Borrowed Lines

Cento:

Cento: HistoryFrom the Latin word for "patchwork," the cento (or

collage poem) is a poetic form made up of lines from poems by other poets.

Poets often borrow lines from other writers and mix them in with their own, but a true cento is composed entirely of lines from other sources.

Early examples can be found in the work of Homer and Virgil.

Modern centos are often witty, creating irony or humor from the juxtaposition of images and ideas.

When working in this form it is perhaps worth remembering T.S. Eliot’s famous statement about literary theft in this context: Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad

poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different.

Cento: Example

"In the Kingdom of the Past, the Brown-Eyed Man is KingBrute. Spy. I trusted you. Now you reel & brawl.After great pain, a formal feeling comes—A vulturous boredom pinned me in this treeDay after day, I become of less use to myself,The hours after you are gone are so leaden.“

Sources:Charles Wright, Marie Ponsot, Emily

Dickinson, Sylvia Plath, and Samuel Beckett

Cento: Another ExampleRhyming Cento

Round paradise is such a wall, (Monro)And, hearing fairy voices call, (Webb)And the streams run golden, (Lee)Where there is no grass at all. (Stephens)

Sources: Harold Monro, “Real Property”

Mary Webb, “Green Rain”Laurie Lee, “Day of These Days”James Stephens, “White Fields”

Cento: Yet another Example

Down at the water’s edge, at the place,

I dream no more but stare at a hole.I’ve spent the last days, furthermore,surprised at the earth.I am alive I guess.

Sources: Line 1- Elizabeth Bishop: At the Fishhouses

Line 2 - Jean Garrigue: DialogLine 3 - James Merrill: Lost in TranslationLine 4 - W.S. Merwin: For the Anniversary of My DeathLine 5- Emily Dickinson: I am alive I guess

Cento: Form The rules for writing a cento are simple. You can write a

cento as long or as short as you like. It may or may not rhyme. You may only borrow one line from a poem, but you can repeat that same line throughout your cento. The subject choice is yours to make, be it serious or comedic.

Get started. Find a line you especially like, and make that the first line of your patchwork poem. Write the poet’s last name in parentheses at the end of the line.

Add more lines. Select lines 2, 3, and 4 in the same way. Choose your lines carefully—your poem must make sense.

Make sure the beats sound right.Tenses should agree. Person should agree. In other words, pick lines that

have all been written in either first or third person.Give credit. At the end, list each poet’s full name. Include

the name of the poem in quotes.