About Poetry – How to Write a Clogyrnach

What a clogyrnach is

  • Origin: A traditional Welsh syllabic form, part of the classic 24 Welsh meters.
  • Stanza length: Usually 1 or more stanzas, each of 5 or 6 lines.
  • Feel: The lines get shorter as you go, so the stanza “tightens,” giving a sense of gathering focus or punchline.

Basic structure

For a 6-line stanza, the usual pattern is:

  1. Line 1: 8 syllables — rhyme a
  2. Line 2: 8 syllables — rhyme a
  3. Line 3: 5 syllables — rhyme b
  4. Line 4: 5 syllables — rhyme b
  5. Line 5: 3 syllables — rhyme b
  6. Line 6: 3 syllables — rhyme a

So the rhyme scheme is:

  • a a b b b a

You can also combine lines 5 and 6 into one 6-syllable line, keeping the internal rhyme:

  • Line 5: 6 syllables, with b somewhere in the middle and a at the end
    (so it still sounds like b…a)

That gives you a 5-line version.

How to write one (step by step)

  1. Choose your two rhymes.
  • a-rhyme: will appear in lines 1, 2, and 6 (or end of line 5 if you combine).
  • b-rhyme: will appear in lines 3, 4, and 5.
  1. Draft line 1 (8 syllables, a-rhyme).
  • Tell us the scene, mood, or statement.
  • Count syllables carefully.
  1. Write line 2 (8 syllables, a-rhyme).
  • Develop or twist the idea from line 1.
  • Same end rhyme as line 1.
  1. Write lines 3 and 4 (5 syllables each, b-rhyme).
  • These often narrow the focus, add detail, or shift tone.
  • Both end with the b-rhyme.
  1. Write line 5 (3 syllables, b-rhyme).
  • Short, sharp—can feel like a little drumbeat.
  1. Write line 6 (3 syllables, a-rhyme).
  • A tiny “turn” back to the original rhyme—often a punchline, twist, or echo.
  1. Repeat the stanza pattern if you want a longer poem—each stanza follows the same syllable and rhyme rules.

A simple example

Here’s a quick clogyrnach:

Draft:

  1. Old words in the candlelight’s glow (8, a)
  2. you weigh each line, then let it go (8, a)
  3. a fox in the mind (5, b)
  4. tracks verse, tail entwined (5, b)
  5. a soft find (3, b)
  6. the slow show (3, a)

You can hear how the stanza “tightens” as it goes—long lines, then medium, then those tiny last beats.

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