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Contest Lizardmen Poetry Competition April-May 2017

thedarkfourth said:
Oh man. Most real-world religious epics are very hard to imitate. Epic poetry in general doesn't use rhymes, but rather specific rhythms and technical devices, making them difficult to write and kind of weird to read for newbs like me. They were often intended for great recitals by trained orators, and on the page they can feel heavy and dull. It's normally better just to have a simple rhyme, like couplets (business raptor ftw!) or the classic ABCB stanzas that go on for as long as you like. Truth is, epicness comes more from the subject matter and tone than the rhyme or rhythm.

The easiest pre-made form to recommend is of course a sonnet, which can be just as epic as anything else, but is pretty simple to read and write. The rhyme is ABABCDCDEFEFGG. The rhythm is iambic pentameter: 10 syllables per line, with stress on every second syllable, like a heartbeat. If you want more than 14 lines you can string multiple sonnets together, thinking of each one as a "chapter". But don't enslave yourself to form, and feel free to branch out into new patterns if you feel they suit the style you're going for.
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Scalenex said:
Does anyone here have a background in literature and/or poetry. If you give me a ABABAB rhythm and rhyme scheme I can write something to fit it, but I'm really bad at free form. What is a good pentameter for a religiously loaded epic poem?
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@thedarkfourth Exactly right- but also a big thing to remember, is that a lot of epics were in other languages (Greek, Latin etc) and so the rhymes and flow would be ever so slightly different in their native language (although I think iambic pentameter was around during the classical period, as it is derived from Greek, but only really took off from the Elizabethan era because of Shakespeare, Marlow, Spencer etc) especially once they have been translated over into other languages. Typically the origin of the words chosen can have an impact upon the tone of the poem- case in point many polysyllabic words are from Greek/Latin roots and are more 'technical' e.g. 'caesura' compared to 'stop/pause' which can either slow down or further the flow of the poem.

@Scalenex I uh... did my dissertation on writing poetry! Although that was quite a few years ago... and I haven't written that much since, so I am a tad rusty. In terms of getting a good rhyme, one of the best ones that I remember studying was 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' by Coleridge (with an i! Not Rhyme). It didn't have the exact ABAB, it was more ABCB- I think it did make use of iambic pentameter in some stanzas, but I seem to have misplaced my copy that had all my notes in :/
 
In the meantime I managed to dig up this old gem from the UE Extreme Skaven Paintball rpg (the Slann sued them when they tried to call it ESP.) Pardon the terrible structure, timing, and rhyming, but hopefully it'll bring a giggle:

Seer Gnawtail: Tkull! Why-why is this always your fault?

Engineer Tkull: Because...I want tae be thar very best-best...

Seer Gnawtail: Like no-rat ever was?

Engineer Tkull:
Tae build them is my real test,
Tae blow things up is my cause.
I will travel under thar land,
Searching far and wide.
Thar Warpstone, tae understand,
Thar power that’s inside!

Clan Skryre! Gotta build it all!
It’s always me, fear-fear my electricity!
Clan Skryre! Oh you’re my best sprocket.
When I fire my Doomrocket!
Clan Skryre! Gotta build it all!
Our warpblades so new!
Our gadgets will pull us through.
You teach me and I’ll zap you.
Clan Skryre! Gotta build it all! Gotta build it all!

Every challenge along thar way,
With warpfire I will face.
I will kill-slay everyday
Tae claim my rightful place
Flee from me in utter fright,
There’s nay better machine!
Claw and flame I’ll win-win thar fight,
It’s not-not a dream!

Clan Skryre! Gotta build it all!
It’s always me, fear-fear my electricity!
Clan Skryre! Oh you’re my best sprocket.
When I fire my Doomrocket!
Clan Skryre! Gotta build it all!
Our warpblades so new!
Our gadgets will pull us through.
You teach me and I’ll zap you.
Clan Skryre! Gotta build it all! Gotta build it all!
Clan Skryre!

Seer Gnawtail: Well that happened.
 
Also, looking at some poetic forms in case people get stuck or don't know any of the terminology: (get ready for some learning! :D )
Petrarchan Sonnet- a love poem where the first part is ABBA-ABBA (no not the band) which is called an 'Octave', as it is 8 lines. Then you have the second part which is 6 lines CDECDE or CDDCDD or CDCCDC, which is the 'Sestet'.
Volta- is the turning point in the poem (literally means 'turning point/crisis' in Greek) where a sudden shift in tone or surprise occurs. (Happens when you introduce the Sestet typically)
Shakespearan Sonnet- came to use, as English (at least the Early Modern version Shakespeare was using) was not always the best when combined with the Petrarchan form (arguably not as many similar rhyming endings compared to Italian etc that it originated from), hence it has a ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme. (Look up Shakespeare's sonnets- seriously, he wrote A LOT OF THEM)
Caudate Sonnet- A 17 lined sonnet in the same scheme as the previous, however, there are 3 more lines, in which the 15th is trimetric (has 'ti-tum, ti-tum, ti-tum.' form of stress - like a heartbeat with 6 syllables) BUT it must rhyme with the last (14th) line of the main sonnet, then you have a rhyming couplet in iambic pentameter (so 'ti-tum', 5 times per line).
Quatorzain- a fourteen line poem that is not a Sonnet.
Of course, you can always experiment with your own version of a sonnet if you find that the scheme or number of lines isn't quite suitable :P
 
Time is running out to perfect your master pieces and send them over to me - tick tock tick tock
 
Heh, was going through my archives and found a selection of (slightly innuendo rich) Skaven limericks.

Here's one of the nicer ones:

There once was an Eshin breeder
Who others saw as a leader
Her plans were divine
As her body sublime
Shame we forgot to feed her!
 
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