rondeel

A rondeel is a medieval French poetic form characterized by its specific rhyme scheme and repetition of lines. It typically consists of eight lines, with the second and fourth lines repeated later in the poem. The rhyme scheme is usually ABaAabAB. The first line is repeated as the seventh line, and the second line is repeated as the eighth line. This creates a cyclical and musical quality. The rondeel was popular in the 14th and 15th centuries, with notable poets like Guillaume de Machaut and Charles d'Orléans employing the form. Its structure lends itself to themes of love, longing, and sometimes philosophical contemplation, often with a sense of gentle circularity or inevitability. While not as common as the sonnet in later periods, the rondeel remains an interesting example of the intricate verse forms developed during the Middle Ages. Modern poets occasionally revive the form, adapting its principles to contemporary themes and sensibilities. The effect of the repeated lines is to emphasize certain ideas or phrases, giving the poem a refrain-like quality.