Palinode

You may have heard of the ode, a lyric poem dedicated to an object of admiration or praise. The palinode is less well-known, but very useful for the poet who later regrets writing an ode.

The palinode is a recantation, a poem that withdraws the sentiment of a previous poem. Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, for example, concludes with a palinode in which he apologizes for the sin and “worldly vanitees” of his tales.

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