The Sunday Mini-Challenge

Greetings to all in The Imaginary Garden on this last Sunday of the year 2012. I believe we have put our Sundays to good use in showcasing some of the finest photographer-poets on the blogs, as well as exploring many different forms of both stanza and poem. Before going any further with this week's challenge, I ask that you leave your thoughts regarding any changes you would like to see regarding this weekly slot, as well as any suggestions you have that might be of benefit to all of us. I do intend to invite other members' contributions to a greater extent in 2013, so if anyone would like to volunteer her own mini-challenge, please send me an email. (I appeal foremost to our members who do not currently have a regular prompt or challenge on our schedule.)

Favim.com
Source Unknown

Now, back to this challenge. Last weekend, we looked at Common or Hymnal Measure, which uses the classic line lengths of English poetry, namely the alternation between the 8 syllablic tetrameter and the 6 syllabic trimeter. In doing a spot of research for our mini-challenge, I came upon an interesting way of varying this standard, in Robert Herrick's poem To Daffodils.

Fair Daffodils, we weep to see

         You haste away so soon;

As yet the early-rising sun

         Has not attain'd his noon.

                        Stay, stay,

                Until the hasting day

                        Has run

                But to the even-song;

And, having pray'd together, we

Will go with you along.

We have short time to stay, as you,

         We have as short a spring;

As quick a growth to meet decay,

         As you, or anything.

                        We die

                As your hours do, and dry

                        Away,

                Like to the summer's rain;

Or as the pearls of morning's dew,

Ne'er to be found again.

Source

You will notice that the first 4 lines follow the 8,6,8,6 (or 4 feet, 3 feet, 4 feet, 3 feet of iambic stress pattern) of Common Measure rather closely, but then the poet introduces a variation in his stanza from lines 5 to 8, of 2, 6, 2, 6 and then back to 8, 6 to close lines 9 and 10. This breaks the almost jingle-like rhythm to create a more complex pattern, with the shorter lines creating their own kind of pause, not based entirely on punctuation.

For the sake of academic argument, the authors of Understanding Poetry (4th Edition) rewrote the first stanza in the more traditional way, and the difference between the two versions is very obvious to the reader:

Fair daffodils, we weep to see
   You haste away so soon:
As yet the early-rising sun
   Has not attained his noon.
Stay yet until the hasting day
   Has run to the Even-song
And, having prayed together, we
   Will go with you along.

Our Challenge is to write in Herrick's stanza form, which is laid out as follows:

x x x x x x x a
x x x x x b
x x x x x x x c
x x x x x b
x d
x x x x x d
x c
x x x x x e
x x x x x x x a
x x x x x e

In addition, we may note how the poet uses the image of the daffodil in this poem as a metaphor describing man's abiding connection to God through worship and through appreciation of nature. You may take this opportunity to think about how you could use a central image as the basis of the poetic message you wish to convey. The theme of your poem need not be flowery or religious in nature, and I would encourage a more modern take on this 17th Century form.

The Sunday Challenge is posted on Saturday at noon CST to allow extra time for the form challenge.  Please provide a link on your blog back to Real Toads.  We stipulate that only poems written for this challenge may be added to the Mr Linky.  Management reserves the right to remove unrelated links, but invites you to share a poem of your choice on Open Link Monday.