For the last dverse open link night for a couple of weeks, a villanelle.
Photo©Zach Dischner
I can hear the voice of green fields calling,
On the rippled edges of my hearing,
See the fiery tails of fierce stars falling.
When all around me the sounds of brawling,
Clash with the cackle of brazen jeering,
I can hear the voice of green fields calling.
On the night dark streets where moonlight’s palling,
I watch for the signs of dawn appearing,
See the fiery tails of fierce stars falling.
When the skylark sings his songs enthralling,
In the morning sky where dawn is peering,
I can hear the voice of green fields calling.
I would trawl the sky with my net’s hauling,
To brighten the place of sad souls’ cheering,
See the fiery tails of fierce stars falling.
Too slowly the city days are crawling,
Too long the waiting, fraught and wearying,
For I hear the voice of green fields calling
And the fiery song of fierce stars falling.
Jane Dougherty Writes 
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Love the villanelle. Beautiful work here Jane.
Thanks Toni. I enjoy getting them to work out.
Great and moody villanelle.
Thank you. I have very mixed feelings about moving house. I want to, but those fiery stars…
Poetic and imagistic divergent moods. And a beautiful villanelle to boot!
Thanks Sarah! My emotions are pretty turbulent at present.
That last line. Sigh of pleasure from me.
The line between excitement and terror is a fine one.
Nice contrast between the brawling, jeering urban environment and the green fields and stars.
Thanks Frank. I do feel the positive draw of the countryside, but the city still has claims on me.
This is gorgeous. I’m feeling a bit of Yeats in you at the moment. I love the trawling of the sky, love the whole thing, really.
Thank you! To have even a bit of Yeats in me would make me feel so pleased with myself 🙂
Lovely villanelle, Jane–beautiful language. Yes, a bit of Yeats.
The green fields calling and “And the fiery song of fierce stars falling.” I like how you changed the words of the repeating lines a little in the last stanza.
It’s one of the things that’s allowed in a villanelle, and I like the way it can put a different emphasis on the repeated lines, makes you think about them a bit more 🙂
I like the image of fierce stars falling, and it works so well in repetition. Is that your photo? Wonderful as well. (K)
Thank you 🙂 I can’t take photos like that! Far too professional-looking 🙂 The photographer’s credit and link is just above the photo.
Thanks. I like your photos, though.
Some of them have that happy amateur feel—they turn out well despite the camera and the operator 🙂
I’ve heard “the green fields calling” all my life. I love the convenience of city living, but I always wanted to live on the very edge, so I was a stone’s throw from green fields. Your villanelle is lovely!
Thank you, Beverly. That’s how I feel, I suppose. The city groups all that is necessary for modern living, schools, hospitals, shops etc but we feel we’d like to be able to do without all that. Maybe we can. We’re going to try anyway 🙂
I like the villanelle and the sense of longing it evokes.
Thank you 🙂 It’s longing and trepidation. Big changes coming here.
I hear you yearning for the country here, and yet your verses about the city are so sharp and true. I guess this is how good people end up, despite themselves, in the suburbs!
You’re probably right! I don’t know if it’s because the suburbs suit best, or because it’s a good place to dither.
A soul stirring piece to read this morning Jane ~ Love your refraining lines:
For I hear the voice of green fields calling
And the fiery song of fierce stars falling.
Thank you, Grace 🙂
A very fine villanelle. The music is enhanced by the alliteration. The vowel changes in the middle lines with the added “ings” makes it seem like a modal changing from major to minor throughout the piece. Very fine work indeed.
Thank you very much, Gay! As you point out, with this form, the sound is as as important as the appearance.