To sunless blinding gloom of devil,
And wrapped in dark shadows of evil,
The soulless void of faith
Would sure befall ‘pon death---
Those that in ego’s spell their soul kill. || 3 ||
____________________
Translations | 03.09.2026 | dark, death, evil, faith, Rhyming Quintain
Note: This verse says, do not kill your soul, the atman, or else, …Bhagavad-Gita also says: uddharet atmana atmanam, na atmanam avasadayet... Lift up your soul by yourself, never thwart it. He’s your friend and foe depending on how you treat it.
There is wealth of wisdom in ancient Sanskrit texts . This series on Jewels from Upanishads covers selected verses from various Upanishads of which there are as many as 120. We select a few verses only the major ones, beginning with Ishaa Vaasyam. The translation here is not verbatim but freely done. The transliteration of the verse follows. Alas I have to remove all the transliteration symbols.
asuryah nama te lokah
andhena tamasa-avrtah |
tan te pretya abhi-gachchanti
ye ke cha atma-hanah janah || 3 ||
The word a-suryah means sunless, if spelled asuryah, it would mean barbaric or evil.
At the saffron edge of twilight’s crossroads,
you pause, listening for what the air keeps;
a small shell rests in your palm, cool and sure,
its inner hush guiding you forward,
toward whatever waits beyond the turning.
I recall it clearly. It was at August’s end,
and I was at the end of sweet sixteen.
Something would transpire soon that would transcend
the beauty of my summering and a world of green.
A dark-eyed stranger casually stepped into the scene.
Summer’s heat still lingered in the air
when I noticed his snatched glimpses aimed at me.
Those glimpses soon turned into a stare
in three days’ time when alone with him I’d be,
gazing back into exquisitely expressive eyes of ebony.
Like autumn leaves changing to warmer hues,
I was changing too - falling . . . falling . . .
never knowing decades later, he would be my muse
even though I’d lost him – that young man so enthralling,
Here I am; even now, his sweet soul I’m recalling.
He was my Blue Aster, my Morning Glory;
my early, alluring autumn romance;
my best and my brightest love story -
that boy that had me in a trance from my first glance
when I knew without a doubt I had to take a chance.
For a wondrous while, in his eye I was a gleam.
But September ended. Oh, melancholy ache!
To know that I was living but a dream
and that to cold reality I would awake,
yet September’s reverie I’ll not forsake.
September’s song sings of the last
days of summer’s madcap affair
of lazy days and moonlight’s cast
on dancing in the midnight air
being together as a pair
September reminds of time past
when sunshine felt a sudden pall
we tried to make the sunshine last
but the boys heeded war time's call
they left when leaves began to fall
There’s sadness in September’s name
The crowded beach then could not last
with empty spaces not the same
September comes and soon is past
Its memories remain too vast.
I still love summer’s grand allure.
But September I can’t endure DHR
They tossed their manes as they made a stand
unencumbered by darkness or day
Years of their hooves etched into the land
worries left behind along their way
as Tribal Peoples honored their stay
Wilderness horses have always known
the freedom to run beneath the sun
feeding on wild grass Nature has sown
free to chase clouds or a wild dream spun
and spirit warriors witnessed each run
Then word came:“(so heavy on the brow)
let cattle graze, for dollars they bring
thus loaded on trucks, all are gone now
leaving echoes of freedom’s bold ring
now their song of the wild, wind will sing
Join us, we say, in land of the free
We sing to all, yet is that song true
Was it even true in history?
Are we still fragile in ways we rue?
Will all colors form red, white, and blue?
How proud our forefathers must have been
though not quick to answer freedom’s call
some had doubts, indecision was keen
But stalwart were those in moments tall
letting freedom’s voice ring out for all
A noble creed signed by candlelight
thinking for a country young and bold
One that, although strong,tempers its might
Through strife and success, its past is told
Where freedom is more precious than gold!
MYSTERIOUS thoughts come at my revery
At times they do appear not every
Sometimes those memories are so great
Sometimes those memories are scary bad
Maybe my life only suffers this fate
MEMORIES mysterious or ribaldry
Those that are hateful, need placed in pillory
Hold onto only good thoughts and emotion
Build your esteem up with meditation
Let love of others and self be your potion
Remember Me
Remember me when the stars have dimmed
and silence is our favorite place
Remember those peaks where we once climbed
those so high, they could almost touch grace
with elegance that made our hearts race
Remember me when the night wind cries
and moans, for it too, ages and wanes
It speaks of how quickly the time flies
It once danced with iridescent rains
and gently caressed the sleeping plains
Remember me when the days were young
and summer blew kisses in our hair
Remember the songs that once were sung
and sun and sand were everywhere
and love still danced upon the sweet air.
Edited to fit form, July 4, 2026
Elon Musk would wear a trillion stars
If or not he reaches planet Mars,
His wealth of cosmic scale
From X, Grok AI and Tesla cars
Making some nations pale.
________________________
Happenings |10. 06.2026 | money, planet, star, wealth, Quintain
Note: Elon Musk, already the richest man, is about to become world’s first trillion-dollar worth with SpaceX’s IPO. This kind of money may fail to make sense to some poetic minds like us to whom less is more. On my part I can do no better than pen this ditty. It is not that he makes millions in a minute, but as Edmund Hillary said, it is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves. This kind of wealth of cosmic proportions can destroy the very value and meaning of wealth to us, simple souls.
Sometimes men's ambitions can be
Like bird eggs coated in gold
Place in nest back in the tree
If mother accepts lie told
Hatchlings she'll never behold
Behold metamorphosis, if
They let Holy Spirit
Come in, let go all their tiffs
His love will flow this is implicit
In Bible explained explicit
finis'
Forevermore: is there such a place
does it perhaps exist on a star,
or, lost in clouds of lavender lace,
a secret saved inside a glass jar,
memories from a time very far
Forever more is in childhood’s tales
There it flies on a butterfly’s wings
It’s never found amid windy gales
but always found in castles of kings
And is in the notes a mermaid sings
Forevermore is the promise made
when love lifts those to walk on clouds
and dance midst colors of silver shade
Where only loveliness is allowed
and happiness is ever endowed.
I will find you in forevermore
We’ll wander through lilac-edged skies
On a bird’s wing, we’ll fly high before
sending whispers in crimson disguise
to golden rays in morning’s sunrise.
An unbidden memory rushes in
I quickly usher it away
That one came from 'way back when'
Sometimes you can't keep them at bay
I may recall it another day
Steaming cup of coffee, as poet is watching sun rise
Ideas go up with the steam's condensation
Magnificent beauty viewed in the eastern skies
Peaceful easy feelings flood my soul's frustration
Low, a swallow splitting the air with its wings' formation
Illumination received this day isn't for busyness
Cause this time in life should be so very simple
Inspiration for my spirit first, building soul's litheness
Touch me, Holy Spirit, fill me with praise, twinkle
Yes-minded to Your call, praise with cymbals
a glowing gaze was slowly met
or so it at first had seemed
irises in-twined and slowly set
into these lover's dreams
they build their memories
the seconds pass
their breathe is lost
conversations made of gasps
the hearts inside their chest were robbed
once beating, now have stopped
still it lingers
as eons fade
with outstretched, reaching fingers
these lovers will forever stay
and search no other way.
Christopher Pitts/2012
lingering embers lay smoldering out
fingers searching through ashes
rearranging, but always in doubt
to find all of the matches
re-piece all that matters
the dull glow lingers, hanging around
forcing my hands to shake
scattering remnants, moving about
escaping my baleful gaze
forever til the end of days
the lovely burn, or what so was thought
has drained me of all my ways
forever in flee, but finally caught
shes caught me, and so i'll stay
never to go away
rekindling a fire, set it ablaze
see how long its tongues last
no, not yet, I'm not ashamed
the warnings shall never pass
our love has shaped the glass
let sands pour, sinking in time
extinguishing all the fire
a grain for each second that i'm,
slowly becoming the liar
slowly becoming so tired
and once more the flames have gone
forever to never be anew
the future in the smoke has shown
of eyes so coldly blue
forever without you
Christopher Pitts 12/1/12
Introduction
A returning rhyme gathers expectation; then the final echo must do more than merely complete the pattern. That pressure gives the English quintain its characteristic pleasure. Within a compact space, a poet can establish a voice, sharpen an image, introduce tension, and make the close feel witty, tender, ominous, or conclusive. Read side by side, these poems reveal how differently writers handle the same approach to anticipation and release.
As you browse the community poems, you may encounter miniature narratives, lyrical observations, arguments, portraits, meditations, jokes, and moments of sudden recognition. Some poets favor brisk, balanced lines that make the rhymes ring clearly. Others vary line length, allowing one thought to rush forward and another to pause. A rhyme may sound inevitable in one poem and deliberately surprising in the next. The ending may seal the poem like a clasp, reverse its meaning, or leave an emotional resonance larger than the poem's physical size.
One isolated example can suggest that the form belongs to a single tone or subject. Reading beyond the first example corrects that impression. Compare how several poets prepare the closing pair of sounds, how much narrative or imagery they attempt, and where they place the emotional turn. Notice, too, whether the rhyme leads the thought or seems to arise naturally from it. The collection becomes most valuable as a field of interpretations: not a display of identical solutions, but an opportunity to see how individual diction, pacing, humor, seriousness, and imaginative risk remain visible within a shared design.
Reading Guide
Read an English quintain twice before deciding what it accomplishes. On the first reading, follow the voice and situation without mentally checking the pattern. On the second, listen for how recurring sounds organize attention and how each line changes the pressure on the close. Because the poem has little room for delay, every shift in image, syntax, and tone can carry unusual weight. When comparing community poems, ask not only whether the form is recognizable, but whether its compact architecture intensifies the subject.
- Opening momentum: Notice whether the first line presents an image, statement, address, or action. The opening must create enough energy to sustain a short arc. When comparing poems, ask which openings generate genuine curiosity rather than merely setting up a rhyme.
- The first sound return: Listen to what changes when the opening rhyme reappears later. Its return can confirm an idea, deepen it, or expose a contrast. Does the repeated sound carry new meaning, or does it simply fulfill an expectation?
- Line-length movement: Observe how shorter and longer lines affect breath. An expanded line can accumulate detail, while a clipped one can deliver emphasis or surprise. Which poets use variable length expressively, and which allow it to make the rhythm feel accidental?
- Syntax across line endings: See whether sentences stop with the lines or flow through them. Firm stops can create a measured, epigrammatic voice; continuation can resist the form's compactness and increase urgency. How does each poet balance forward movement with audible closure?
- The turn toward the ending: Watch the fourth line closely. It often prepares, complicates, or redirects what the final line will mean. Does it make the close predictable, or does it leave enough uncertainty for discovery?
- Closing resonance: The neighboring final rhymes draw special attention, so compare how poets manage that emphasis. Does the last line offer wit, emotional consequence, vivid imagery, or a fresh perspective? Would the poem lose force if its final two lines were reversed?
As you read the community poems, compare the relationship among sound, thought, and closure rather than treating rhyme as a pass-or-fail feature. The most revealing differences lie in what each writer makes the pattern accomplish.
Writing Tips
Begin with a small but charged piece of material: an encounter, contradiction, image, complaint, memory, or question that can change meaning within a brief span. The English quintain rewards concentration, but concentration is not the same as shallowness. Before drafting, decide what must be different by the final line. That change may be narrative, emotional, tonal, or perceptual. The form then becomes a way of shaping movement rather than a container filled with rhyming statements.
- Choose an idea with one clear center: A subject requiring extensive background may become cramped or over-explained. Select one revealing detail or decisive moment instead. A single object, gesture, or exchange can imply a larger story without forcing the poem to summarize it.
- Draft the verbal arc before hunting rhymes: Write a plain version of what each line needs to do. Then develop the sound pattern. This prevents available rhyme words from dictating an implausible action, distorted grammar, or sudden change of subject.
- Build rhyme families, not isolated pairs: List exact, slant, and grammatically varied possibilities before choosing line endings. Consider nouns, verbs, and phrases rather than relying on two obvious end words. A wider sound palette helps the language remain natural and gives revision room.
- Let variable line length serve the voice: Freedom of measure can support conversational ease, dramatic hesitation, or lyrical expansion, but random variation weakens momentum. Read each line as a breath unit. Lengthen where thought should gather; shorten where impact or restraint is needed.
- Place images where they can evolve: Do not introduce five unrelated pictures. Establish an image early and let later details alter its emotional value. A window can become a barrier, a seed can become a promise, or a stain can become evidence. Such development creates depth without requiring additional space.
- Protect syntax from the rhyme: Beginners sometimes invert normal word order, add unnecessary adjectives, or use vague filler to reach an end sound. If a line would sound unnatural in the poem's chosen voice, rewrite the whole sentence rather than patching its final word.
- Use the fourth line as a hinge: It can narrow the focus, complicate the speaker's claim, or delay the expected conclusion. Avoid making it merely a runway for the last rhyme. Give it an independent dramatic function so the ending inherits pressure rather than manufacturing it alone.
- Earn the final echo: The last line attracts attention because sound and structure converge there. Resist explaining the lesson after the image has already conveyed it. A concrete consequence, tonal reversal, or precise final image will usually outlast a general statement of meaning.
During revision, read the poem aloud once without emphasizing rhyme and once while listening closely to every line ending. Mark any place where rhythm stumbles, diction becomes less natural, or the conclusion can be guessed too early. Then test the draft on a reader without explaining your intention. Ask what changed, which image remained, and whether the final line felt both prepared and newly revealing. Revise until sound supports the voice instead of announcing the exercise.
Interesting Facts
- Freedom can increase difficulty. Without a fixed beat to regulate movement, the poet must create coherence through syntax, breath, emphasis, and tonal consistency. Flexible line length is therefore an expressive responsibility, not merely an escape from metrical demands.
- The same closing pressure can support opposite moods. A quick final echo may deliver comic snap, while a slower sentence can make it sound mournful or inevitable. Punctuation, sentence length, and the emotional weight of the rhyme words determine the effect.
- Rhyme distance affects memory. When an earlier sound returns after an intervening line, the reader experiences recognition rather than immediate repetition. A strong poem uses that interval to change the context, so the returning sound feels familiar but not redundant.
- The fourth line carries hidden influence. Although attention often settles on the finish, the preceding line controls how that finish will be heard. It may accelerate the pace, introduce doubt, or shift the image, quietly determining whether the final line lands as confirmation or surprise.
- Long lines can make a short form feel spacious. A poet may use syntactic expansion to accommodate description or meditation, while still preserving a concentrated overall arc. Conversely, brief lines can turn the poem into a sequence of sharp verbal steps.
- Identity survives shared architecture. Two poets can use comparable end sounds yet produce entirely different experiences through diction, sentence shape, imagery, and speaker. Browsing several community interpretations shows why formal resemblance does not require sameness of voice.
Popular Themes
Subject and form become inseparable when a poem must move quickly toward an emphasized close. The following themes are literary possibilities rather than measured popularity rankings. Each can benefit from the English quintain's combination of compression, recurrence, and closing force.
- Brief encounters: A glance, greeting, argument, or farewell already contains a natural arc. The poem can establish the participants, isolate a telling gesture, and let the final line reveal what the encounter changed.
- Humor and social observation: Recurrent sound can build anticipation much like comic timing. The ending may expose vanity, reverse an assumption, or replace an expected conclusion with a sharper and more revealing one.
- Love and longing: The alternation of sounds can suggest approach and withdrawal, hope and doubt, presence and absence. A close-set final echo can then convey union, resignation, or an emotional realization.
- Nature in transition: Weather, dusk, harvest, migration, and seasonal change suit a form that can move from observation to consequence. One carefully developed image may carry both the physical scene and the speaker's inward response.
- Memory and loss: The return of a sound can resemble the return of a remembered detail. Because space is limited, an object or sensory impression often works better than a complete biography, allowing absence to remain palpable but unstated.
- Conflict and decision: A compact argument can place two pressures in alternation before the ending commits, refuses, or complicates the choice. The form is especially useful when the speaker's certainty changes during the act of speaking.
- Wonder, prayer, and reflection: An address to a person, place, object, or unseen presence can gather intensity rapidly. The final line may answer the opening, transform it into a question, or leave a reverberating image instead of a conclusion.
As you read the community poems, compare writers who approach similar material. Notice how one poet makes a landscape intimate while another makes it symbolic, or how comparable experiences of love acquire distinct tones through voice and closure. Shared themes become most interesting when form reveals the differences among imaginations.
Editorial Insights
The central artistic tension of the English quintain lies between spaciousness and pressure. Line length permits expansion, conversation, and irregular breath, yet the poem must still complete an intelligible emotional or imaginative movement quickly. Rhyme adds another tension: it promises order while threatening predictability. A technically recognizable draft may satisfy that promise, but a memorable poem makes each recurrence alter the reader's understanding. Sound does not merely decorate completed thoughts; it becomes part of how those thoughts approach, resist, or answer one another.
Strong poems make the structure feel necessary by finding material that benefits from return and concentration. An image introduced early may acquire a darker meaning when its sound comes back. A speaker's confident claim may be weakened by what follows it. The close may bring two previously separate elements into contact. Editors and attentive readers notice when the pattern increases emotional pressure in this way. They also notice proportion: the opening should establish enough to matter, the middle should develop rather than stall, and the ending should complete an action of thought without reducing it to a moral.
Weakness usually appears when compliance becomes more visible than intention. Forced inversions, approximate logic, and decorative adjectives often indicate that rhyme selected the language. Mechanical patterning can make every line carry the same weight, leaving no hinge or acceleration. At the opposite extreme, a poet may pack in so much explanation that the images have no room to resonate. Another common problem is insufficient development: the final line announces a feeling that the earlier lines have not dramatized. Predictability is not simply the use of an expected rhyme; it is the absence of meaningful change between expectation and arrival.
Individuality remains visible through choices the shared convention cannot make for the poet: who speaks, what is withheld, which details enter the frame, how sentences cross line boundaries, and whether the final echo comforts or unsettles. A conversational poem may conceal its architecture beneath natural phrasing; a ceremonial one may foreground sound and balance. Neither approach is automatically stronger. Compare multiple community poems and ask which decisions seem inevitable after reading, yet were not obvious beforehand. That paradox-surprise joined to rightness-is a more useful measure of quality than surface neatness alone.
Read, Write & Share
Read several community poems before settling on what the English quintain can sound like. Compare how different writers shape the opening, manage returning sounds, vary the breath of their lines, and prepare the final emphasis. A thoughtful comment might identify an image that changed meaning, a turn that surprised you, or an ending whose sound deepened its emotion.
Then try your own interpretation. Begin with one charged moment, let the structure test your word choices, and revise aloud until the rhyme feels inseparable from the voice. When the poem is ready, publish it on PoetrySoup and add another distinct solution for future readers to consider.
Collection Statistics
This collection contains 1379 poems, offering readers a substantial range of interpretations to browse and compare. Across a collection of this size, poets may follow the conventions closely, adapt them to a particular voice or subject, or challenge expectations while retaining a recognizable relationship to the form. Reading widely makes it possible to compare decisions about sound, pacing, imagery, tone, and closure without assuming that any single poem represents every possibility.
Quintain (English) Categories
Definition | What is Quintain (English) in Poetry?
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.