Alaquetta
The alaquetta is an Elvish poetic form. Its name comes from the Elvish for "daily word," in contrast with the Maisiquetta ("special word"), a longer form used for epic poetry. It is the most popular genre of verse in Scalados.
Execution
Alaquettë are written and recited to commemorate everyday occasions or fleeting moments of beauty. In high society, it is customary for guests at any banquet, party, or social gathering to compose an alaquette commemorating the event, to be either spoken aloud at the event or sent to the host the next day alongside a bouquet. Some elves keep diaries of daily alaquettë, often for decades or even centuries.
Today, alaquettë are known throughout Belcantas and written in a variety of languages, including Common, Halfling, and Gnomish. Some purists claim that the density of meaning in Elvish is necessary to make a meaningful alaquetta, but this has not hindered its popularity in other languages.
Components and tools
An alaquetta consists of three lines with an 8-5-4 syllable pattern.
Traditionally, the first line (the vígna) sets the scene, often using natural imagery coded with specific symbolic meanings (see Language of Plants and Flowers). The second line (the volta) places the speaker and their emotions into the context of the vigna, and the final line (the vai, or "soul") will often, though not always, impart a direct meaning, mantra, or piece of more generalized wisdom. More casual or less-skilled poets will often fall back on a traditional aphorism for the vai, such as "Plant one, sow nine," or "This too shall pass." The vai is also occasionally used to dedicate the poem to one of the Wild Gods, using their name or an epithet for them.
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