What Is a Villanelle? Format and Rules
A villanelle poem generator gives you a starting point, but the form is simple enough to learn by hand. A villanelle is a 19-line poem arranged as five tercets followed by one quatrain. Its rhyme scheme is ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA ABAA.
You need exactly two refrain lines. A1 appears on lines 1, 6, 12, and 18; A2 appears on lines 3, 9, 15, and 19. Repeat each word for word, including punctuation. Every other line shares one b rhyme, while A1 and A2 share the A rhyme.
The form developed in medieval France and takes its name from the French virelai, a song form. There is no fixed syllable count, but similar line lengths help the refrains settle into the ear.
A good villanelle circles one image or tension. For a short example, The garden wakes to hopeful light works as a first refrain because it shows a scene, sounds complete alone, and leaves room for its return to gain meaning.
For other fixed forms, try the Sestina Poem Generator, Sonnet Generator, and Elegy Poem Generator. Browse the Poem Types Generators page for more choices.
How to Use the Villanelle Poem Generator
- In the What feeling should the villanelle circle around text box, type the feeling you want the poem to explore.
- Open the Tone menu. It starts at Any tone, and you can also choose Hopeful, Melancholic, Romantic, Dramatic, Wistful, Joyful, Somber, Reflective, Playful, Mystical, Angry, Bittersweet, or Dark. The villanelle is always 19 lines long.
- In the A detail only you know text box, you can optionally add a personal detail for the poem to use.
- Open Advanced options to choose a Language. Select English or one of the other 19 languages, such as Spanish, French, Hindi, Urdu, or Arabic. You can also set the Voice to First person, Second person, Third person, Narrator, or An object or idea speaks. Under Writing style, choose Image-rich, Simple and emotional, Rich with metaphor, Classic literary, or Modern and conversational. The Write like a poet text box is optional.
- Select Write my poem.
The page scrolls to a chat-style result, with your request first and the poem shown as the reply. Under the poem, you can use Like, Dislike, Copy, Undo, and Regenerate. Tap a line to choose New versions of this line or Lock line; locked lines stay in place through every change.
To make a change, type plain words in the box at the bottom, such as make it rhyme or mention the lake. Guests get one free change, while signed-in users can make more.
Villanelle poem examples
Each original example below returns both refrains unchanged, gives every b line one shared rhyme, and keeps all lines to eight syllables.
Rain after a storm — Melancholic
The rain has left the garden still The swallows fold against the light And one bright path runs past the hill
A mower hums beneath the light Its silver circle marks the night The rain has left the garden still
We watch the last drops lose their fight Then evening settles soft and white And one bright path runs past the hill
A kettle clicks beneath the light A cup waits in the pale blue light The rain has left the garden still
The wet leaves flash like coins at night The quiet street is folded tight And one bright path runs past the hill
Soft purple shadows gather light The path glows silver in the night The rain has left the garden still And one bright path runs past the hill
The repeated path, waiting cup, and clearing weather give the refrains a quiet sense of movement without changing their wording.
A departure — Bittersweet
Your train will leave before the light The platform waits in shades of gray Your quiet name remains in sight
We watch the clocks move far away A porter points me down the way Your train will leave before the light
The rails divide the morning gray Like threads the fog pulls far away Your quiet name remains in sight
I seal your note for one more day And carry half a dream away Your train will leave before the light
Your window catches fading day Then turns to gray and fades away Your quiet name remains in sight
The signal calls me far away While all the houses slip away Your train will leave before the light Your quiet name remains in sight
The fixed farewell lines gain weight as the platform scene moves from watching to distance, while every b-rhyme keeps the form steady.
A garden after rain — Hopeful
The garden wakes to hopeful light A robin calls along the way A seedling answers, green and bright
Its song begins before the day A sparrow turns in easy play The garden wakes to hopeful light
The fence posts shine in golden ray And every weathered gate looks gray A seedling answers, green and bright
We rake the path where clover lay And pull the weeds from rows in clay The garden wakes to hopeful light
The trowel waits beside the clay While sunlight gathers on the spray A seedling answers, green and bright
Blue eggplants bloom beside the clay Then carry seedlings through the day The garden wakes to hopeful light A seedling answers, green and bright
Specific gardening details keep the hopeful mood grounded, and the final refrains close the poem by returning to its first light.
How to Write a Villanelle Poem Yourself
Pick one moment or subject
Choose something specific enough to hold in your mind: a suitcase by the door, a last train, or a seedling after a storm. One moment gives the repeated lines a clear job and leaves room for their meaning to deepen.
Follow the structure
Write A1 and A2 first, then place them on lines 1/6/12/18 and 3/9/15/19. Read the frame as A1 b A2 / b b A1 / b b A2 / b b A1 / b b A2 / b b A1 A2. Check every b ending before polishing the images.
Choose concrete images
Replace broad statements with visible details: wet shoes, a ticking clock, flour on a counter. Keep the image world consistent, and let the feeling grow through actions rather than direct explanations.
Read it aloud and revise
Listen for awkward repeated wording and any b line that breaks the rhyme. Use the Poem Checker for another review. Then ask whether each refrain means the same thing on its final appearance or has gained a useful new charge.
Common Villanelle Mistakes to Avoid
Use the villanelle generator as a check, not as your final editor. Fix these common problems before sharing the poem:
- Putting refrains on the wrong lines. Match A1 to 1, 6, 12, 18 and A2 to 3, 9, 15, 19.
- Changing a word during a refrain. Copy the approved line exactly each time it returns.
- Using near rhymes. Ship and sheep may look close but belong to different rhyme groups; use one exact sound.
- Filling the poem with labels. Replace “I am nervous” with behavior: “My key turns twice.”
- Ending without movement. Let the final A1 and A2 show what changed, so the quatrain closes the circle.
- Making refrains too long. Keep them short enough to say clearly; seven to ten syllables is a practical target, not a rule.
Ideas for Your Next Villanelle
Choose one image, mood, and small change:
- The last train home
- A new tenant moving into an empty flat
- Rain on a window during a power cut
- A seedling surviving a late frost
- An old prom dress altered for daily wear
- A school play after the final bell
- A lighthouse during winter fog
- A forgotten photograph found in an album
- The first loaf from a neighborhood bakery
- Harvest day arriving before the first freeze