Villanelle of the third and fifth stanzas. The rhyme-and-refrain pattern of the villanelle can be schematized as AbA abA abA abA abA abAA where letters ("a" and "b") indicate the two rhyme sounds, upper case indicates a refrain ("A"), and superscript numerals ( and ) indicate Refrain 1 and Refrain 2. The pattern is below set against "Do not go gentle into that good night" by Dylan Thomas: The villanelle has no established meter, although most 19th-century villanelles have used trimeter or tetrameter and most 20th-century villanelles have used pentameter. Slight alteration of the refrain line is permissible. With reference to
The Gentle Vultures order someone else to do so. Unable to solve this dilemma, the Hurrians are forced to return home, plagued by the visions of humans conquering space. Algis Budrys said that the "gentle story, told by a gentle man" was "not quite enough. For the reader is very liable to say: 'True. Too True. Now what?'". The Gentle Vultures "The Gentle Vultures" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. The story first appeared in the December 1957 issue of "Super-Science Fiction", and was reprinted in the 1959 collection "Nine Tomorrows". The story is one of a number