A virelai is a medieval French fixed verse form built around a repeating refrain and alternating short and long lines. Its pattern can vary by period and tradition, but the form is known for its musical movement, with the refrain returning at the ends of stanzas and sometimes at the opening as well.
Because historical virelais exist in more than one structural version, poets and students often need to check the exact scheme being used in a particular example.
Example
Spring comes back to the garden gate,
softly, softly the roses wake;
Spring comes back to the garden gate.
Birds unseal the silver air,
leaves turn bright in morning rain;
Spring comes back to the garden gate.