilian Sonnet)
To reach out for Life, be ready to dance
First listen and feel the music there is
Andante assai you don't want to miss
Its sweet tones might bring you into a trance
A sudden crescendo and you take fright
The tempi of life can differ a lot
You'd better enjoy whatever you've got
The dance will go on by day and by night
You might get tired of moving so much
Might want a rest and sit out the next one
Watch from the sideline for a little while
Don't wait too long, or you get out of touch
Pick up the rhythm, the resting is done
Join in Life's dance and go on with a smile.
#5 Join in Life's dance (Sonetto Rispetto)
Join in Life's dance and go on with a smile
It will make you feel better you can trust
Even when you are sad for a short while
You have to go on and do, as you must
Just turn the page, put the old one on file
Taste Life anew, take a bite of its crust
The daily things, when done without guile
Will help you cleanse from your heart sadness' dust
Freed from this dust you might sparkle again
Your feet will be dancing, your eyes will shine
Your heart will know joy in Life's sweet refrain
So all that needs to be done, heart of mine
To let go of this stain, caused by old pain
Dare to flow with Life's forces and be fine.
#6 Dare to flow with Life's forces (Sonetto Rispetto)
Dare to flow with Life's forces and be fine
It sounds so easy, but sometimes is hard
To give up my heart's longing to be thine
Is yet painful to me and still does smart
Though I know I should listen and not whine
I also feel lonely and caught off guard
Some offers there are one cannot decline
Put on new music, let the dance restart
My feet know the paces, did not forget
The intricate steps of Life's solemn dance
The rhythm is fetching, moving the soul
When I follow its lead, I stop to fret
Peace will be here, it can bring a new chance
To be happy at last, to reach Life's goal.
#7 Finale To be happy at last (Sicilian Sonnet)
To be happy at last, to reach Life's goal
Is to know one's heart and find peace in it
An inner silence, which will never quit
But is always there to refresh the soul
Once that is certain you cannot go wrong
Its presence is with you in times of need
When you have to face up to an ugly deed
To think of it only will make you strong
This place I can rest in when life is hard
Will shelter my balance under its dome
Protect my mind's health and sustain my heart
Enfolded by it I can freely roam
This is what I found, right back from the start
Here, in the silence of my warm home. <--- See how this is the first line in the first sonnet?
Copyright Leny Roovers.
Jan-12-2002
I propose you attempt this awesome feat by using the heroic sonnet rather than the Shakespearean or Italian hence the title of the challenge.
The Heroic Sonnet - This is an iambic pentameter based poem that adds a heroic couplet to either two Sicilian octave stanzas or four Sicilian quatrain stanzas. In other words, it's eighteen lines of iambic pentameter broken into three or five parts with the last part being a couplet. The rhyme scheme has usually been a,b,a,b,a,b,a,b - c,d,c,d,c,d,c,d - e,e OR a,b,a,b - c,d,c,d - e,f,e,f - g,h,g,h - i,i.
But hey, I'll be nice so use the second one (a,b,a,b - c,d,c,d - e,f,e,f - g,h,g,h - i,i). Just remember, there are five parts; every quatrain and couplet happens as the pivot. Here's an example:
Grand Final
(Heroic Sonnet)
A packed arena- thousands watch the fight
these revered gladiators now unfold;
the sun is warm, it is still early night
as the combatants enter; eyes behold
bold rippling muscles- minds are set to win.
Their dedication's tangible, it thrills
spectators' tribal instincts- let's begin!
The first hit is a winner, shows off skills
honed fine in years of agonizing pain-
the sculpted bodies, bronzed like statued gods,
advance, retreat; strike fast- and hit again.
When all seems lost- advantage changes odds,
the crowd is yelling fiercely, urging on
two tired fighters, on the bright green field;
the sun has set- the early bets foregone,
all eyes are riveted on who will yield.
The final break is there, the last ball's served-
it is a top-spin lob- in beauty curved.
Copyright Leny Roovers
30-1-2005
An iambic foot is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. We could write the rhythm like this:
da DUM
A line of iambic pentameter is five iambic feet in a row:
da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM
Here is an example from my poem "The Romantic Era".
This / IS / my / SOUL'S / con / CEP / tion / OF / a / PRAISE
da / DUM / da / DUM / da / DUM / da / DUM / da / DUM
The higher entry fee is due to the magnitude of this challenge.
And this is my own rendition of the form:
I.
When child is born, love starts with mother's milk
The nurturing and care, a cherub's bliss
Your cheeks are pink and skin as soft as silk,
baptized with tears of joy and mother's kiss.
The rays of sun bring glow upon your face
awakening the worldly joys and fire
Sweet angel, may the finest Brussels lace
protect you from the harm of fortune's ire.
The infancy now gone, you start to talk,
Your tongue caressing vowels on the sly
On playground lawn you learn a firmer walk,
your sparkling laugh sends bubbles to the sky.
You blossom every day, a cherry tree
The angulars give room to rounder form
Delight to mom and dad, your friends and me
In little hearts you start to cause a storm.
From duckling to a swan of grace and flair
Those happy days, devoid of grief or care.
II.
Those happy days, devoid of grief or care
the adolescence, what a rampant lot
Your dreams begin to drift where eagles dare,
the tantrums set propriety at naught.
You like to play with wholesome pink-cheeked girl
The seeds of love are sown, the soul is doomed;
your neighbor's daughter, with the bobbing curls
To you she is the Eden rose in bloom.
How innocent those games with hidden fires
Two souls akin, the world a blank page still
But cunning little goblins called desire
are creeping in your loins, and blood they chill.
You start to get in trouble more and more
The world's your oyster, gladiator, Mars
The depths of earth determined to explore
or flying in your spaceship to the stars.
Fate dumps you or it drops its parachute
The fortune fireworks cracking their salute.
III.
The fortune fireworks cracking their salute.
Your oats are wild, your demons not at bay
Your sweetheart loves the soft bells of your flute
and prays to Virgin that you never stray.
The passion's flow consumes, the air is filled
with longing too delicious to resist
The goblet with the potion never chilled
on nightstand, is your reason to exist.
Two lovers spent by lust, in sweet denial
they drink from goblet full of perfect lies
Though lethal could be love's endangered vial
and painful its heartbreaking brisk good-byes.
Yet lovers drink the madness to the brim,
they bear their sweet illusions jaded cross
Oh love, you are the niche of the extreme
and fatal is your devastating loss.
How sharp you are, the thorns of perfect rose
Oh, love's best part is poetry, not prose...
IV.
Oh, love's best part is poetry, not prose
A youth becomes a man and he's in love
with golden haired abundant perfect rose
The angels seem to smile at him above.
Alas, she toys with his illusive heart,
hers given to another long ago
His mind ablaze, his soul is torn apart
unable to withstand the crushing blow.
Those sleepless horrid nights on crumpled sheets
His tear ducts dry from flooding overuse
A nagging word that tears his brain - deceit
The Don Quixote's windmills, it's no use.
Decision's made, no tears, the dice is cast.
He challenges his rival to a duel
His inner storms, his rage are unsurpassed
He curses her for being dense and cruel.
The weapon chosen - pistol over sword
The rival's death would be his sweet reward.
V.
The rival's death would be his sweet reward.
Comes sunrise - forest ground is thick with snow
The death fight for a myth they both adored
There is one truth that two opponents know -
she wasn't worth it - but it is too late.
Their weapons raised and leveled at the wrist
The winter trees foresee the scream of fate
The deadly smoke is breaking sunrise mist.
The pistol shot sends echo to the sky
One duelist dead, one left to cling to life
The woods will always hear a woman's cry
that pierced the morning stillness like a knife.
The snowy forest ground is full of blood
of poor deluded youth who paid the price
The fallacy of love killed in the bud
for shallow virgin with a heart of ice.
Oh love, you're nothing but a big sweet lie
To women's viles the dead man said good-bye.
VI.
To women's viles the dead man said good-bye
The debt of honor paid, but what a cost!
Cold January turned to warm July
A life, so innocent, forever lost.
Our duelist doomed to many years abroad
The dice of fortune, once again, are tossed
Oh woman's heart, who said you never lie
The lives, the minds irrevocably lost.
Our star crossed lover is exiled to Rome
Forlorn and bitter, he denounced all hope
Alone, so many miles away from home
He feels he's at the end of his thin rope.
Our lovely maiden cried for three long months
the loss of her beloved in the duel
A handsome hussar took her off her trance
and whisked away his weeping army jewel.
I ask you - what is life? A game of chance
Kaleidoscope of love's gone wrong romance.
VII.
Kaleidoscope of love's gone wrong romance
What happened to our hero? He survived
the disappointment and his long lost chance
Time's known to be best healer, fates contrived
to find another for his love and lust
A flaming red haired widow his consort,
two broken hearts, two raging fires combust
His suffering at end, she holds his court.
On bended knee he asked her for her hand
He knew at last the treasure that was real
He searched forever for the promised land
and finally, fate ended his ordeal.
The church bells echoed angels' gentle voice
Bride's gown was made of fine Venetian lace
Their gentle daughter born, they named her Joyce
With charming dimples on her baby face.
Her cheeks were pink, and hair as soft as silk
When child is born, love starts with mother's milk.
Copyright #2009 Yelena Teleshova
The contest winner will win half of the prize pool which is based on the number of entries. The second and third place winners will each share the remaining prize pool. The prize pool is currently 240.00 member dollars. There are 6 spots still open. If all open spots are used the prize pool will be 360.00 member dollars. In this contest at least 2 submissions must be made for the vote to begin.
Deadline: Contest is closed. Deadline was Sunday, February 14, 2010.
