A year of double dactyls: Rosh Hashanah

You’ve probably never read a double dactyl. It’s a poetic form described as “ridiculously over-complicated” and, doubledactylically, “dismally difficult”. Its rules are as follows:

1. There must be eight lines.
2. Lines 1-3 and 5-7 must each consist of a pair of dactyls (that is, dum-der-der dum-der-der).
3. Lines 4 and 8 must be choriambs (that is, dum-der-der-dum).
4. Lines 4 and 8 must rhyme.
5. Line 1 must be nonsense.
6. Line 2 must be the subject of the poem, ideally a name that is itself a pair of dactyls (eg ‘Laurence Olivier’).
7. Line 6 must be a single word that is itself a pair of dactyls (eg ‘cardiovascular’).

The form was created in the 1960s by Anthony Hecht and John Hollander.

Anyway I’m a glutton for punishment so I’ve decided to make myself come up with a double dactyl for each Torah portion, and Jewish festival, over the coming year.

Beginning with:

Tashlichy, tashlichy,
Five-seven-eighty-five:
Those are the years since the
Planet was born.

Yet at this moment most
Intercalendrical –
Far more important to
Blow down this horn.

Readers are most welcome to join in the game in the comments!

Shanah tovah.