Writing cento poetry

Cento: an original poem made using lines from the works of various poets.

In recent posts I’ve shared ideas on teaching your children to write cinquain poems and poems of comparison. Let’s have some fun today with cento poetry!

Cento, sometimes called “patchwork poetry,” is well named because of the way the poem is assembled. (The term cento actually comes from the Latin word for patchwork.) As a quilt is pieced together from assorted patches of fabric, the cento poem is put together with lines from other sources.

To make a patchwork poem, each line must be taken from a different poem. When the lines are put together, they must make sense. The poem doesn’t have to rhyme, but rhyming adds a nice touch.

An Example

Here’s a rhyming cento by one of my former students, Rachel:

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”

Create a Cento

1. Read some poems. Take time to look through a few poetry books. Enjoy the poems.
2. 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, as in the example above.
3. Add more lines. Select lines 2, 3, and 4 in the same way. Choose your lines carefully—your poem must make sense.
4. Take the challenge!
   • Try to make your poem rhyme.
   • 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.
5. Give credit. At the end, list each poet’s full name. Include the name of the poem in quotes.

Then, come back later and leave a comment with examples of your cento poems!

Copyright © 2008 Kim Kautzer. All rights reserved.