A terzanelle is a form of poetry that combines elements of other types of poetry, namely; it combines the villanelle and the terza rima forms. The terzanelle is 19 lines long and is made up of five triplets as well as one quatrain at the conclusion.
The middle segments in this poem are composed of triplet stanzas where and first and third lines are repeated. The second and final lines of this quatrain need to rhyme as well. There can be an alternative pattern when it comes to the end couplet of the rhyme scheme.
When writing the terzanelle, it is essential to pay attention to grammatical rules. The first line of the poem starts off with ABA and The second line is bCB.
Example
This is Lewis Turco's "Terzanelle in Thunderweather"
This is the moment when shadows gather
under the elms, the cornices and eaves.
This is the center of thunderweather.
The birds are quiet among these white leaves
where wind stutters, starts, then moves steadily
under the elms, the cornices, and eaves--
these are our voices speaking guardedly
about the sky, of the sheets of lightning
where wind stutters, starts, then moves steadily
into our lungs, across our lips, tightening
our throats. Our eyes are speaking in the dark
about the sky, of the sheets of lightening
that illuminate moments. In the stark
shades we inhibit, there are no words for
our throats. Our eyes are speaking in the dark
of things we cannot say, cannot ignore.
This is the moment when shadows gather,
shades we inhibit. There are no words, for
this is the center of thunderweather.