How to Write a Villanelle: 19 Lines, ABA Rhyme & Refrains

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A villanelle is a 19-line poem made of five tercets and a closing quatrain, with a strict ABA rhyme scheme and two repeating refrains: line 1 returns as lines 6, 12, and 18, and line 3 returns as lines 9, 15, and 19. To write one: choose two strong lines that can carry the whole poem, pick a rhyme sound for the B lines, draft the tercets so each refrain lands naturally, then close with an ABAA quatrain — the structure behind "Do not go gentle into that good night."

What Is a Villanelle?

The villanelle began in 16th-century France as a simple rustic song — the name comes from the Italian villano, meaning peasant. By the 19th century the form had hardened into the fixed pattern we know today: 19 lines, five tercets, one quatrain, and two refrains that echo through the poem like a returning tide. English poets embraced it in the 20th century, and it became the go-to form for obsession, grief, and love — subjects that suit a pattern repeating to the very end.

The Rules of the Villanelle

Because the A lines are fixed, your entire poem hangs on just two repeated lines — that is the villanelle's challenge and its magic.

How the Refrains Work

The refrains must repeat word for word — the repetition is the point. A well-chosen refrain is flexible enough to work in several contexts: it can describe the speaker, address another person, comment on the scene, or deliver the poem's central command. In Dylan Thomas's villanelle, "Do not go gentle into that good night" works as advice to the dying, a plea from the speaker, and an instruction to the reader at once. That versatility is what to shop for in your own two lines.

Famous Villanelle Examples

The most famous villanelle in English is Dylan Thomas's "Do not go gentle into that good night" (1951), written for his dying father. Its refrains:

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Elizabeth Bishop's "One Art" (1976) is the other landmark — a poem about loss insisting "The art of losing isn't hard to master" until the final quatrain cracks open. Both poems work because their refrains are strong enough to survive four repetitions.

How to Write a Villanelle in 5 Steps

Step 1: Choose Your Two Refrains

Write 10-20 candidate lines about your subject — an emotion, a person, a place — and pick two that are strong, rhythmic, and flexible enough to fit different contexts. Make them roughly 10 syllables each, and test each by saying it aloud four times; it must still sound good on the fourth repeat.

Step 2: Lock the Rhyme Sounds

The A-rhyme is fixed by your refrains' end words. Now list 8-10 words that rhyme with line 2's ending. You only need two or three that fit naturally — hunt for rhymes that do real work, not filler like "day"/"way"/"say".

Step 3: Write the First Tercet

Set up your scene: refrain 1 (A), a new B line, refrain 2 (A). This stanza is your poem's contract — it promises what the refrains mean, so keep the grammar clear for the repetitions ahead.

Step 4: Draft Stanzas 2-5

Each new tercet opens with refrain 1, adds a new B line, and closes with refrain 2. Vary the meaning: let the refrains be statements, questions, commands, or embedded inside longer sentences. Read the whole draft; if a refrain lands awkwardly, rewrite the new lines around it — the refrains themselves never change.

Step 5: Close with the Quatrain and Revise

The final stanza runs A-B-A-A: refrain 1, one last B line, refrain 2, then refrain 1 again as the last line — the poem circles back to its opening. Then read the whole poem aloud, trim extra syllables, and make sure every refrain earns its repetition.

An Original Villanelle Example

Here is a complete original villanelle written for this guide, with refrains labeled (A1 and A2) and the B lines rhyming throughout:

The last train leaves before the evening ends. (A1)
The platform empties, platforms always do. (B)
The station clock forgets the ones who wait. (A2)

The last train leaves before the evening ends. (A1)
Commuters fold their papers, two by two. (B)
The station clock forgets the ones who wait. (A2)

The last train leaves before the evening ends. (A1)
A ticket stub goes sailing, pale and new. (B)
The station clock forgets the ones who wait. (A2)

The last train leaves before the evening ends. (A1)
The pigeons settle where the benches grew. (B)
The station clock forgets the ones who wait. (A2)

The last train leaves before the evening ends. (A1)
I watch the signal blink from green to blue. (B)
The station clock forgets the ones who wait. (A2)

The last train leaves before the evening ends. (A1)
The door slides shut; the empty rails renew. (B)
The station clock forgets the ones who wait. (A2)
The last train leaves before the evening ends. (A1)

5 Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Refrains that aren't exact — Changing a word ("leaves" to "left") breaks the form; repetition is the contract.

2. Wrong rhyme in the quatrain — The final line repeats refrain 1 (A), and line 17 must rhyme with the B lines. Losing track of A vs. B here is the classic error.

3. Too many B rhymes — Keep a tight list of two or three so the sound stays consistent and rhyme-hunting doesn't warp meaning.

4. Refrains that don't fit new contexts — If a refrain only works in stanza 1, the poem collapses by stanza 3; test each one everywhere.

5. Ignoring the meter — The form's hypnotic quality comes from rhythm. Read aloud, mark the stresses, and smooth out lines that stumble.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lines does a villanelle have?

A villanelle has exactly 19 lines: five tercets followed by a closing quatrain.

What is the rhyme scheme of a villanelle?

The rhyme scheme is ABA in each of the five tercets and ABAA in the final quatrain — written out: ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA ABAA.

Do the refrains in a villanelle have to repeat exactly?

Yes. The two refrain lines must repeat word for word: line 1 returns as lines 6, 12, and 18, and line 3 returns as lines 9, 15, and 19.

Is a villanelle always written in iambic pentameter?

No, but iambic pentameter is by far the most common meter for English villanelles, since it gives the repeating refrains a steady, songlike pulse.

Why is it called a villanelle?

The name comes from the Italian villano (peasant). It began as a rustic Italian song and was later shaped into a strict 19-line fixed form by French poets in the 16th century.

Ready to Write Your Own?

The villanelle rewards patience: pick two strong lines, keep the refrains exact, and let repetition do the emotional work. Compare it with the haiku and the tanka, or draft a first version with the free poem generator at poemgenius.com — then make the refrains your own. Every villanelle begins with one line worth saying four times.