What is Envoi in literature?
An envoi is a short final stanza or section at the end of a poem, usually addressed to a specific person or group of people. It is often used in formal poetry forms such as ballads, rondeaus, and sestinas.
The envoi typically serves to sum up the main themes or ideas of the poem, or to offer a final message or conclusion to the reader. It may also be used to address the reader directly, or to express gratitude or appreciation to someone or something mentioned in the poem.
Here’s an example of an envoi in a ballad by Alfred Lord Tennyson’s The Charge Of The Light Brigade :
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!” he said.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.
The envoi of this ballad is the final stanza, which addresses the reader directly and encourages them to remember the bravery of the soldiers:
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honor the charge they made,
Honor the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred.
