A diminished hexaverse is a type of poem that uses a tight structure of stanzas across 15 lines to evoke a powerful emotional feeling. The construction of a diminished hexaverse is quite unique when compared to the more rigid styles of traditional English poetry. Instead, this type of poem aims to inspire a more creative side.
This form of poetry was invented as a new form of English poetry, but the origin of its invention is unidentified.
In terms of construction, the diminished hexaverse is built upon 5 stanzas. The first stanza contains 5 lines, the second has 4 lines, the third 3 lines, the second 2 lines, and the final stanza contains a single word. There is also a strict structure built around the number of syllables that can be expressed in each line. For example, each line of the first stanza can contain 5 syllables, since there are 5 lines in that stanza. The third stanza can only have 3 syllables per line across the 3 lines. And of course, the last stanza must contain a one-syllable word only.
A poem containing stanzas of 5 lines, then 4
lines, then 3 lines, then 2 lines, ending with one word. The syllables in
each stanza correspond to the number of lines, i.e. 5 in each line in the
first stanza, 4 in the second stanza and so on. This form may contain more than five stanzas.
Example
Love, At Last...
If the ground should quake,
If the sky should fall,
If the rain lets up,
If the plants all die,
There is one thing left.
If we lose sight,
If we can't speak,
If the bow breaks,
on the last tree,
we won't cry
or resign,
for we know
there's one
thing left:
love.
Copyright © 2005 Tatyana Carney