A rondel is a
verse form originating in
French lyrical poetry of the 14th century (closely related to the ''
rondeau,'' as well as the ''
rondelet'').
Specifically, the rondel refers to "a form with two rhymes, three stanzas, and a two-line refrain that repeats either two and a half or three times: ''ABba abAB abbaA(B)."''
Definition
Scholars have observed that the rondel is a relatively fluid construction, not always adhering to strict formal definitions. J.M. Cocking wrote that "the reader who comes across a poem bearing the title ''rondel'' by Banville, Rollinat, Dobson or Bridges and is curious enough to look for a definition of this form is likely to be more confused than enlightened." Jeremy Butterfield, writing for ''Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage'', goes so far as to state that "there is no fixed metre" for the rondel.
Origins and evolution
The origins of the rondel, however, are not so mysterious as its definition. The rondel first rose to prominence as a monophonic song in the 13th century and was associated with "round" folk dances.
Later, famed Middle English poet
Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer ( ; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...
would adapt the French Rondel to serve as the basis for ''
The Knight's Tale
"The Knight's Tale" () is the first tale from Geoffrey Chaucer's '' The Canterbury Tales''.
The Knight is described by Chaucer in the " General Prologue" as the person of highest social standing amongst the pilgrims, though his manners and c ...
''.
In the Chaucerian Rondel, two
tercets followed by a
quatrain
A quatrain is a type of stanza, or a complete poem, consisting of four Line (poetry), lines.
Existing in a variety of forms, the quatrain appears in poems from the poetic traditions of various ancient civilizations including Persia, Ancient India ...
comprise each stanza. Later, English poet and critic
Algernon Charles Swinburne
Algernon Charles Swinburne (5 April 1837 – 10 April 1909) was an English poet, playwright, novelist and critic. He wrote many plays – all tragedies – and collections of poetry such as '' Poems and Ballads'', and contributed to the Eleve ...
would devise the
roundel, a form based on the
rondeau rather than Chaucer's Rondel.
See also
*
''Pierrot lunaire'' (book)
*
Rondeau (forme fixe)
A ''rondeau'' (; plural: ''rondeaux'') is a form of medieval and Renaissance French poetry, as well as the corresponding musical chanson form. Together with the ballade and the virelai it was considered one of three '' formes fixes'', and one ...
*
Rondelet, a shorter variant
References
External links
Rondel of Merciless Beauty a rondel in variant form by
Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer ( ; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...
{{Authority control
Poetic forms
Western medieval lyric forms