Aubade

The dawn song: lovers parting at daybreak, sung from the medieval alba to Larkin's alarm clock.

Specifications & Metrics

type

Lyric poetic form

origin

Medieval Occitan troubadour tradition

originator

Troubadours (the alba)

meter

Varies

lines count

0

Core Principles & Analysis

• The Occitan alba warned lovers that the watchman saw the dawn.
• Unlike the serenade, it sings separation, not courtship.
• Larkin's 1977 'Aubade' made it a modern poem of dread.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Aubade