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Kyrielle

Form
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A French form of rhyming couplets or quatrains with a repeating refrain

Detailed Definition
Kyrielle is a French fixed form consisting of quatrains with a repeating refrain (often the last line) and an ABAB rhyme scheme; traditionally devotional or meditative, it uses incremental repetition to build emotional or spiritual intensity, as in 15th-century examples by Pierre Certon or modern adaptations exploring obsession or prayer.
Example
Example in poetry:
Kyrielle: A French form with repeating refrain and rhyming quatrains (AABB), often in iambic tetrameter; example: “My pen falters, ink runs dry, / Yet still I write beneath this sky. / The stars above refuse to lie— / And so I write, and so I try.”
Additional Notes
A French form with refrain lines. Usually eight-line stanzas with specific refrain pattern. Musical, repetitive quality. Related to villanelle but different structure. Medieval origin, used by modern formalists.
Also Known As
refrain couplet medieval French form
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