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Eris, my blade, the accurst villanelle (Villanelle) by SupremeDreamer

With cursed pen I craft this villanelle, its shape a blade whose lustre shant fade but of course that don't mean it'll sell. Never-the-less I am sure it shall cut well. Even if this days' end leaves me unpaid, with my curs'd pen I craft this villanelle. This blade struck, echoes a shrill knell; close to flesh, it'll make a man afraid, but of course that don't mean it'll sell. Used with skill, it shall bid you farewell; its thirst and thrust men can not evade. With cursed pen I've crafted this villanelle. If unsold, within my sheath it shall dwell, till a foes flesh stirs it to swiftly invade; once it has slain, this blade I shant sell. It'll serve me well, my blade from hell; a weapon well worth a day left unpaid. With cursed pen I've crafted this villanelle; and death with its keen edge is what I sell.

zodiac 13-Mar-04/1:01 PM
The pre-twentieth-century poetic reading of a word like "cursed" would have been "CUR-sed" (which is why it is sometimes, but nowhere near always, written "curséd".) A one-syllable "cursed" would have been written "curs'd" to avoid confusion, the apostrophe representing the dropped (and therefore unpronounced) vowel. This is where 'stain'd' and 'bow'ls' come from.

Today we usually read according to standard pronunciation most of the time, so cursed (at least around here) has one syllable. But in your first line you have to read "with CUR-sed PEN i CRAFT this VILaNELLE," in order to keep the pentameter. In the next stanza you write "with MY cursed PEN..." making a one-syllable cursed. It should at least be consistent, whichever way you go. Or throw in an apostrophe if you like. I'm sure he'll/they'll love it.




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