zodiac13 Mar 2004

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.