The SEXTILLA is a 6-line stanza of Spanish origin. Each line has eight-syllable lines rhymed either aabccb or ababcc.



example by Leny Roovers:

Flamenco

Her hair piled high, mantilla crowned,
from which black lace cascades, it drowns,
flows down white shoulders, soft as pearl;
her dress is red, her heels are high,
the music’s sad, the guitars cry-
the dance begins, her skirts unfurl.

Her feet are moving fast, she sways
in rhythm with each soulful phrase
the players wrest now from the strings;
and in her hands, the castanets
speak words of love and of regrets -
the dance goes on, the music sings.

Her body glistens from the heat,
her feet are moving with the beat
of strings that sing and gently moan;
the speed increases, players bend,
they are united, voices blend -
the dance then ends, a final tone.