Barbados Ah Come From (In Paradelle)

So folks I declare love this place

So folks I declare love this place

The gem of the Caribbean

The gem of the Caribbean

So I declare this gem of love

The folks of the Caribbean

Tourists are always welcome here

Tourists are always welcome here

With hearts of love we give you thanks

With hearts of love we give you thanks

Here we always welcome tourist

We give you thanks with hearts of love

Pedro Compos Los Barbados

Pedro Compos Los Barbados

Island he named the bearded ones

Island he named the bearded ones

The bearded ones, Los Barbados

Los Barbados he Compos named

We First Lady Prime Minister

We First Lady Prime Minister

Mia Amor Mottley the best

Mia Amor Mottley the best

We best Prime Minister Mia

The First Lady Prime Minister

Broke his glass ceiling to pieces

Broke his glass ceiling to pieces

Our Prime Minister Mottley did

Our Prime Minister Mottley did

Ceiling to pieces did Mottley

Mottley broke his glass to pieces

Now she cleans the mess left in house

Now she cleans the mess left in house

And what bank’s revenue is worth

And what bank’s revenue is worth

What is the mess revenue in?

She must clean what mess is in Bank

She starts formal house-keeping tasks

She starts formal house-keeping tasks

Sweet and sour-sop dishes served

Sweet and sour-sop dishes served

Formal house-keeping tasks she starts

And serves sweet and sour-sop dishes

Soon we will again all say this

Soon we will again all say this

God Bless Bim for a land so good

God Bless Bim for a land so good

Say we all again God Bless Bim

We say again for a land so good

© Paterika Hengreaves

May 24, 2018 (Barbados)

Structure of Paradelle Poetry

The Paradelle is a more demanding form of poetry which appeared way back in the eleventh century. It is a poem of four six-line stanzas in which the first and second lines, as well as the third and fourth lines of the first three stanzas, must be identical.

The fifth and sixth lines, which traditionally resolve these stanzas, must use all the words from the preceding lines and only those words.

Similarly, the final stanza must use every word from all the preceding stanzas and only these words. This style of poetry was introduced into the United States of America by Poet Laureate Billy Collins as a parody of the villanelle.

It is important to be cognizant of the fact that this restrictive poetic form consisting of four sestets that must repeat verses and reuse all previous words according to a fixed pattern.