Writing a Ballade: A Guide for Young and New Poets

A Ballade is a very traditional and classic form of poetry which originated in France. The Ballade is lyrical by nature, and also shares this name with a form of songwriting, known as a Ballad (www.wikipedia.com).  This article will draw upon my extensive experience writing poetry and I will provide tips for young and new poets to use while beginning to write in the Ballade form of poetry.

 

 

The Ballade consists of 3 stanzas of eight to ten lines each in length, it concludes with a final stanza, called an envoy. The envoy is shorter in length, about four to five lines (http://dictionary.reference.com).

 

 

The most important aspect of this poetry form is: the last line of each stanza and the envoy has to be the same. This line serves as the refrain in the musical form of the same name. I learned of this form of poetry several years ago, when I was looking to expand the creativity of my poetry beyond some of the standard formats I had grown accustomed to working within.

 

 

Starting Out

 

The Ballade is a form of poetry which takes some degree of planning before you begin the process of writing. The rhyme scale is very important in this type of format because it is lyrical poetry, so the scale needs to be the same throughout each stanza.

 

The choice of rhyme scale is based on several factors depending upon the words you would need to use to convey the message of the poem, your comfort level with a particular rhyme scale, or it could be based upon the refrain line used in your poem.

 

 

When based on the refrain, your rhyme scale would then be worked backward into the rest of the body of the poem. I have used all three of the factors mentioned to determine rhyme scale in my years of writing poetry. It depends on what works for you, and more importantly, what works for you at the given time you are working on a particular piece.

 

 

I usually have an idea when I begin the writing process of what my refrain is going to be as well as the central message of the poem. I write most all of my poetry in rhyming scale and have developed very little free verse poetry, so I may have found this format easier in the beginning than other writers. I mention this because if you are a new writer that enjoys writing rhyming verse, this form may be easy to grasp and a fun change of pace.

 

 

I am also most comfortable writing in iamb, or iambic pentameter.  I have also written in dactyl. It depends upon your comfort level and also the words you need to use to convey the message.

 

 

The Draft

 

Once you have the rhyme scale, the central message and the refrain decided you can move forward into drafting the idea on paper. I usually use eight lines in each of the 3 opening stanzas, so that I have four rhyming sets in each stanza.

 

 

It is very important that you keep in mind that the last line has to be the same in each stanza, so planning out the placement of those words ahead of time is critical.

 

 

In the envoy I have used both the four line and the five line ending stanza. In the four line stanza I just make sure that my third line makes sense when the fourth line has to be the refrain line, this ensures that the rhyme scale flows correctly.

 

 

When I use the five line envoy, I have two rhyming sets take up the first four lines, and then I use the refrain line to tie it all back to the central theme of the poem. So it is really a choice you can make on an individual poem by poem basis, or you may find that you are comfortable with four lines compared to the full five lines.

 

 

Avoiding Common Mistakes

 

Some common mistakes using the Ballade form are:

 

  • Not keeping the same rhyme scale throughout the poem
  • Losing the central message by trying to fit the words within the rhyme scale
  • Forgetting the refrain at the end of each stanza
  • Not rhyming the preceding line with the refrain in the first 3 stanzas
  • Repeating the same key words at the end of lines within the body of the poem

 

 

These mistakes can be avoided by checking your work and making edits to your draft before feeling like you have a “finished product”. The rhyming scale issues can be solved by reading the poem out loud, you will pick up the consonants that are incorrect.

 

 

In order to remember the refrain, I mark the margin of my paper with a red “R” to correspond to where the refrain needs to be placed. I often will have the idea for the refrain line first, so I will write it into the draft.

 

In order to make sure that I rhymed the preceding line, I mark the margin of the paper with whatever letter corresponds with that line and put a dash and the letter “R”. For example, if the scale is “ABABCCDR”, then I would mark the line corresponding to “D” in the scale, as “D-R” so that the poem can flow properly.

 

I hope that this information will be useful for young and new poetry writers as you begin to use the Ballade form. It is a very lyrical and very unique form of poetry that can be adapted to express any number of thoughts or emotions.