Aubade
An aubade, or "dawn song," is a type of poem centered on lovers who must part as daybreak arrives. This poetic form is defined by its subject matter rather than strict structural rules, allowing for a wide variety of expressions without formal rhyme schemes or metrical standards. Traditionally, aubades capture the bittersweet emotions of lovers preparing to greet the morning while mourning the loss of the night spent together, although some variations may focus solely on the joy of dawn or the sorrow of night’s end. The aubade has its roots in medieval France, evolving from a lyrical poetry form known as the alba, which often depicted a night watchman alerting lovers of the approaching dawn. Notable examples of aubades can be found in the works of poets like William Shakespeare and John Donne, with Shakespeare’s "Romeo and Juliet" illustrating the form’s central themes through a poignant exchange between the characters. While historically anchored in romantic and often illicit encounters, modern interpretations have explored alternative themes, such as existential reflections, demonstrating the aubade's adaptability and enduring appeal in contemporary poetry. This rich poetic tradition reflects a universal experience of love and parting, resonating across diverse cultures and literary landscapes.
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Aubade
An aubade, or “dawn song,” is a poem about lovers facing the imminent approach of daybreak. Unlike poetic forms with strict structural requirements, aubades are defined solely by their subject matter. They have no formal rhyme schemes or metrical standards.
In traditional aubades, the lovers depicted in the poem prepare to greet the new day while also mourning the passage of the night, under whose cover the lovers have joined in romantic unison. Aubades can also be configured solely around one element or the other, depicting lovers only celebrating the morning’s imminent arrival or only lamenting the night’s end. Of the two variations, the welcoming of dawn has historically been more common, leading some scholarly experts to cite it as a defining feature of the aubade in its purest form.
Background
The aubade first emerged in Europe during the Middle Ages (ca. 476–ca. 1450), with the earliest surviving examples dating to the twelfth century. Scholars believe the aubade originated in medieval France from an Occitan form of lyrical poetry known as the alba. Historically, the relationship between the alba and aubade has been a point of scholarly contention. Some sources use the terms “alba” and “aubade” interchangeably, while others note subtle but important differences between the two. In the Occitan tradition, an alba was a lamentation of night’s passage and typically featured a night watchman warning the lovers under his guard of morning’s imminent arrival. Meanwhile, the aubade form that emerged in southern France during the era of the troubadours was more usually presented as a celebration of the impending dawn.
The aubade also has analogues in other poetic forms, of which the serenade, or “evening song,” is the most readily known. A serenade is a song of courtship, traditionally sung by a man to a woman during the evening hours while the man stands on the ground outside the woman’s bedroom window. Some scholars view the serenade and the aubade as counterparts, with the serenade marking the moment at which the lovers unite in the twilight and the aubade prompting their reluctant parting as dawn nears.
Despite a lack of clear consensus on the form’s precise origins, commentators note that the aubade developed simultaneously in the early poetic traditions of multiple European cultures. For some scholars, this lends the form a powerful universal quality with cross-cultural compatibility. Some experts surmise that broad familiarity of the dramatic situations depicted in aubade poems contributed to their subsequent canonical popularity. The first known example of an aubade in the English language dates to the late fourteenth century and appears in the third book of Troilus and Criseyde, an epic poem composed by Geoffrey Chaucer (ca. 1340–1400).
Overview
Given their lack of formalized rhyme schemes and metrical structures, aubades have taken on innumerable forms over the course of literary history. Historical treatments of aubades instead tend to concentrate on their contents, which include multiple defining elements. The central feature of an aubade is a dramatic narrative depicting lovers preparing to part before morning, which variably includes either dialogue or a silent yet emotionally charged exchange. Traditional aubades also explicitly state or implicitly suggest that the lovers are meeting under illicit circumstances, with some featuring a sympathetic night watchman warning the lovers that their time together is about to expire.
In English literature, notable masters of the aubade include William Shakespeare (1564–1616); Sir William Davenant (1606–1668); and John Donne (ca. 1571–1631), whose “Break of Day” is widely considered the most accomplished classical aubade originally composed in the English language. Shakespeare composed both standalone aubades and aubades embedded in longer works, with his famous tragedy Romeo and Juliet containing a well-known example. The aubade in Romeo and Juliet is comprised of an exchange between the titular characters after they have spent the night together, with Juliet beginning:
Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day.
It was the nightingale, and not the lark,
That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear.
Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate tree.
Believe me, love, it was the nightingale.
Romeo responds:
It was the lark, the herald of morn,
No nightingale. Look, love, what envious streaks
Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east.
Night’s candles are burnt out, and jocund day
Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops.
I must be gone and live, or stay and die.
The aubade in Romeo and Juliet displays multiple prominent features of the poetic form: the lovers reflect on the thrilling joys they have realized during night’s darkness while also recognizing the necessity of parting before morning light can expose their tryst. Poets have traditionally set the narratives depicted in aubades at the precise moment at which darkness begins to yield to day, frequently characterizing the lovers’ nighttime unison as the source of deep fulfillment and day as forcing upon them the pain of parting and solitude. The presentation of darkness as a time of emotional completion and the bright day as a time of isolation gives the aubade a distinctively contrapuntal poetic character.
As with many other classical poetic forms, modern poets have challenged traditional conventions by using the aubade form in unorthodox ways. One well-known example is “Aubade” by Philip Larkin (1922–1985), Larkin’s final published poem, which substitutes solitary despair over the inevitability of death for the traditional aubade’s lovers. Contemporary commentators note that the aubade form has retained significant popularity in the modern era, perhaps because its loose and flexible conventions translate well to a wide range of poetic styles.
Bibliography
“Aubade.” American Academy of Poets, poets.org/glossary/aubade. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023.
“‘Aubade’ by Philip Larkin.” Poetry Foundation, 2023, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48422/aubade-56d229a6e2f07. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023.
“Aubade.” Poetry Foundation, 2023, www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/aubade. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023.
Behrendt, Kathy. “Depressing Goings-on in the House of Actuality: The Philosophical Legacy of Larkin’s ‘Aubade.’” Journal of Literature and the History of Ideas, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Jan. 2023): pp. 133–151.
Crum, Shutta. “Poetry Forms: Nocturnes and Aubades.” Florida Writers Association, 7 Apr. 2023, floridawriters.blog/poetry-forms-nocturnes-and-aubades/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023.
Lees-Jeffries, Hester. “Body Language: Making Love in Lyric in Romeo and Juliet.” The Review of English Studies, Vol. 74, No. 314 (Apr. 2023): pp. 237–253.
Martiny, Erik. “Dawn Poetry Alba and Aubade.” The Literary Encyclopedia, 10 Feb. 2011, www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=14899. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023.
Mills, Billy. “Poster Poems: Aubade.” The Guardian, 14 Aug. 2009, www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2009/aug/14/poster-poems-aubades. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023.