Englyn Byr Cwca: Poetic Forms
Poetic forms are an opportunity to play poetic games with structure. Today, we look at the englyn byr cwca, a Welsh tercet form that incorporates both end and internal rhymes.
Poetic forms are an opportunity to play poetic games with structure. Today, we look at the englyn byr cwca, a Welsh tercet form that incorporates both end and internal rhymes.
Englyn Byr Cwca Poems
Like the englyn cyrch, the englyn byr cwca is a Welsh form that uses both end and internal rhymes. But there are quite a few differences beyond this. It has the following guidelines:
- poem comprised of tercets (from one tercet to infinity) or 3-line stanzas
- first line has 7 syllables, second has 10, and third has 6
- lines 1 and 3 end rhyme with each other
- line 2 rhymes with a syllable somewhere in the middle of the 3rd line
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Here’s my attempt at an englyn byr cwca:
sun, by Robert Lee Brewer
burn deep into every night
& illuminate every single day
with your rays of pure light
