A Bunch Of Triolets

By Robert Fuller Murray

Narrative Poem
    TO ---     You like the trifling triolet:          Well, here are three or four.     Unless your likings I forget,     You like the trifling triolet.     Against my conscience I abet          A taste which I deplore;     You like the trifling triolet:          Well, here are three or four.      Have you ever met with a pretty girl          Walking along the street,     With a nice new dress and her hair in curl?     Have you ever met with a pretty girl,     When her hat blew off and the wind with a whirl          Wafted it right to your feet?     Have you ever met with a pretty girl          Walking along the street?     I ran into a lady's arms,          Turning a corner yesterday.     To my confusion, her alarms,     I ran into a lady's arms.     So close a vision of her charms          Left me without a word to say.     I ran into a lady's arms,          Turning a corner yesterday.      How many maids you love,          How many maids love you!     Your conscious blushes prove     How many maids you love.     Each trusts you like a dove,          But would she, if she knew     How many maids you love,          How many maids love you?

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Poem Details

Language: English
Keywords: Public Domain
Source: Public Domain Collection
Rights/Permissions: Public Domain
Analysis & Notes:
<s> The poem, a triolet, employs its rigid structure a single rhyme scheme and repeated lines to critique the form’s frivolity. The speaker begins with ironic deference, acknowledging the addressee’s fondness for the triolet while subtly undermining it as trifling. The form’s constraints repetition of lines and limited rhyme echo the speaker’s frustration, as the poem’s insistence on returning to the same phrases mirrors the addressee’s unchanging tastes. The stanzaic turns introduce vignettes of fleeting encounters (a girl’s hat blowing away, an accidental collision with a woman) that feel inconsequential, reinforcing the triolet’s superficiality. The final stanza shifts from playful irony to sharper moral judgment, exposing the addressee’s duplicity in love. The poem’s sound light, bouncy, and insistent contrasts with its darker implications, culminating in a critique of both the form and the reader’s shallowness. The triolet’s very structure becomes a tool for its own demolition, exposing the emptiness beneath its surface charm.

Exploring Narrative Poetry

Narrative poetry is a form of poetry that tells a story, often making use of the voices of a narrator and characters as well. Unlike lyric poetry, which focuses on emotions and thoughts, narrative poetry is dedicated to storytelling, weaving tales that captivate readers through plot and character development.

Narrative poems are unique in their ability to combine the depth of storytelling with the expressive qualities of poetry. Here are some defining characteristics:

  • Structured Plot: Narrative poems typically have a clear beginning, middle, and end, following a plot that might involve conflict, climax, and resolution, much like a short story or novel.
  • Character Development: Characters in narrative poems are often well-developed, with distinct voices and personalities that drive the story forward.
  • Descriptive Language: The language used in narrative poetry is vivid and descriptive, painting a clear picture of the scenes and events, while also conveying the emotions and atmosphere of the story.

From ancient epics like "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" to more modern narrative poems, this form continues to engage readers by blending the art of storytelling with the beauty and rhythm of poetry.