How to Write a Virelay

The virelay is an ancient French form of poetry. The name comes from the French word "virer," meaning "to turn." This poem is written in quatrains (four-line stanzas) with a rhyme scheme but without a fixed meter. A few unique aspects of this form includes no maximum length, a revolving rhyme scheme (a/b/a/b, b/c/b/c, c/d/c/d), the lines alternate between long and short, and the short lines of the last quatrain rhyme with those of the first quatrains (z/b/z/b).The virelay needs at least two stanzas, but it can be any length beyond that. This "how to" shows a three-stanza poem. Each stanza has its own section to avoid confusion. The virelay has no specific line length, but a meter of 8/4/8/4 is used in this example.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Stanza 1

1. Write line 1. This needs to be a longer line. (8 syllables: it is a dark and stormy night)

2. Write line 2. This needs to be a shorter line. (4 syllables: thunder, lightning)

3. Write line 3. This needs to be a longer line, its last word rhyming with the last word of line 1. (8 syllables: huddling and shivering with fright)

4. Write line 4. This needs to be a shorter line, its last word rhyming with the last word of line 2. (4 syllables: booming, crashing)

Stanza 2

5. Write line 5. This needs to be a longer line, its last word rhyming with the last word of line 4. (8 syllables: what monsters or things are lurking?)

6. Write line 6. This needs to be a shorter line. (4 syllables: hear them outside)

7. Write line 7. This needs to be a longer line, its last word rhyming with the last word of line 4. (8 syllables: howling wolves and swooping bat wings)

8. Write line 8. This needs to be a shorter line, its last word rhyming with the last word of line 6. (4 syllables: unseen, they hide)

Stanza 3

9. Write line 9. This needs to be a longer line, its last word rhyming with the last word of line 8. (8 syllables: maybe danger is on this side)

10. Write line 10. This needs to be a shorter line, its last word rhyming with the last word of line 4. (4 syllables: moaning, creaking)

11. Write line 11. This needs to be a longer line, its last word rhyming with the last word of line 8. (8 syllables: what spirits in this house reside)

12. Write line 12. This needs to be a shorter line, its last word rhyming with the last word of line 4. (4 syllables: hear them speaking)

Resources

• Further Virelay information