Richard Jackson: One of the most popular songs in Europe recently was “Little Vi

Richard Jackson: One of the most popular songs in Europe recently was “Little Viennese Waltz” as sung by Leonard Cohen. The lyrics are actually by the great Spanish poet Federico García Lorca, from The Poet in New York. The poem works in triplets and variations off of triplets (“ Te quiero, te quiero, te quiero,” reads one line) to effect a sort of waltz rhythm— something Cohen’s version really accentuates. And why not, if the origins of lyric are in songs played on a lute? What would happen if we changed the waltz-like rhythm to a polka? Or to the four-beat line of rock and roll (and Old English)? For one, the somber surrealistic mood would have to change. The polka rhythm might make it more frivolous, or might undercut the death images. Could we still use Vienna?
These are all answers you might find in this exercise, which is to write a poem in which you try to use a rhythm that suggests a dance form, and then to write another version of the poem in a different dance form— sort of rhythmic variations on a theme. You might include musical forms that aren’t dance forms— sonata, aria, concerto, madrigal, march, etc. It’s a good idea to listen to the various dance/ music styles, even if you think you are familiar with them— listening with a poem in mind or poetry in general in mind unveils a different sense of the sound. Besides, it’s a good way to get you to listen to some good music. You might also think of the rumba, the samba, the twist, the cha-cha, the Charleston, the fandango, the jig and jazz strut, the rap strut (if you think about it, you might see rap as a descendant of the form of Middle English skeltonics), etc.
Remember that each of these has certain associations with cultures, ages, settings that you might exploit or undercut as it applies to your subject. This is a terrific way to explore what rhythm really does as opposed to some dry and sterile textbook account. A waltz rhythm is a sort of dactylic, for example, if one wants to use traditional metrics, and a waltz suggests a certain civilized and public gesture. This can be used to develop or, in the case of Lorca, to counterpoint the subject. But rhythm should also be thought of in terms of the overall structure, and the movement or pace of the poem. Looking at a couple of rhythmic variations for the same subject leads first to wildly different tones and so different attitudes toward the subject, and then most often to real changes in the subject. But the exercise is also a catalyst for other sorts of procedures, and a number of variant exercises can be spawned from it. For example, you might use this as a way to explore the potential in a single poem, actually trying several rhythmic formats and echoes, and so also discovering things through each version that you wouldn’t have dreamed of by sticking to what you felt was the base rhythm. Sometimes it leads to longer poems that make several shifts in rhythmic gear, tone, mood, within the poem itself.
Note: Your assignment is to write one poem based off of the directions in paragraph 2. In your heading you need to designate what form you are using and provide a link to a YouTube clip that provides an example of the form you are using.