Lai is a form of poetry that originates from 12th century France. It spread out to all over Europe. Usually a Lai tells a story of adventures or romance and can be sung with a popular melody. It was easy to understand whether the poem was written by a man or a woman as the tone of the rhymes. One of the first known authors was Marie de France, who wrote twelve Celtic poems in her collection of Lai in 1155 to 1170. Those were dedicated to King Henry II. In 13th and 14th century Germany and France Lai was a song rather than a poem. Lai were in their peak in the 14th century when Guillaume de Machaut wrote lais in both poetic and musical form. Nineteen of those have survived until today. Today this form is practiced by several young poets who are experimenting with different forms that poetry can take.