Oh, those plucky Welsh forms with their fun names, lively musicality, strict syllable restrictions and internal rhymes. The Clogyrnach is the third Welsh form so far in this challenge (after the gwawdodyn and the cywydd llosgyrnog) and is just as challenging as its fellow forms.

Requirements of the Form

Like many other Welsh forms, there are no restrictions in content or meter, but there are various other requirements that must be adhered to rather strictly.

Form

– Consists of any number of six-line stanzas (sestets)

Syllable Count

– Lines 1 and 2 contain eight syllables 
– Lines 3 and 4 have five syllables 
– Lines 5 and 6 have three syllables each

Rhyme

-End rhymes (lines 1-6): aabbba

Variations

– There is a five-line variation* of the Clogyrnach which combines lines 5 and 6. (see below for details)

Requirement Breakdown

1-xxxxxxxa
2-xxxxxxxa
3-xxxxb
4-xxxxb
5-xxb
6-xxa

*Form Variation*

1-xxxxxxxa
2-xxxxxxxa
3-xxxxb
4-xxxxb
5-xxbxxa

An Original Clogyrnach

Fall

I love the autumn’s red and gold,
but every fall I catch a cold.
So, I’m stuck in bed
with a stuffy head
until the meds take hold.

I long to stroll beneath the trees
breathing in the October breeze.
Buried in tissues
with sinus issues,
I achoo, cough and wheeze.

Lost leaves scattered across the ground,
pillows piled in a high white mound;
not what I would call
an awesome time, ya’ll.
Love of fall’s got me down.

Links to Online Resources

Clogyrnach – Writer’s Digest
Clogyrnach – Popular Poetry Forms

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