Virelai ancien
Encyclopedia
The virelai ancien is a poetic
form originating in France
in the Middle Ages
. It uses a tercet
of two long line
s and one short line rhyming
a-a-b to build stanzas. Each stanza can have any number of tercets. It uses a form of chain rhyme
where the long lines of each new stanza rhyme with the long lines of the preceding one, and the short lines of the final stanza rhyme with the long lines of the first one. A simple virelai ancien rhyme scheme might be:
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
form originating in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. It uses a tercet
Tercet
A tercet is composed of three lines of poetry, forming a stanza or a complete poem. English-language haiku is an example of an unrhymed tercet poem...
of two long line
Line (poetry)
A line is a unit of language into which a poem or play is divided, which operates on principles which are distinct from and not necessarily coincident with grammatical structures, such as the sentence or clauses in sentences...
s and one short line rhyming
Rhyme scheme
A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyme between lines of a poem or song. It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme. In other words, it is the pattern of end rhymes or lines...
a-a-b to build stanzas. Each stanza can have any number of tercets. It uses a form of chain rhyme
Chain rhyme
Chain rhyme is the linking together of stanzas by carrying a rhyme over from one stanza to the next.A number of verse forms use chain rhyme as an integral part of their structures. One example is terza rima, which is written in tercets with a rhyming pattern a-b-a, b-c-b, c-d-c...
where the long lines of each new stanza rhyme with the long lines of the preceding one, and the short lines of the final stanza rhyme with the long lines of the first one. A simple virelai ancien rhyme scheme might be:
- a-a-b-a-a-b,
- b-b-c-b-b-c,
- c-c-d-c-c-d,
- d-d-a-d-d-a.