sestina

American  

[se-stee-nuh] / sɛˈsti nə /

noun

Prosody.

plural

sestinas, sestine

1. a poem of six six-line stanzas and a three-line envoy, originally without rhyme, in which each stanza repeats the end words of the lines of the first stanza, but in different order, the envoy using the six words again, three in the middle of the lines and three at the end.

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sestina British  

/ sɛˈstiːnə /

noun

1. Also called: sextain.  an elaborate verse form of Italian origin, normally unrhymed, consisting of six stanzas of six lines each and a concluding tercet. The six final words of the lines in the first stanza are repeated in a different order in each of the remaining five stanzas and also in the concluding tercet

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Etymology

Origin of sestina

1580–90; < Italian, equivalent to sest ( o ) (< Latin sextus sixth ) + -ina -ine ²

Explanation

A sestina is a strictly patterned poem consisting of six six-line stanzas and a final triplet. It will take you a while to write a sestina for English class — you'd better start writing! The form of a sestina is so complicated it can feel like a math problem to compose one. Sestinas have a total of 39 lines — six six-line stanzas followed by a three-line envoi, or brief stanza. The last word of every line is repeated in a specific pattern, so the six words are rotated through the endings of every single line. The earliest sestinas were composed in the medieval language of Occitan, during the 12th century.

Example Sentences

Although an occasional narrative experiment might disrupt the format, what makes “Law & Order” special is precisely the fact that it has one, like a sonnet, a sestina, or an ottava rima.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2022

There aren’t strict rules for what is poetry unless you’re trying to adhere to a specific form like the sestina, haiku or limerick.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2021

The story’s structure resembles that of a sestina, the same elements — Jordan, Seinfeld, aluminum foil, Chore Boy and baking soda — recombining in different configurations throughout to dizzying effect.

From New York Times • Aug. 10, 2021

At its best, whether in blank verse or in a 39-line sestina, his work was lyrical and bracing.

From Washington Post • Apr. 11, 2018

The common form of the sestina has six stanzas of six lines each, with a tercet at the end.

From English Verse Specimens Illustrating its Principles and History by Alden, Raymond MacDonald

Related Words

• ballad
• composition
• epic
• lyric
• poetry
• rhyme
• sonnet
• verse
• writing