Lục bát
Lục bát, is a traditional Vietnamese poetic form whose name means six-eight. The poem alternates six-syllable and eight-syllable lines. In English adaptations, the main visible structure is the repeating pattern of six syllables followed by eight syllables, with linked rhyme moving from line to line.

In a common English lục bát pattern, the final syllable of the six-syllable line rhymes with the sixth syllable of the following eight-syllable line. The final syllable of that eight-syllable line then provides the rhyme for the next six-syllable line. This creates a chain of sound through the poem. Traditional Vietnamese lục bát also involves tonal rules, but English versions usually focus on syllable count and rhyme.

A lục bát often feels flowing, songlike, and continuous. It may be narrative, lyrical, romantic, spiritual, folk-like, reflective, or descriptive. Because the rhyme links forward, each pair of lines should feel connected to the next.

To write a lục bát in English, begin with a six-syllable line. Follow it with an eight-syllable line. Link the rhyme from the six-syllable line into the sixth syllable of the eight-syllable line. Then use the final syllable of the eight-syllable line as the rhyme for the next six-syllable line. Continue as long as needed, ending on an eight-syllable line.

lục bát

Morning opens the gate,
Small birds sing by the gate at dawn.
Cold fields wake under dawn,
Light spills over the lawn and road.

This example follows the six-eight pattern. “Gate” ends the first line and returns as the sixth syllable of the second line. “Dawn” ends the second line and returns as the rhyme in the third line. “Dawn” is then echoed by “lawn” in the sixth syllable of the fourth line. The final word, “road,” could begin the next rhyme if the poem continued.

A stricter English lục bát keeps both syllable count and rhyme chain. A looser WoPoLian version may keep the six-eight alternation while allowing slant rhyme. Lục bát is a traditional Vietnamese form, not an author-created WoPoLi form.