Let us Rock Five - wujue

© Flight of Thoughts, by Suzette Richards 2023. ISBN 978-0-6397-8880-7

What to Submit?

1 original, poem on the theme of NATURE & ANALOGY, but on any TOPIC (see below).

Only form acceptable: Wujue - a subset of jueju.

Write ONE original WUJUE quatrain (4 lines) in imagistic monosyllabic words, concentrating only on the GRAMMATICALITY aspect of the design, and presented on the page as set out below. Furthermore, your title must contain the word ‘wujue’.

Rhyme scheme: abcb (classic jueju) OR aaba (mimicking the Rubáiyát).*

Please see the definition of jueju here on Poetry Soup, but ignore their example poem.

COMPOSITION

Similar to Western poetry, we find rhyme and metre in Chinese poetry. In fragmented phrases, jueju (Chinese, meaning severed sentence) creates a mood rather than tell a story. The wujue is written in phrases (word units) of 2 & 3 syllables per line with a strong caesura (pause) before the final 3-word phrase in the 4^th line. The word units should pair off, more than they do between the groups, ie it is not a standard sentence.

· Line 1 sets the scene (usually with a reference to nature) with a wide lens view;

· Line 2 expands the image and mood of this external scene, bringing it into sharper focus;

· Line 3 contrasts with the first two lines—it has an emotional resonance and often introduces humanity; and

· Line 4 ponders the meaning and draws the parts together, returning with the final 3 syllable phrase to the nature theme introduced in the first line. [In my example below I used the analogy of shipwrecks/shipwrecked companies (companies that fold) and sharp rocks.]

For this exercise, the grammaticality aspect of the design refers to the matching of the word units in the line as well as down. Therefore, if you have started line one with an adjective and a noun, the next word unit in the line must also include an adjective and a noun and may end in a verb (as per my example). This pattern is repeated in the next two lines with words evoking a similar scene in line two, and with antonyms/contrasting words in line three (see my example). In the fourth line this pattern is broken but still adheres to the monosyllabic words. Only nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs are used (stressed syllables) – NO structure words (determiners, pronouns, prepositions, articles, conjunctions) or auxiliary words, as these are unstressed syllables.† No negative auxiliary words or contracted words to be used even if these are stressed words.

PRESENTATION

Each line of the phrases (each in monosyllabic groups) is presented on the written page with a forward slash between them and a space before and after each forward slash. The capitalisation of the first word in a line is the prerogative of the poet. Punctuation is not required. The first phrase is usually the identifying moniker of the poem. The two-word title must include the word ‘wujue’ after this phrase.

MY EXAMPLES

1. Rhyme scheme abcb

Thick mist – wujue

Thick mist / sharp rocks cut

Dense rain / strong wind whips

Vast drought / weak build folds

Trade boon / graft wrecks ships

2. Rhyme scheme aaba

Thick mist – wujue

Thick mist / sharp rock strips

Dense rain / strong wind whips

Vast drought / weak build folds

Trade boon / graft wrecks ships

© Suzette Richards 2023

See Thick mist - wujue (poetrysoup.com)

No names OR identifying mark or text (eg your initials) on the entry, please. OPTIONAL: The date written, name of the contest, or that of the sponsor.

Same as before, regrettably, I cannot enter into correspondence with the contestants due to unstable internet connectivity. You may leave a question or suggestion relating to the contest on the relevant BLOG posted.

Above all, have fun!

Suzette

* Recommended reading

1. poems.com/features/what-sparks-poetry/jonathan-stalling-on-spring-snow/
2. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jueju

†When in doubt, you may refer to my article here on Poetry Soup, Scansion in Poetry | PoetrySoup.com

OR Merriam-Webster – their definitions of single syllable (monosyllable) words are comprehensive.

Also see my latest blog for a summary, explanatory notes, etc: Let us Rock Five - wujue - AN IMPORTANT RECAP - Suzette Richards's Blog (poetrysoup.com)

Prizes

First Prize, my book, Flight of Thoughts (poetry and editorials) - PDF file

Second Prize, my book, Flight of Thoughts (poetry and editorials) - PDF file

Third Prize, my book, Flight of Thoughts (poetry and editorials) - PDF file

The book includes 170 poems with their design information, plus some editorials. The A5, 208 page 8 MB file and can be read on any screen - a free Adobe Reader download is all that is required.

4^th … honourable mentions.

 Preparing Your Entry

Submit one copy of your poem online. Format your poem. Please make your entry easy to read — no illustrations or fancy fonts. 

English Language

Poems should be in English. Poems translated from other languages are not eligible, unless you wrote both the original poem and the translation. NO rhyming slang, please.  

A Note to Poetry Contestants

You are welcome to enter this contest, whether or not you won a prize in one of my previous contests.