A villanellian song : “Let’s gather our friends.”

Let’s gather our friends while we are able,

For no-one knows if our days will grant us

Many more evenings around our table.

 

I’ll weave, as though in a magic fable,

Our talk into these verses curious:

Let’s gather our friends while we are able.

 

The lives we lead mix white and sable,

In dark days we doubt Fortune allows us

Many more evenings around our table.

 

Good friends, in wine we may mimic Babel

And in villanelles delve into poems spurious.

Let’s gather our friends while we are able

 

For we are bound with the lightest cable

That links all the friends who’ll come to dine with us

Many more evenings around our table.

 

Sing out, as you can from the highest gable,

The song we’ve sung with voices glorious:

Let’s gather our friends while we are able

Many more evenings around our table.

 

26.8.16, with salutes to Dylan Thomas

“Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”

and for Christine who googled the pattern for me:

 

A1 b A2

a b A1

a b A2

a b A1

a b A2

a b A1 A2

 

and for those around our table on August 24th 2016

Peter, Lu, Tony, Marcus