Spectator competition winners: macaronic poetry

The latest challenge was to compose up to 16 lines of macaronic verse. A dictionary of poetic terms will tell you that macaronic is a verse form popularised by Teofilo Folengo, a Mantuan monk, which uses a mixture of languages, normally with a comic or satirical intent. I prefer E.O. Parrott’s elegant definition: ‘a school of poetry which originated in the polyglot eating houses of Trieste’. French was the most popular second language; Latin and German followed closely behind. Polish, Greek, Russian and Swahili also made fleeting appearances (hallelujah for Google Translate). It was a smallish field but there was much to admire. Frederick Robinson, Jerome Betts, Frank Upton, Frank McDonald and Bill Greenwell all deserve a round of applause and Alan Millard bags the extra fiver. His fellow winners are rewarded with £25 apiece

Alan Millard My dearest, dolce, darling one, Do not be lacrimoso, My song, con brio, like the sun, I sing affettuoso.