Ah, why does she treat me
harshly?
Troubador Verse
us cal
Lady, since you care not at all
For me, but keep me far from you,
And for no good reason too,
The task it seems immense
Of seeking some other,
Who might bring me new joy ever,
And if I have not the making
Of a lady as much to my liking,
Of the worth of she that's gone,
I shall love no other one.
Since I'll not find your equal,
Lovely as you, made as nobly,
Nor so joyous, sweet in body,
Lovely to every sense,
Nor so happy
Nor, by all repute, so worthy
I'll go seeking everywhere
A feature from each woman fair,
To make a borrowed lady
Till you look again toward me.
Colour fresh and natural
I'll take, fair Cembelins, from you
And your sweet love-glances too!
And risk the impertinence
Of forgoing there
All else in which you lack no share.
Then of Aelis I'll demand
Her adroit and charming tongue
Which must surely aid my suit,
That it be not dull or mute.
On Chalais' Vicomtess I call;
I'd have her give instantly
Her throat and hands to me.
Then take the journey thence,
Without straying,
To Rochechouart speeding
That Agnes her hair might grant me
Since Isolde, Tristan's lady,
Who was praised in every way
Was less fair than she today.
Audiart, though you wish me ill, in all,
I would that you dress her in your fashion,
That she might be well-adorned
And, as you are perfection, hence
Naught shall tear,
Nor love find aught improper.
Of my Lady Better-than-Best, my plea
Is her true fresh noble body
That shows her at first sight
Sweet to see naked if one might.
On the 'Exile', too I call
Wishing her white teeth, also
The welcome and conversation, so
Sweet in her presence
And her dwelling.
My 'Fair-Mirror' in your giving
Is your gaiety and stature
And what your fine manner
Displays, well-known as ever,
Never to change or waver.
My Lady, all I'd wish befall
Is that I might feel love, in truth,
For her as much as I do for you!
That a passionate intense
Love be sired,
One by my body well-desired,
Yet I'd rather of you demand
A kiss than any other woman,
So why does my love refuse me
When she knows I need her truly?
Papiol, straight to my Lover,
Go, for me now, sing to her,
That love's all disregarded, gone
From the heights, fallen headlong.
Be? m platz lo gais temps de pascor
'And so that you may carry news of me, know that I am Bertrand de Born,
he who gave evil counsel to the Young King.
I made the father and the son rebel against each other''
Dante Inferno XXVIII, 134-136
The joyful springtime pleases me
That makes the leaves and flowers appear,
I'm pleased to hear the gaiety
Of birds, those echoes in the ear,
Of song through greenery;
I'm pleased when I see the field
With tents and pavilions free,
And joy then comes to me
All through the meadowlands to see
The heavy-armoured cavalry.
It pleases me when outriders
Make labourers and cattle flee,
It pleases me when follow after
Crowds of well-armed soldiery,
And I am pleased at heart,
To see great castles forced by art
Their walls taken, rent apart,
To see a host at war,
Enclosed by moats in every part,
With close-knit palisades and more.
I'm also pleased to view some lord
Who leads the vanguard in attack,
On armoured horse, a fearless sword,
Who can inspire his men to hack
Away and bravely fight,
And when the conflict's joined aright,
Each must in readiness delight,
And follow where he might,
For none attains to honour's height
Till blows have landed left and right.
Clubs and blades and painted helms
Shields that swords and lances batter
We'll see when fighting first begins,
And many vassals strike together,
Their steeds will wander
Mounts of dead or wounded warrior;
And when he enters in the lather
Let each noble brother,
Think only arms and heads to shatter,
Better to die than let them conquer.
It's not to my taste, I tell you,
Eating, drinking, sleeping, when
I hear voices cry: 'Set to! '
From either side, hearing then
Horses neighing in the gloom,
And cries of 'Help me! ', 'Aid me! ' too,
And into the grassy ditch's tomb
Fall great and small to their doom,
Seeing the corpses twice run through
By lances on which pennants loom.
Love would have lovers chivalrous,
Good with weapons, eager to serve,
Noble in language, generous,
Knowing how to act and observe
Both outdoors and within,
According to the powers they're given.
Such as are pleasant company, then,
Refined and courteous men.
She that in bed such love does win,
Is cleansed forever of her sin.
Noble Countess, you are the best
That's seen or ever will be seen,
Men say, compared with all the rest
The noblest lady on earth, I mean,
High-born Beatrice,
Fine lady in acts and worthiness,
Fountain from which flows all goodness,
And beauty all peerless,
Your rich fame is in such excess
Of all others you appear mistress.
One of high lineage,
In whom is every beauty,
I love, am loved by her deeply;
And she grants me courage,
So I'll not superseded be
By some other, presumptuously.
Barons, go pawn freely
All your castles, towns and cities,
Before ever you halt your armies.
Papiol, go swiftly
To Yea-and-Nay and gaily;
Say they're too long at peace.
Notes: Yea-and-Nay is Richard I of England, younger brother of the Young English King, Henry.
Papiol is Bertran de Born's court minstrel, jongleur or joglar.
Ai! Lemozis, francha terra cortesa,
Ah, Limousin! Country free and courtly,
I'm glad of this honour you receive,
Since joy and worth, repose and gaiety,
Courtesy, gallantry and sweet ease
Are come to us, may they never leave;
To serve her well we must quickly see
In what ways we might court this lady.
Gifts and tasks and ornaments freely
Aid love, as water fish in the sea,
Or as instruction, prowess, bravery,
Do courts, wars, tourneys, and weaponry;
Who claims both brave and skilled to be,
Does ill if he promises to deceive,
Since Lady Guiscarda's here directly.
Note: Guiscarda was the wife of the Viscount of Comborn, and from Bourgogne. His friendship with her caused a rift between Bertran and Madonna Maent (Maeut de Montaignac, the wife of Talairan, brother of Count Elias V of Perigord 1166-1205. The name was later spelt Talleyrand! )
Giraut de Bornelh (c. 1138 - 1215)
Giraut or Guiraut, also Borneil or Borneyll, was born to a lower class family in the Limousin, probably in Bourney, near Excideuil. Connected with the castle of the Viscount of Limoges, his skill earned him the nickname of Master of the Troubadours. He may have accompanied Richard I and Aimar V ofLimoges on the Third Crusade. He certainly made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land but perhaps before the Crusade. His most famous poem is this alba, Reis glorios.
Reis glorios, verais lums e clartatz,
Glorious king, true light and clarity,
Almighty God, Lord, in your charity,
Be a true help now to my friend!
For I've not seen him since day's end,
And soon it will be dawn.
Sweet friend, do you wake or are you sleeping?
Sleep no more, now, you must be waking!
For in the east I see a star rise
Day-bringer, star familiar to my eyes,
And soon it will be dawn.
Sweet friend, I sing now and I call to you!
Sleep no more: I hear the bird sing too
That goes to seek day in the greenery,
I fear you may be harmed by jealousy,
And soon it will be dawn.
Sweet friend, for me now go to the window
And gaze on the stars from earth below
And see how I am your true messenger!
If you will not, it is you will suffer,
And soon it will be dawn.
Fair friend, since I parted from you,
I've not slept, nor ceased praying too,
I pray to God, who's the son of Mary,
To give you to me in sweet loyalty,
And soon it will be dawn.
Fair friend, you begged me not to sleep
There at the threshold, but a true watch keep
On all through the night till it is day.
Now my song and presence you dismay,
Yet soon it will be dawn.
Fair friend, I am in so rich a way
I wish no more for the dawn of day,
For the noblest ever born of mother
I hold and embrace, so they're no matter
Not jealous fool or dawn.
Peire Raimon de Toulouse (fl. 1180-1220)
Peire Raimon de Tolosa or Toloza was from the merchant class of Toulouse. He became a jongleur and spent time at the courts of Alfonso II of Aragon, William VIII of Montpellier, and probably, Raymond VI of Toulouse. He also lived in Italy (Lombardy and Piedmont), at the courts of Thomas I of Savoy, Guglielmo Malaspina, and Azzo VI of Este. Azzo's daughter Beatriz was the addressee of one of his poems. This poem of fin'amor, perfect or true love, is one of the more comprehensive statements of the troubadour ideal.
De fin'amor son tot mei pensamen
On true love are all my thoughts bent
And my desires and my sweetest days,
With true and faithful heart I'll serve always,
To live close to Amor I do consent,
And in simplicity I'll serve him still
Though my service bring me only ill,
Since they are painful and dangerous
The torments Love grants his followers.
Yet to me Love has such honour sent
Since my heart's firmer truer in its ways
Than any other man; and if it seldom says
Who it loves that's for fear of ill intent;
Should her sweet smile, face, eyes fail to tell,
And her fine and noble manners as well,
Her gaiety, and fair speech, miraculous,
Who she is to those who are connoisseurs!
And since your actions are so nobly meant
Humble, in trembling, my love I phrase,
For there is no lover as faithful always
As I to you, Lady, through this world's extent.
Through audacity, through pride I know full well
I sin, in loving you: often my eyes must fill,
With tears, for to direct my heart is ruinous
Towards one who is so high among the first.
Alas! A man cannot yearn and yet absent
Himself from where he'd most deeply gaze,
Or throw off sorrow and his spirits raise,
But swiftly seeks what his hope shall dent.
And know, lady, that the more my tears well,
The more love grows for you and my goodwill,
A sweet pleasant thought's born in my heart thus
Who, night and day, love's thoughts cannot disperse.
I dare to ask that your mercy, pity be lent
To one who finds no equal in these days,
To you; yet if one grants you service and aid,
Fair Lady, his own true gain is consequent.
And as you are, of all, most beautiful,
Most worthy, my service shall be more careful,
Than ever it was, no less continuous
The love for your dear honour I rehearse.
Sweet lady, I desire and want you still
More than the world, for true love draws
Me to the lovely body I praise in verse.
Refuge grants Rambertis de Buvalel,
To worth and merit, and so evermore
In joy and gaiety all here shall immerse.
Anonymous Aubes (12th-13th century)
Quan lo rossinhols escria
While the nightingale sings away
To his mate both night and day
I'm with my sweet friend always,
Under the flower.
Till the watchman on the tower
Cries loudly: Lovers, now arise!
I see the dawn, and day's clear skies.
En un vergier sotz fuella d'albespi
In a deep bower under a hawthorn-tree
The lady clings to her lover closely,
Till the watchman cries the dawn he sees,
Ah, God, Ah, God, the dawn! Is here so soon.
'Please God, now, night fail us not cruelly,
Nor my friend be parted far from me,
Nor day nor dawn, let the watchman see!
Ah, God, Ah, God, the dawn! Is here so soon.
Fine gentle friend, let us kiss, you and I,
Down in the meadow, where sweet birds sigh,
And all to each other, despite jealous eye.
Ah, God, Ah, God, the dawn! Is here so soon.
Fine gentle friend, we'll have sweet loving,
In the garden, where the small birds sing,
Till the watch his pipe sets echoing,
Ah, God, Ah, God, the dawn! Is here so soon.
Out of the sweet air that rises from my
Dear friend who's noble, handsome, and bright,
By his breath I'm touched, like a ray of light. '
Ah, God, Ah, God, the dawn! Is here so soon.
The lady's delightful and greatly pleases
Her beauty draws to her many gazes,
Yet in her heart love loyally blazes,
Ah, God, Ah, God, the dawn! Is here so soon.
Note: The Occitan caramehl, the 'pipe' of verse four, is the 'chalumeau' in use in France from the twelfth century. The word refers to various sorts of pipes, some of which were made of cane and featured a single 'reed' cut into the side of the cane itself.
Anonymous Balade (13th century or later)
Mort m'an li semblan que madona? m fai
The glance that my lady darts at me must slay,
Born of her sweet eyes amorous and gay.
If I have none of her let me die alway;
The glance that my lady darts at me must slay.
On my knees I shall beg of her today;
The glance that my lady darts at me must slay.
Humbly before her then I go to pray;
That she solace me, one sweet kiss I'd weigh.
The glance that my lady darts at me must slay,
Born of her sweet eyes amorous and gay.
Her body's white as snow that on glacier lay,
The glance that my lady darts at me must slay.
Fresh is her colour as a rose in May,
The glance that my lady darts at me must slay.
Her hair, red gold, pleases in every way,
Softer and sweeter than a man can say.
The glance that my lady darts at me must slay,
Born of her sweet eyes amorous and gay.
God made none so beautiful nor may,
The glance that my lady darts at me must slay.
Her body I'll love, forever and a day,
The glance that my lady darts at me must slay.
And long as I live I'll not say her nay,
And die for her if I can't have my way.
The glance that my lady darts at me must slay,
Born of her sweet eyes amorous and gay.
Note: Compare Chaucer's 'Your eyen two whole slay me suddenly, I may the beauty of them not sustain. '
Gaucelm Faidit (c. 1170 - c. 1202)
Born in Uzerche, in the Limousin, from a family of knights in the service of the Count of Turenne, he travelled widely in France, Spain, and Hungary. His known patrons include Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany and Dalfi d'Alvernha; he was at one time in Poitiers at the court of Richard I of England, on whose death he wrote this planh. It is possible, but controversial, that he took part in the Third Crusade from 1189-1191; it seems likely that in 1202 he set out on the Fourth Crusade, as did his then patron, Boniface of Montferrat. After 1202 there is no further mention of him.
Fortz chausa es que tot lo maior dan
A harsh thing it is that brings such harm,
The worst woe, alas, I've suffered: this!
Such that in weeping I will ever mourn,
For so I must sing it now, and utter,
That he the summit and crown of valour,
Noble, brave, Richard, King of the English,
Is dead! Ah, God! What harm, what loss!
What strange words, how grievous to hear!
Firm heart a man needs, that suffers here.
Dead is the king, and a thousand years gone
Since one of such worth was, such vile loss,
Nor was ever a man like him, not one,
So brave, so free, so generous, giving,
That none half as much or more has given,
Since Alexander thrashed Darius;
Not Charlemagne, nor Arthur, as valorous
As he who made men, if truth appear,
Either rejoice in him, or shake with fear.
I marvel that in this false world not one
Generous or courteous man should exist,
None now value good words, fine action,
And why should a man aim high or low?
Now Death has shown us his mighty blow,
Who at one stroke takes the best there is,
All honour, worth, oh, all good we miss;
Now he sees there is none to shield us,
A man may dread his own dying less.
Ai! Brave lordly king, what's to be done
With our vast armies, great tournaments,
Bright courts, and fine gifts and handsome,
If you're gone, that had their captaining?
What's to be done for those suffering,
All those for your good service meant,
Who waited on you, life's ornament?
What's to be done with them, in despair,
Whom you brought to great riches there?
A wretched life and worse death they'll win,
A grievous time, whether far or near;
And Saracen, Turk, Persian, Paynim,
Who, more than all, found you to dread,
Will grow in pride and power instead.
More slowly we'll gain the Sepulchre;
God wills so, for did he not, it's clear,
That if you, lord, had lived, unfailingly,
From Syria they'd have sought to flee.
No longer have I hope, through grace,
Some king or prince might all oversee;
For those who will occupy your place,
Needs have regard to their love of worth,
Your two brave brothers are under earth;
The Young King, noble Count Geoffrey,
And who remains to replace these three?
He'll need a lofty heart, firm thought,
To work good deeds, aid those he ought.
Ah, Lord God, You, our true pardoner,
True God: true man, true life, have mercy on
Him, who has pressing need of it, pardon,
And Lord, oh, look not on his error,
But how he served you, oh, now remember!
Note: Richard I, the Lion Heart, was killed at the minor siege of Chalus-Chabrol in 1199, by a stray bolt from a crossbow. Of his two elder brothers, the Young King, Henry, had died in 1183, and Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany, in 1186. His younger brother John succeeded him as king.
Peire Cardenal (c. 1180-c. 1278)
Peire Cardenal, or Cardinal was born in Le Puy-en-Velay educated as a canon, but abandoned his career in the church for 'the vanity of this world' according to his vida. He began his career at the court of Raymond VI of Toulouse and subsequently travelled widely, visiting the court of James I of Aragon. He died at an advanced age in Montpellier.
Vera vergena Maria
Truest Virgin, our Maria
True of life, and true of faith,
True in truth, and our truth clear,
True in virtue, the true way,
Truest friend, truest mother,
True in love, true mercy's ray,
Through true mercy now declare
Among your heirs I'll be one day.
Lady, grant this, if you please,
That from your son to us flow Peace.
You repair for us the folly
That saw Adam overcome;
You, the star, guiding gently
Pilgrims passing through our land;
You then are the Dawn of day
To which the son of God is Sun,
Shining warmly, shining brightly,
Of true righteousness the sum.
Lady, grant this, if you please,
That from your son to us flow Peace.
You were born in Syria,
Gentle, poor in worldly goods;
Ever humble, pious, purer,
In all done, said, understood,
Fashioned by such a Master,
Without all evil, with all good,
Of such sweet company there
That in you was harboured God.
Lady, grant this, if you please,
That from your son to us flow Peace.
He, who in you puts his trust,
Needs no other for defence,
Such that if the world were lost
He will not be carried hence;
Before your worth, the mightiest
Is humbled, if the man has sense,
And your son will not protest
At your wish, takes no offence.
Lady, grant this, if you please,
That from your son to us flow Peace.
David in his prophecies
Says, in a psalm of old,
That at God's right hand will be,
Near the King that law foretold,
A Queen who in finery
Will be dressed, in vair and gold.
Without fail you are she,
No plea to you can be too bold.
Lady, grant this, if you please,
That from your son to us flow Peace.
Sordello (fl. 1220-1265)
Sordello da Goito or Sordel de Goit, sometimes Sordell, was born in the municipality of Goito in the province of Mantua. Praised by Dante in the De vulgari eloquentia, he is, in the Purgatorio of The Divine Comedy, made the type of patriotic pride, bemoaning the state of Italy, as partially substantiated by the planh below. In 1226, while at the court of Richard of Bonifazio in Verona, he abducted his master's wife, Cunizza, at the instigation of her brother, Ezzelino da Romano. The scandal resulted in his flight (1229) to Provence. He entered the service of Charles of Anjou, and probably accompanied him (1265) on his Naples expedition; in 1266 he was a prisoner in Naples. The last documentary mention of him is in 1269, and he is supposed to have died in Provence.
'. . . . and the spirit all pre-occupied with self,
surged towards him from the place where it first was,
saying: 'O Mantuan, I am Sordello, of your city. '
Dante - Purgatorio VI:72-75
Planher vuelh En Blacatz en aquest leugier so
I wish to mourn Blacatz, now, in skilful song,
With dark, grieving heart, and mortal reason,
Since I lose in him so noble, fair a companion,
And all his worthiness swift to death is gone;
Now I've no hope at all, so mortal the harm,
Of any remedy, no ounce of hope, not one;
Rend his heart: let these barons eat it to a man,
Those without heart since from it heart is won.
Let the Emperor of Rome, who has most need,
Eat first of the heart, if he'd take the Milanese
By force of conquest, they checked him indeed,
He's disinherited, despite his German breed;
Then let the King of France be the next to eat:
And win that Castile he did so rashly cede;
Yet let him not, if his mother be displeased,
For he'll do nothing now, if she's not agreed.
The King of England too, who lacks all valour,
I'd wish to see him eat, gain courage, power,
So that land he dishonoured, he may recover,
Taken by France's King, who knows his blather.
Let Castile's King eat for himself, and another,
Of two kingdoms, king, and yet worth neither;
If he eats, let him do so beneath the cover,
If he's found out, he'll be beaten, by his mother.
Aragon's King, I would that he'd do the same,
Since by so doing he'd free himself from shame,
Who suffers Marseille, Millau; his mortal fame
Wins him no honour, for all he may do or claim.
I'd have the King of Navarre eat then, in name
A king though more a count, so dull his game.
What grief when God seeks to glorify the lame,
Those that lack heart and prove but weak and tame.
The Count of Toulouse, as well, must eat and how,
Knowing what he had, knowing what he has now,
If a second heart can't help his cause somehow,
His own won't help him win what's lost, I trow.
The Count of Provence must eat the last, allow
That, disinherited, he's not worth a sow,
Despite how he yet defends himself, I vow
He'll eat the heart, to bear what makes him bow.
For my song, the barons wish me ill, truly,
Yet know I'll value them as they value me.
Bel Restaur, if I only have your mercy,
I scorn men for whom I prove ill company.
Notes: Blacatz, Blacas de Blacas III (1165-1237), was feudal lord of Aups and a troubadour.
The Roman Emperor is Frederick II of Sicily. The King of France is Louis IX. The King of Castile is Ferdinand III of Castile and Leon. The King of England is Henry III. The King of Aragon is James I, cousin of Count Raymond Berenger IV. The King of Navarre is Thibaut IV of Champagne, the poet king. The Count of Toulouse is Raymond VII. The Count of Provence is Raymond Berenger.
Amilau, or Millau in Aveyron, on the banks of the Tarn, was the major source of earthenware in the Roman Empire, and site of one of the major bridges over the Tarn. Subject to the King of Aragon from 1172, it was taken by Raymond VI of Toulouse in 1222, and James I of Aragon finally ceded his rights to the town in 1258 to France. Marseille which established itself as a republic during the period was at the centre of conflict for decades. In 1246 it finally passed to Charles of Anjou, Count of Provence.
Bel Restaur, 'the lovely one who restores me', or the Fair Healer, may be Guida da Rodez, 1212-1265, daughter of Henri I Count of Rodez. She married Pons VI of Montlaur in 1226. She was then Baronne de Posquieres, de Castries et de Montlaur, and became a patroness of troubadours.
Ai las e que-m fan mei uehls
Alas, what use are my eyes
If they see not what I prize?
Though summer renew and adorn
Itself with leaf and flower
Yet however I sing and mourn,
She, the lady of pleasure,
Cares not for my prayers forlorn,
I'll sing, I'll die a lover,
So loving her, dusk to dawn,
For little do I see her.
Alas, what use are my eyes
If they see not what I prize?
Although love cause me to sigh,
I'll not complain of a thing;
For the noblest, I choose to die,
Though evil for good may sting,
So long as she consents that I
Hope, mercy she yet may bring,
Whatever suffering I may buy,
I'll not claim for anything.
Alas, what use are my eyes
If they see not what I prize?
I die if her love she'll not give,
For I cannot see or dream
Where I can turn or how I'll live,
If she so distant seem,
No other could please I believe,
Nor make me forget, I deem;
Whatever the love I conceive
The more Love shall I esteem.
Alas, what use are my eyes
If they see not what I prize?
Ah, why does she treat me harshly?
She knows how it comforts me,
To sing, and praise one so worthy,
I'm hers, the more painfully
She exalts or abases me,
I can't prevent it, truly,
Far from her I'd not wish to be,
Though living death is my fee.
Alas, what use are my eyes
If they see not what I prize?
So I'll beg my sweet friend in song,
Please don't kill me, sinfully.
If she knows it to be a wrong
When I'm dead she'll grieve for me,
Yet I'd rather she brought death on,
Than live as her pleasure decree,
Worse than death not to see the one
Whom I love so tenderly.
Alas, what use are my eyes
If they see not what I prize?
Guiraut Riquier (c. 1230 - 1292)
One of the last, if not the last, of the true Provencal troubadours, Guiraut survived the Albigensian Crusade and the wars that effectively destroyed the cultured society that had supported them. He served Aimery IV, Viscount of Narbonne, as well as Alfonso el Sabio, King of Castile. He is also believed to have served Henry II, Count of Rodez. He made this somewhat ironic alba in 1257, a fitting coda to the troubadour era.
Ab plazen
From pleasant
Thoughts now and
Amorous,
Sufferings call
Despite all
Carefulness,
I sleep not though I tire,
So toss, and turn, and gyre,
And desire
To see the dawn.
From such gales
Pain assails
Day and night,
Joy now fails
So prevails
Sad heart's plight,
So at night fiercer fire
Consumes my mind entire,
And desire
To see the dawn.
Sad awake
Till daybreak
Watch I keep,
No pleasure
To lie there
Without sleep,
Joyless love deep in the mire;
So that with sighs I respire,
And desire
To see the dawn.
Bringing harm
Night wears on,
It would seem.
Such chagrin
I've not known
No sweet dream,
For I can't see her I admire,
Though to comfort her I aspire,
And desire
To see the dawn.
Lady, since you care not at all
For me, but keep me far from you,
And for no good reason too,
The task it seems immense
Of seeking some other,
Who might bring me new joy ever,
And if I have not the making
Of a lady as much to my liking,
Of the worth of she that's gone,
I shall love no other one.
Since I'll not find your equal,
Lovely as you, made as nobly,
Nor so joyous, sweet in body,
Lovely to every sense,
Nor so happy
Nor, by all repute, so worthy
I'll go seeking everywhere
A feature from each woman fair,
To make a borrowed lady
Till you look again toward me.
Colour fresh and natural
I'll take, fair Cembelins, from you
And your sweet love-glances too!
And risk the impertinence
Of forgoing there
All else in which you lack no share.
Then of Aelis I'll demand
Her adroit and charming tongue
Which must surely aid my suit,
That it be not dull or mute.
On Chalais' Vicomtess I call;
I'd have her give instantly
Her throat and hands to me.
Then take the journey thence,
Without straying,
To Rochechouart speeding
That Agnes her hair might grant me
Since Isolde, Tristan's lady,
Who was praised in every way
Was less fair than she today.
Audiart, though you wish me ill, in all,
I would that you dress her in your fashion,
That she might be well-adorned
And, as you are perfection, hence
Naught shall tear,
Nor love find aught improper.
Of my Lady Better-than-Best, my plea
Is her true fresh noble body
That shows her at first sight
Sweet to see naked if one might.
On the 'Exile', too I call
Wishing her white teeth, also
The welcome and conversation, so
Sweet in her presence
And her dwelling.
My 'Fair-Mirror' in your giving
Is your gaiety and stature
And what your fine manner
Displays, well-known as ever,
Never to change or waver.
My Lady, all I'd wish befall
Is that I might feel love, in truth,
For her as much as I do for you!
That a passionate intense
Love be sired,
One by my body well-desired,
Yet I'd rather of you demand
A kiss than any other woman,
So why does my love refuse me
When she knows I need her truly?
Papiol, straight to my Lover,
Go, for me now, sing to her,
That love's all disregarded, gone
From the heights, fallen headlong.
Be? m platz lo gais temps de pascor
'And so that you may carry news of me, know that I am Bertrand de Born,
he who gave evil counsel to the Young King.
I made the father and the son rebel against each other''
Dante Inferno XXVIII, 134-136
The joyful springtime pleases me
That makes the leaves and flowers appear,
I'm pleased to hear the gaiety
Of birds, those echoes in the ear,
Of song through greenery;
I'm pleased when I see the field
With tents and pavilions free,
And joy then comes to me
All through the meadowlands to see
The heavy-armoured cavalry.
It pleases me when outriders
Make labourers and cattle flee,
It pleases me when follow after
Crowds of well-armed soldiery,
And I am pleased at heart,
To see great castles forced by art
Their walls taken, rent apart,
To see a host at war,
Enclosed by moats in every part,
With close-knit palisades and more.
I'm also pleased to view some lord
Who leads the vanguard in attack,
On armoured horse, a fearless sword,
Who can inspire his men to hack
Away and bravely fight,
And when the conflict's joined aright,
Each must in readiness delight,
And follow where he might,
For none attains to honour's height
Till blows have landed left and right.
Clubs and blades and painted helms
Shields that swords and lances batter
We'll see when fighting first begins,
And many vassals strike together,
Their steeds will wander
Mounts of dead or wounded warrior;
And when he enters in the lather
Let each noble brother,
Think only arms and heads to shatter,
Better to die than let them conquer.
It's not to my taste, I tell you,
Eating, drinking, sleeping, when
I hear voices cry: 'Set to! '
From either side, hearing then
Horses neighing in the gloom,
And cries of 'Help me! ', 'Aid me! ' too,
And into the grassy ditch's tomb
Fall great and small to their doom,
Seeing the corpses twice run through
By lances on which pennants loom.
Love would have lovers chivalrous,
Good with weapons, eager to serve,
Noble in language, generous,
Knowing how to act and observe
Both outdoors and within,
According to the powers they're given.
Such as are pleasant company, then,
Refined and courteous men.
She that in bed such love does win,
Is cleansed forever of her sin.
Noble Countess, you are the best
That's seen or ever will be seen,
Men say, compared with all the rest
The noblest lady on earth, I mean,
High-born Beatrice,
Fine lady in acts and worthiness,
Fountain from which flows all goodness,
And beauty all peerless,
Your rich fame is in such excess
Of all others you appear mistress.
One of high lineage,
In whom is every beauty,
I love, am loved by her deeply;
And she grants me courage,
So I'll not superseded be
By some other, presumptuously.
Barons, go pawn freely
All your castles, towns and cities,
Before ever you halt your armies.
Papiol, go swiftly
To Yea-and-Nay and gaily;
Say they're too long at peace.
Notes: Yea-and-Nay is Richard I of England, younger brother of the Young English King, Henry.
Papiol is Bertran de Born's court minstrel, jongleur or joglar.
Ai! Lemozis, francha terra cortesa,
Ah, Limousin! Country free and courtly,
I'm glad of this honour you receive,
Since joy and worth, repose and gaiety,
Courtesy, gallantry and sweet ease
Are come to us, may they never leave;
To serve her well we must quickly see
In what ways we might court this lady.
Gifts and tasks and ornaments freely
Aid love, as water fish in the sea,
Or as instruction, prowess, bravery,
Do courts, wars, tourneys, and weaponry;
Who claims both brave and skilled to be,
Does ill if he promises to deceive,
Since Lady Guiscarda's here directly.
Note: Guiscarda was the wife of the Viscount of Comborn, and from Bourgogne. His friendship with her caused a rift between Bertran and Madonna Maent (Maeut de Montaignac, the wife of Talairan, brother of Count Elias V of Perigord 1166-1205. The name was later spelt Talleyrand! )
Giraut de Bornelh (c. 1138 - 1215)
Giraut or Guiraut, also Borneil or Borneyll, was born to a lower class family in the Limousin, probably in Bourney, near Excideuil. Connected with the castle of the Viscount of Limoges, his skill earned him the nickname of Master of the Troubadours. He may have accompanied Richard I and Aimar V ofLimoges on the Third Crusade. He certainly made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land but perhaps before the Crusade. His most famous poem is this alba, Reis glorios.
Reis glorios, verais lums e clartatz,
Glorious king, true light and clarity,
Almighty God, Lord, in your charity,
Be a true help now to my friend!
For I've not seen him since day's end,
And soon it will be dawn.
Sweet friend, do you wake or are you sleeping?
Sleep no more, now, you must be waking!
For in the east I see a star rise
Day-bringer, star familiar to my eyes,
And soon it will be dawn.
Sweet friend, I sing now and I call to you!
Sleep no more: I hear the bird sing too
That goes to seek day in the greenery,
I fear you may be harmed by jealousy,
And soon it will be dawn.
Sweet friend, for me now go to the window
And gaze on the stars from earth below
And see how I am your true messenger!
If you will not, it is you will suffer,
And soon it will be dawn.
Fair friend, since I parted from you,
I've not slept, nor ceased praying too,
I pray to God, who's the son of Mary,
To give you to me in sweet loyalty,
And soon it will be dawn.
Fair friend, you begged me not to sleep
There at the threshold, but a true watch keep
On all through the night till it is day.
Now my song and presence you dismay,
Yet soon it will be dawn.
Fair friend, I am in so rich a way
I wish no more for the dawn of day,
For the noblest ever born of mother
I hold and embrace, so they're no matter
Not jealous fool or dawn.
Peire Raimon de Toulouse (fl. 1180-1220)
Peire Raimon de Tolosa or Toloza was from the merchant class of Toulouse. He became a jongleur and spent time at the courts of Alfonso II of Aragon, William VIII of Montpellier, and probably, Raymond VI of Toulouse. He also lived in Italy (Lombardy and Piedmont), at the courts of Thomas I of Savoy, Guglielmo Malaspina, and Azzo VI of Este. Azzo's daughter Beatriz was the addressee of one of his poems. This poem of fin'amor, perfect or true love, is one of the more comprehensive statements of the troubadour ideal.
De fin'amor son tot mei pensamen
On true love are all my thoughts bent
And my desires and my sweetest days,
With true and faithful heart I'll serve always,
To live close to Amor I do consent,
And in simplicity I'll serve him still
Though my service bring me only ill,
Since they are painful and dangerous
The torments Love grants his followers.
Yet to me Love has such honour sent
Since my heart's firmer truer in its ways
Than any other man; and if it seldom says
Who it loves that's for fear of ill intent;
Should her sweet smile, face, eyes fail to tell,
And her fine and noble manners as well,
Her gaiety, and fair speech, miraculous,
Who she is to those who are connoisseurs!
And since your actions are so nobly meant
Humble, in trembling, my love I phrase,
For there is no lover as faithful always
As I to you, Lady, through this world's extent.
Through audacity, through pride I know full well
I sin, in loving you: often my eyes must fill,
With tears, for to direct my heart is ruinous
Towards one who is so high among the first.
Alas! A man cannot yearn and yet absent
Himself from where he'd most deeply gaze,
Or throw off sorrow and his spirits raise,
But swiftly seeks what his hope shall dent.
And know, lady, that the more my tears well,
The more love grows for you and my goodwill,
A sweet pleasant thought's born in my heart thus
Who, night and day, love's thoughts cannot disperse.
I dare to ask that your mercy, pity be lent
To one who finds no equal in these days,
To you; yet if one grants you service and aid,
Fair Lady, his own true gain is consequent.
And as you are, of all, most beautiful,
Most worthy, my service shall be more careful,
Than ever it was, no less continuous
The love for your dear honour I rehearse.
Sweet lady, I desire and want you still
More than the world, for true love draws
Me to the lovely body I praise in verse.
Refuge grants Rambertis de Buvalel,
To worth and merit, and so evermore
In joy and gaiety all here shall immerse.
Anonymous Aubes (12th-13th century)
Quan lo rossinhols escria
While the nightingale sings away
To his mate both night and day
I'm with my sweet friend always,
Under the flower.
Till the watchman on the tower
Cries loudly: Lovers, now arise!
I see the dawn, and day's clear skies.
En un vergier sotz fuella d'albespi
In a deep bower under a hawthorn-tree
The lady clings to her lover closely,
Till the watchman cries the dawn he sees,
Ah, God, Ah, God, the dawn! Is here so soon.
'Please God, now, night fail us not cruelly,
Nor my friend be parted far from me,
Nor day nor dawn, let the watchman see!
Ah, God, Ah, God, the dawn! Is here so soon.
Fine gentle friend, let us kiss, you and I,
Down in the meadow, where sweet birds sigh,
And all to each other, despite jealous eye.
Ah, God, Ah, God, the dawn! Is here so soon.
Fine gentle friend, we'll have sweet loving,
In the garden, where the small birds sing,
Till the watch his pipe sets echoing,
Ah, God, Ah, God, the dawn! Is here so soon.
Out of the sweet air that rises from my
Dear friend who's noble, handsome, and bright,
By his breath I'm touched, like a ray of light. '
Ah, God, Ah, God, the dawn! Is here so soon.
The lady's delightful and greatly pleases
Her beauty draws to her many gazes,
Yet in her heart love loyally blazes,
Ah, God, Ah, God, the dawn! Is here so soon.
Note: The Occitan caramehl, the 'pipe' of verse four, is the 'chalumeau' in use in France from the twelfth century. The word refers to various sorts of pipes, some of which were made of cane and featured a single 'reed' cut into the side of the cane itself.
Anonymous Balade (13th century or later)
Mort m'an li semblan que madona? m fai
The glance that my lady darts at me must slay,
Born of her sweet eyes amorous and gay.
If I have none of her let me die alway;
The glance that my lady darts at me must slay.
On my knees I shall beg of her today;
The glance that my lady darts at me must slay.
Humbly before her then I go to pray;
That she solace me, one sweet kiss I'd weigh.
The glance that my lady darts at me must slay,
Born of her sweet eyes amorous and gay.
Her body's white as snow that on glacier lay,
The glance that my lady darts at me must slay.
Fresh is her colour as a rose in May,
The glance that my lady darts at me must slay.
Her hair, red gold, pleases in every way,
Softer and sweeter than a man can say.
The glance that my lady darts at me must slay,
Born of her sweet eyes amorous and gay.
God made none so beautiful nor may,
The glance that my lady darts at me must slay.
Her body I'll love, forever and a day,
The glance that my lady darts at me must slay.
And long as I live I'll not say her nay,
And die for her if I can't have my way.
The glance that my lady darts at me must slay,
Born of her sweet eyes amorous and gay.
Note: Compare Chaucer's 'Your eyen two whole slay me suddenly, I may the beauty of them not sustain. '
Gaucelm Faidit (c. 1170 - c. 1202)
Born in Uzerche, in the Limousin, from a family of knights in the service of the Count of Turenne, he travelled widely in France, Spain, and Hungary. His known patrons include Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany and Dalfi d'Alvernha; he was at one time in Poitiers at the court of Richard I of England, on whose death he wrote this planh. It is possible, but controversial, that he took part in the Third Crusade from 1189-1191; it seems likely that in 1202 he set out on the Fourth Crusade, as did his then patron, Boniface of Montferrat. After 1202 there is no further mention of him.
Fortz chausa es que tot lo maior dan
A harsh thing it is that brings such harm,
The worst woe, alas, I've suffered: this!
Such that in weeping I will ever mourn,
For so I must sing it now, and utter,
That he the summit and crown of valour,
Noble, brave, Richard, King of the English,
Is dead! Ah, God! What harm, what loss!
What strange words, how grievous to hear!
Firm heart a man needs, that suffers here.
Dead is the king, and a thousand years gone
Since one of such worth was, such vile loss,
Nor was ever a man like him, not one,
So brave, so free, so generous, giving,
That none half as much or more has given,
Since Alexander thrashed Darius;
Not Charlemagne, nor Arthur, as valorous
As he who made men, if truth appear,
Either rejoice in him, or shake with fear.
I marvel that in this false world not one
Generous or courteous man should exist,
None now value good words, fine action,
And why should a man aim high or low?
Now Death has shown us his mighty blow,
Who at one stroke takes the best there is,
All honour, worth, oh, all good we miss;
Now he sees there is none to shield us,
A man may dread his own dying less.
Ai! Brave lordly king, what's to be done
With our vast armies, great tournaments,
Bright courts, and fine gifts and handsome,
If you're gone, that had their captaining?
What's to be done for those suffering,
All those for your good service meant,
Who waited on you, life's ornament?
What's to be done with them, in despair,
Whom you brought to great riches there?
A wretched life and worse death they'll win,
A grievous time, whether far or near;
And Saracen, Turk, Persian, Paynim,
Who, more than all, found you to dread,
Will grow in pride and power instead.
More slowly we'll gain the Sepulchre;
God wills so, for did he not, it's clear,
That if you, lord, had lived, unfailingly,
From Syria they'd have sought to flee.
No longer have I hope, through grace,
Some king or prince might all oversee;
For those who will occupy your place,
Needs have regard to their love of worth,
Your two brave brothers are under earth;
The Young King, noble Count Geoffrey,
And who remains to replace these three?
He'll need a lofty heart, firm thought,
To work good deeds, aid those he ought.
Ah, Lord God, You, our true pardoner,
True God: true man, true life, have mercy on
Him, who has pressing need of it, pardon,
And Lord, oh, look not on his error,
But how he served you, oh, now remember!
Note: Richard I, the Lion Heart, was killed at the minor siege of Chalus-Chabrol in 1199, by a stray bolt from a crossbow. Of his two elder brothers, the Young King, Henry, had died in 1183, and Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany, in 1186. His younger brother John succeeded him as king.
Peire Cardenal (c. 1180-c. 1278)
Peire Cardenal, or Cardinal was born in Le Puy-en-Velay educated as a canon, but abandoned his career in the church for 'the vanity of this world' according to his vida. He began his career at the court of Raymond VI of Toulouse and subsequently travelled widely, visiting the court of James I of Aragon. He died at an advanced age in Montpellier.
Vera vergena Maria
Truest Virgin, our Maria
True of life, and true of faith,
True in truth, and our truth clear,
True in virtue, the true way,
Truest friend, truest mother,
True in love, true mercy's ray,
Through true mercy now declare
Among your heirs I'll be one day.
Lady, grant this, if you please,
That from your son to us flow Peace.
You repair for us the folly
That saw Adam overcome;
You, the star, guiding gently
Pilgrims passing through our land;
You then are the Dawn of day
To which the son of God is Sun,
Shining warmly, shining brightly,
Of true righteousness the sum.
Lady, grant this, if you please,
That from your son to us flow Peace.
You were born in Syria,
Gentle, poor in worldly goods;
Ever humble, pious, purer,
In all done, said, understood,
Fashioned by such a Master,
Without all evil, with all good,
Of such sweet company there
That in you was harboured God.
Lady, grant this, if you please,
That from your son to us flow Peace.
He, who in you puts his trust,
Needs no other for defence,
Such that if the world were lost
He will not be carried hence;
Before your worth, the mightiest
Is humbled, if the man has sense,
And your son will not protest
At your wish, takes no offence.
Lady, grant this, if you please,
That from your son to us flow Peace.
David in his prophecies
Says, in a psalm of old,
That at God's right hand will be,
Near the King that law foretold,
A Queen who in finery
Will be dressed, in vair and gold.
Without fail you are she,
No plea to you can be too bold.
Lady, grant this, if you please,
That from your son to us flow Peace.
Sordello (fl. 1220-1265)
Sordello da Goito or Sordel de Goit, sometimes Sordell, was born in the municipality of Goito in the province of Mantua. Praised by Dante in the De vulgari eloquentia, he is, in the Purgatorio of The Divine Comedy, made the type of patriotic pride, bemoaning the state of Italy, as partially substantiated by the planh below. In 1226, while at the court of Richard of Bonifazio in Verona, he abducted his master's wife, Cunizza, at the instigation of her brother, Ezzelino da Romano. The scandal resulted in his flight (1229) to Provence. He entered the service of Charles of Anjou, and probably accompanied him (1265) on his Naples expedition; in 1266 he was a prisoner in Naples. The last documentary mention of him is in 1269, and he is supposed to have died in Provence.
'. . . . and the spirit all pre-occupied with self,
surged towards him from the place where it first was,
saying: 'O Mantuan, I am Sordello, of your city. '
Dante - Purgatorio VI:72-75
Planher vuelh En Blacatz en aquest leugier so
I wish to mourn Blacatz, now, in skilful song,
With dark, grieving heart, and mortal reason,
Since I lose in him so noble, fair a companion,
And all his worthiness swift to death is gone;
Now I've no hope at all, so mortal the harm,
Of any remedy, no ounce of hope, not one;
Rend his heart: let these barons eat it to a man,
Those without heart since from it heart is won.
Let the Emperor of Rome, who has most need,
Eat first of the heart, if he'd take the Milanese
By force of conquest, they checked him indeed,
He's disinherited, despite his German breed;
Then let the King of France be the next to eat:
And win that Castile he did so rashly cede;
Yet let him not, if his mother be displeased,
For he'll do nothing now, if she's not agreed.
The King of England too, who lacks all valour,
I'd wish to see him eat, gain courage, power,
So that land he dishonoured, he may recover,
Taken by France's King, who knows his blather.
Let Castile's King eat for himself, and another,
Of two kingdoms, king, and yet worth neither;
If he eats, let him do so beneath the cover,
If he's found out, he'll be beaten, by his mother.
Aragon's King, I would that he'd do the same,
Since by so doing he'd free himself from shame,
Who suffers Marseille, Millau; his mortal fame
Wins him no honour, for all he may do or claim.
I'd have the King of Navarre eat then, in name
A king though more a count, so dull his game.
What grief when God seeks to glorify the lame,
Those that lack heart and prove but weak and tame.
The Count of Toulouse, as well, must eat and how,
Knowing what he had, knowing what he has now,
If a second heart can't help his cause somehow,
His own won't help him win what's lost, I trow.
The Count of Provence must eat the last, allow
That, disinherited, he's not worth a sow,
Despite how he yet defends himself, I vow
He'll eat the heart, to bear what makes him bow.
For my song, the barons wish me ill, truly,
Yet know I'll value them as they value me.
Bel Restaur, if I only have your mercy,
I scorn men for whom I prove ill company.
Notes: Blacatz, Blacas de Blacas III (1165-1237), was feudal lord of Aups and a troubadour.
The Roman Emperor is Frederick II of Sicily. The King of France is Louis IX. The King of Castile is Ferdinand III of Castile and Leon. The King of England is Henry III. The King of Aragon is James I, cousin of Count Raymond Berenger IV. The King of Navarre is Thibaut IV of Champagne, the poet king. The Count of Toulouse is Raymond VII. The Count of Provence is Raymond Berenger.
Amilau, or Millau in Aveyron, on the banks of the Tarn, was the major source of earthenware in the Roman Empire, and site of one of the major bridges over the Tarn. Subject to the King of Aragon from 1172, it was taken by Raymond VI of Toulouse in 1222, and James I of Aragon finally ceded his rights to the town in 1258 to France. Marseille which established itself as a republic during the period was at the centre of conflict for decades. In 1246 it finally passed to Charles of Anjou, Count of Provence.
Bel Restaur, 'the lovely one who restores me', or the Fair Healer, may be Guida da Rodez, 1212-1265, daughter of Henri I Count of Rodez. She married Pons VI of Montlaur in 1226. She was then Baronne de Posquieres, de Castries et de Montlaur, and became a patroness of troubadours.
Ai las e que-m fan mei uehls
Alas, what use are my eyes
If they see not what I prize?
Though summer renew and adorn
Itself with leaf and flower
Yet however I sing and mourn,
She, the lady of pleasure,
Cares not for my prayers forlorn,
I'll sing, I'll die a lover,
So loving her, dusk to dawn,
For little do I see her.
Alas, what use are my eyes
If they see not what I prize?
Although love cause me to sigh,
I'll not complain of a thing;
For the noblest, I choose to die,
Though evil for good may sting,
So long as she consents that I
Hope, mercy she yet may bring,
Whatever suffering I may buy,
I'll not claim for anything.
Alas, what use are my eyes
If they see not what I prize?
I die if her love she'll not give,
For I cannot see or dream
Where I can turn or how I'll live,
If she so distant seem,
No other could please I believe,
Nor make me forget, I deem;
Whatever the love I conceive
The more Love shall I esteem.
Alas, what use are my eyes
If they see not what I prize?
Ah, why does she treat me harshly?
She knows how it comforts me,
To sing, and praise one so worthy,
I'm hers, the more painfully
She exalts or abases me,
I can't prevent it, truly,
Far from her I'd not wish to be,
Though living death is my fee.
Alas, what use are my eyes
If they see not what I prize?
So I'll beg my sweet friend in song,
Please don't kill me, sinfully.
If she knows it to be a wrong
When I'm dead she'll grieve for me,
Yet I'd rather she brought death on,
Than live as her pleasure decree,
Worse than death not to see the one
Whom I love so tenderly.
Alas, what use are my eyes
If they see not what I prize?
Guiraut Riquier (c. 1230 - 1292)
One of the last, if not the last, of the true Provencal troubadours, Guiraut survived the Albigensian Crusade and the wars that effectively destroyed the cultured society that had supported them. He served Aimery IV, Viscount of Narbonne, as well as Alfonso el Sabio, King of Castile. He is also believed to have served Henry II, Count of Rodez. He made this somewhat ironic alba in 1257, a fitting coda to the troubadour era.
Ab plazen
From pleasant
Thoughts now and
Amorous,
Sufferings call
Despite all
Carefulness,
I sleep not though I tire,
So toss, and turn, and gyre,
And desire
To see the dawn.
From such gales
Pain assails
Day and night,
Joy now fails
So prevails
Sad heart's plight,
So at night fiercer fire
Consumes my mind entire,
And desire
To see the dawn.
Sad awake
Till daybreak
Watch I keep,
No pleasure
To lie there
Without sleep,
Joyless love deep in the mire;
So that with sighs I respire,
And desire
To see the dawn.
Bringing harm
Night wears on,
It would seem.
Such chagrin
I've not known
No sweet dream,
For I can't see her I admire,
Though to comfort her I aspire,
And desire
To see the dawn.
