Poetry Guide: Reverdie
The reverdie is an old French poetic genre, which celebrates the arrival of spring. Literally, it means "re-greening". Often the poet will encounter Spring, symbolized by a beautiful woman.
Originating in the troubadour ballads of the early middle ages, reverdies was very popular during the time of Chaucer. T.S. Eliot's "The Wasteland" and William Carlos Williams' "Spring and All" are both considered to be modern examples of the genre.
The reverdie forms the basis of the Irish aisling, where the speaker meets Ireland lamenting her woes.
References
Harmon, William. "A Handbook to Literature". Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2005. ISBN 0131344420
Poetry Kaleidoscope: Guide to Poetry made by MultiMedia Free content and software
This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia.