The descort () was a form and genre of Old Occitan lyric poetry used by troubadours. It was heavily discordant in verse form and/or feeling and often used to express disagreement. It was possibly invented by Garin d'Apchier when he wrote Quan foill'e flors reverdezis (only the first two lines survive); the invention is credited to him by a vida, and these are unreliable. Gautier de Dargies imported the descort into Old French and wrote and composed three.
Unlike the canso, the most common open poetic form of the troubadours and the template upon which most genres were built, the descort is made of stanzas with a variable number of lines, and of lines with a variable number of syllables. Whereas the different stanzas of a canso usually share at least some of the rhymes, the rhymes of a descort are usually used within a single stanza and then discarded. Raimbaut de Vaqueiras brings this to the extreme by actually using different languages in each stanza. This made the descort a more challenging piece to write, as its irregular nature forced the troubadour to always write a new melody.
List of descorts 30 descorts survive TroubadourIncipitNotesAlbertet de SestaroBel m'es oimaisAimeric de BelenoiS'a midons plaziaAimeric de PeguillanQui la vi, en ditzSometimes classed as a cansoCerveri de GironaPus amors vol que faça sa comandaCerveri de GironaEstrayreˑm volia / De mi dons amarCerveri de GironaDe Pala a ToroselaCalled a recepta dexarob in the rubricElias de BarjolsUna valentaElias de BarjolsSi.l bela.m tengues per seuElias CairelQuan la freidors / irais / l'aura doussanaGarin d'ApchierQuan foill'e flors reverdisOnly the incipit is known, perhaps a cansoGuillem Augier NovellaQuan vei lo dous temps venirGuillem Augier NovellaSes alegratgeGuillem Augier NovellaErransaGuillem de la TorEn vos ai mezaGuiraut de CalansoBel semblanGuiraut de CalansoAb la verduraGuiraut RiquierPos amanGiraut de SalaignacPer solatz e per deport / Me conort / E.m don alegransaPeire Raimon de TolozaAb so gai, plan e carPons de CapdoillUn gai descort tramet leis cui dezirRaimbaut de VaqueirasEras quan vei verdejarA multilingual poemRaimbaut de VaqueirasEngles, un novel descortAnonymousBella domna caraAlso called an acortAnonymousPoi qe neve ni glaziSometimes classed as a cansoAnonymousPos la douza sasons gajaAnonymousLai un fis prez nais e floris e granaAnonymousJoi e chanç e solaç / E amors certanaAnonymousEn aquest son gai e leugierAnonymousSill qu'es caps e guitzSometimes classed as a cansoAnonymousTot aissi soi desconsellatzSometimes classed as a sirventesAnonymousAmors, / dousors, / mi assajaAnonymousA chantar m'er un discortAnonymousCom plus fin'amors mi destreng
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