SESTINA

A fixed form consisting of six 6-line (usually unrhymed) stanzas in

which the end words of the first stanza recur as end words of the

following five stanzas in a successively rotating order and as the

middle and end words of each of the lines of a concluding envoi in

the form of a tercet. The usual ending word order for a sestina is

as follows:

First stanza, 1- 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6

Second stanza, 6 - 1 - 5 - 2 - 4 - 3

Third stanza, 3 - 6 - 4 - 1 - 2 - 5

Fourth stanza, 5 - 3 - 2 - 6 - 1 - 4

Fifth stanza, 4 - 5 - 1 - 3 - 6 - 2

Sixth stanza, 2 - 4 - 6 - 5 - 3 - 1

Concluding tercet:

middle of first line - 2, end of first line - 5

middle of second line - 4, end of second line - 3

middle if third line - 6, end of third line - 1