1824 Publishers: 2 books

Today, the villanelle is accepted to be a nineteen-line poem consisting of five tercets and a final quatrain using two rhymes in a specified order. Throughout the poem there are two repeated lines, called the refrain. The beauty of the villanelle lies in its song-like nature and their refrains impart this musical quality.

Out of all poetry, some of the most beautiful work has been written in just fourteen lines. Many of us will immediately call to mind the sonnet form with the very mention of fourteen lines, but there is a special appeal attached to a poem of fourteen lines. It seems that it is just the right length...