Villanella, a rustic song in Italy (Italian villanella from villano: "peasant"); the name was adopted in France in the late 16th century to indicate a short lyric of popular nature preferred by writers. It is thought that Villanella originated as a form of the villanello ("villa's song"), which was a genre of music and dance typical of peasants. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that both poems and songs were often set to the same tunes. The villanelle form came under the influence of the sonnet during the early 17th century. Originally, they were not divided into parts with tercets but rather into quatrains or eight-line stanzas. During the 18th century, the villanelle became associated with melancholy or pessimism. This impression may have arisen because of the poem's apparent structure, which displays several shifts in mood. The first two lines are usually happy or optimistic; the third line expresses despair or gloom; and the last two lines attempt to remedy the situation by seeking comfort or joy in something else. The term "villanelle" has since been used to describe many different kinds of poetry.