 Helinand does not use macabre elements, except in the title, which puns on the homonymy between "vers" (worms) and "vers" (verses).His lyrical sermon uses various tropes such as anaphora, metaphor, and adnomination to great effect.Throughout this unique testimony of his poetic talent as a "trouvère", Helinand appears as a precursor of Villon, Chastelain , and other French poets of the 15th century.