Pantoum: Fruit of the Gods

The pantoum is a form of poetry that evokes a dreamy sort of incantatory mood because lines from one stanza must be repeated in the next stanza throughout the poem creating a rather intense repetitive scheme that seems to dance in circles. The pantoum originated in 15^th century Malaysia but has never quite achieved the popularity of the sonnet, the haiku, or the villanelle in poetry. In addition to the repetition of specific lines from one stanza to the next, some poets insist on an abab rhyme scheme. Poets also take the liberty from time to time of changing the repetitive lines just slightly so that the core of the line is repeated, but the line may vary just slightly from the line in the previous stanza. That said, here is the somewhat complicated format of the pantoum, which requires a four-line stanza but does not limit the number of stanzas.

So, the second and fourth lines in each stanza are repeated in the following stanza, becoming lines one and three in that stanza.

Stanza 1:  4 lines, ABAB rhyme scheme

Line 1

Line 2

Line 3 

Line 4

Stanza 2:

Line 5 (repeat of line 2 in Stanza 1)

Line 6 (new line)

Line 7 (repeat of line 4 in stanza 1)

Line 8 (new line)

All the stanzas proceed in this fashion, with lines 2 and 4 of each stanza becoming lines 1 and 3 of the following stanza until the last stanza (there is no set number of stanzas required and the poet determines how many stanzas he/she needs). The final stanza then returns to pick up the two lines from the first stanza which have not been repeated anywhere else and are then repeated in the final stanza. Line 3 from the first stanza becomes line 2 of the final stanza and line 1 of the first stanza becomes the final line of the final stanza.

Final Stanza:

Line 2 of the previous stanza

Line 3 from the very first stanza

Line 4 of the previous stanza

Line 1 of the first stanza

Pantoum: Fruit of the Gods

Called golden apples or the fruit of the Gods by Greeks,

The orange is a sultry vamp dressed in a dimpled coat

To protect its provocative flesh from anyone who seeks

To taste its succulent body, to nuzzle and tickle its throat.

The orange is a sultry vamp dressed in a dimpled coat.

Paris gave one to Aphrodite as the most beautiful goddess of all,

To taste its succulent body, to nuzzle and tickle its throat,

But Hera and Athena got jealous and flew into a frenzied squall.

Paris gave one to Aphrodite as the most beautiful goddess of all

In turn she gave him Helen, another man’s wife, as his prize,

But Hera and Athena got jealous and flew into a frenzied squall.

Hera and Athena thought Paris should suffer for being unwise.

In turn she gave him Helen, another man’s wife, as his prize.

The couple then fled to Troy to fan their adulterous lust.

Hera and Athena thought Paris should suffer for being unwise,

So the two green-eyed ladies turned Troy’s towers into dust.

The couple then fled to Troy to fan their adulterous lust,

While a tricked-out Trojan horse delivered Troy up to defeat.

So, the two green-eyed ladies turned Troy’s towers into dust,

Then slunk away to Mt. Olympus to savor revenge so sweet.

While a tricked-out Trojan horse delivered Troy up to defeat,

Hera and Athena gathered golden apples to savor and enjoy,

Then slunk away to Mt. Olympus to taste revenge so sweet,

Sipping on golden nectar above the toppled towers of Troy.

Each goddess ate an orange, soothing her wounded pride,

Protecting its provocative flesh from anyone who seeks

To discover what can happen when goddesses are denied,

Called golden apples or the fruit of the Gods by Greeks.