sherlock60 | Mrs. Hudson's Poetry Page: The Second Stain

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Mrs. Hudson's Poetry Page: The Second Stain

Welcome once again to my poetry page!

I hope each week you will read Dr. Watson’s delightful narrative and then be inspired to write a poem related to it in some way. All forms of poetry are permitted, and further down the page there is a selection you might like to consider using over the coming weeks.

This week my featured form is the bref double.

Wikipedia gives this definition:

Bref double is a French poetic form consisting of 3 quatrains and a final couplet, making 14 lines.

According to Lyon, [the rhyme scheme is]:

axbc
xaxc
axab
ab

According to Turco, [the rhyme scheme is]:

axbc
xaxc
bxxc
ab

However, other variants are possible, such as:

axxc
bxxc
abxc
ab

Both sources agree that there is no requirement of meter in a bref double, though all lines must be consistent in length.

To clarify: the lines marked “x” are lines that do not rhyme with anything else—even other lines marked “x”.

Here is my example poem. I am using the Turco rhyme scheme:

Mr. Holmes is conversing en français
With the father of Inspector Lestrade.
It’s not a language he’s exposed to much—
The old man smiles at the kind thought.

His son though stands and furrows his brow.
Perhaps keen for him and his father to be on their way,
He tries to catch his parent’s eye.
French is a language the Inspector was not taught.

But after ten minutes of small talk and such
Mr. Holmes apologises and has to go
And father and son share a rueful grin.
Mr. Holmes’ expertise was all for naught.

You see, Lestrade Senior was too polite to say
That despite the name, he is in fact Dutch.

As always, this is simply something to consider for the future. Any form of poetry is welcome this week—and every week! Here are a few suggestions for you:

221B verselet, abecedarian poetry, acrostic poetry, alexandrine, beeswing, blackout poetry, blues stanza, bref double, call and response, chastushka, cinquain, circular poetry, clerihew, colour poems, concrete poetry, curtal sonnet, diamante, doggerel, double dactyl, ekphrasis, elegiac couplet, englyn, epigram, epulaeryu, fable, found poetry, ghazal, haiku, kennings poem, lanturne, limerick, lyric poetry, palindrome poetry, pantoum, poem cycle, renga, riddle, rime couée, Schüttelreim, sedoka, septet, sestina, sonnet, tanka, tercet, terza rima, tongue twister poetry, triolet, tyburn, villanelle

Please leave all your poems inspired by The Second Stain in the comments on this post. I look forward to seeing them!

Warm regards,

Mrs. Hudson

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What an odd turn Holmes’s career took—
Farming with bees on the Sussex Downs.
Flying insects planting peas and beans,
Ploughing the fields in a miniature tractor.

And Holmes watching, studying it all.
Eventually working it into a book.
It must have been hard on his ageing body:
Eyesight strain must have been a factor.

Was the farm Holmes’s or was it the queen’s?
Was our distinguished hero just a drone?
It would be hard for him to pass as a bee
But he was always an exceptional actor.

You’re giving me a most peculiar look.
Is this not what bee-farming means?

Snort!! Good catch on "bee-farming" in the tale.

Thanks ^^ It's a perfectly reasonable term but it amuses me - I don't know why ^^

Mrs F, have you been at my gin again?

I'm afraid this is from the brain of the entirely unadulterated me, Mrs. H ^^" (Though admittedly I did write the poem late at night ^^)

I love this idea. Considering some of the sf being published about this time, it might be more true than believable. More horticultural than agricultural, maybe.

I would love someone to actually write a story about bees running their own farm ^_^ I suppose they'd be farming flowers ^^

Of course...entirely reasonable:-)

I thought so :P

Two statesmen, a bloodstain or two,
A blackmail, a letter in blue –
And the horrors it told
Of Colonials’ hold
Are once again hidden from view.

Good heavens, that sort of thing can't be exposed!

"British soldiers killing an entire village in India, women and children too? But why? ...Oh, and pass the cheap tea, sugar, tobacco and coffee please."

Thank you!

That coy phrase "Colonial developments" screams of atrocities that were swept under the rug in the good old days of the British Empire. Even staid Londoners might be shocked into questioning their government if they learn about entire villages in India or the Carib being slaughtered just so they can keep having cheap tea and sugar.

I admit, I misread the verse entirely. That's a great idea! Thank you for explaining.

Well, that's the impetus for my interpretation. Your own interpretation is just as valid.

The unspecified letter writer comes over as so human - finally coming to the end of his tether, losing his temper over the injustice of it all, and telling it how it is. Unfortunately human beings and justice have no place in the world of politics ^^"

I love your use of colours, btw: the blood, the blackmail, the blue envelope.

There's more than one hidden bloodstain here, isn't there? What do you want to bet the horrifying contents of that dangerous letter boil down to "Dear Queen Victoria, please ask your soldiers to stop killing women and children in our villages. Kisses, Dali Rishnapurti."

So much in that short phrase...nicely done.

Thanks. Those two bland words "Colonial Developments" sound like they could hide such horrors that we're finally learning about from the British Empire days.

(deleted comment)

So often the better alternative!

Oh yes:-)

Oops bref not brief...spellchecker too diligent...

I see you have gone for the third rhyme scheme ^^ Elegantly done as always.

It does sound like the more sensible option ^^" I can only assume the Prime Minister thought they didn't have the right to destroy it - proper records had to be kept, even though it was a dangerous document.

Thank you, and yes...perhaps obliged to keep a record ( under the mattress next time, perhaps?)

I would not bring one shadow on his life
For he sees me as the perfect loving wife
Even though other lives be lost, other wives bereaved
When my actions bring them to armoured strife

Brilliant summary. Though I've always thought Lady Hilda put herself nos 1 to 8, her husband a distant 9.

Oh definitely!

Actually, I really like what you've done with the beeswing.

I know we've discussed this before but I do feel you are being too hard on Lady Hilda. Yes, she acted selfishly and she must have been aware the document was important - but she was under a great deal of stress, and she couldn't have known the document might have lead directly to a terrible war.

I agree she would not have realised initially how vital the document was, but her continued disregard of anything but her own position is hard to take.

Neatly done:-)

Thank you!

I presume everyone thought it better to let Holmes rattle away in French than have him explain everything LOUDLY and CLEARLY.

Edited 2015-11-01 13:02 (UTC)

I would imagine Holmes explains things loudly and clearly even to native English speakers ^_^

Lovely work, Mrs H:-)

Thank you, Mrs. P.!

I love that example. Vivid and very enjoyable.

Thank you very much. Most kind.

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Mrs. Hudson's Poetry Page: The Second Stain

A bref double

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Limerick: For the Good of the Empire

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Re: Brief double: alternative strategy.

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Failed Beeswing

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Your poem, Mrs H

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