The Rime Couée is a verse form of 12th century Provencal troubadours. The are some who believe it to be the predecessor of the Burns Stanza, a more popular Scots form, but I have found nothing to support this.
It consists of two rhymes. First there is a rhyming couplet of normally of eight syllables then a third and shorter line of six. The two couplets rhyme as do the two shorter lines. This gives us a suggested pattern :
x x x x x x x a
x x x x x x x a
x x x x x b
x x x x x x x a
x x x x x x x a
x x x x x b
The Rime Couée can have any number of stanzas, as long as it keeps the syllable count. The rhyme scheme can either be aabaab or aabccb. In my example you may notice the first stanza is mono-rhymed. This wasn’t deliberate, it was done purely by accident. :-)
The Tryst
The scent of lilac in the air
The summer sun upon her hair
Her beauty, oh, so rare
Passersby will stop and stare
Such a vision, meant to share
She is so very fair.
Preoccupied, she sees them not
She waits for he whose eye she caught
It was love at first sight
She was certain this was the spot
There was no chance that he forgot
She prayed he was all right
At last she hears a certain pace
And then beholds a much-loved face
Her fears are soon forgot
And though he feels he’s in disgrace
She warms his heart with her embrace
And once again he’s caught.
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