English Poetry Questions Medium
A sestina poem is a highly structured form of poetry consisting of six stanzas of six lines each, followed by a final triplet (tercet). The unique feature of a sestina lies in its intricate pattern of end-words, known as "teleutons." In the first stanza, the end-words are arranged in a specific order, and this order is then repeated in each subsequent stanza, with the exception of the final triplet. The teleutons of the first stanza are used as the internal line-endings of the following stanzas, creating a complex interweaving of words throughout the poem. The final triplet, however, includes all six end-words, with one of them being used as an internal line-ending in each line. This intricate structure of a sestina poem challenges the poet to carefully select and manipulate words, resulting in a rich and layered composition.