The encorelle is a fixed verse, repeating (though unrhymed) poetic form created by Marie Marchand. A nod to the villanelle, the encorelle consists of four tercets followed by a couplet for a total of 14 lines. Since some lines repeat, only nine lines are unique. The first stanza is the chorus that repeats throughout the poem in this way:
The first line of the chorus serves as the first line of the second stanza; the second line of the chorus serves as the first line of the third stanza; the third line of the chorus serves as the first line of the fourth stanza. Then it goes backward so that the second line of the chorus is the last line of the fourth stanza. The first line of the chorus serves as the first line of the final stanza.
You can write your own encorelle using this form in the Encorelle Studio (click the link below). Click “clear” to clear the sample poem and start entering your own lines (the top field is for the title). The visualizer will create an image. Each time you refresh or click, the image will change. The number of circles in the image corresponds with the number of words per line. Have fun!