1180-1220)
De fin'amor son tot mei pensamen
On true love are all my thoughts bent
Anonymous Aubes (12th-13th century)
Quan lo rossinhols escria
While the nightingale sings away
En un vergier sotz fuella d'albespi
In a deep bower under a hawthorn-tree
Anonymous Balade (13th century or later)
Mort m'an li semblan que madona?
De fin'amor son tot mei pensamen
On true love are all my thoughts bent
Anonymous Aubes (12th-13th century)
Quan lo rossinhols escria
While the nightingale sings away
En un vergier sotz fuella d'albespi
In a deep bower under a hawthorn-tree
Anonymous Balade (13th century or later)
Mort m'an li semblan que madona?
Troubador Verse
1175)
Estat ai en greu cossirier
I've been in great distress of mind,
A chantar m'er de so qu'ieu no volria
Now I must sing of what I would not do,
Arnaut de Mareuil (late 12th century)
Bel m'es quan lo vens m'alena
It's sweet when the breeze blows softly,
Arnaut Daniel (fl. 1180-1210)
Sols sui qui sai lo sobrafan que? m sortz
I am the one that knows the pain that flows
Quan chai la fueilha
When the pale leaves descend
Douz braitz e critz
Sweet tweet and cry
Er vei vermeilhs, vertz, blaus, blancs, gruocs
I see scarlet; green, blue, white, yellow
Anc ieu non l'aic, mas elha m'a
I have him not, yet he has me
Lo ferm voler qu'el cor m'intra
The firm desire that in my heart enters
En cest sonnet coind'e leri
To this light tune, graceful and slender,
Peire Vidal (1175 - 1205)
Ab l'alen tir vas me l'aire
I breathe deeply, draw in the air:
Ges quar estius
Though spring's glorious
Plus que. l paubres quan jai el ric ostal
No more than a beggar dare complain,
Estat ai gran sazo
I've felt, for so long, so
Raimbaut de Vaqueiras (c1155- fl. 1180-d. c1207)
Altas ondas que venez suz la mar
Deep waves that roll, travelling the sea,
Gaita be, gaiteta del chastel
Keep a watch, watchman there, on the wall,
Kalenda maia
Calends of May
Guillem de Cabestan (1162-1212)
Aissi cum selh que baissa? l fuelh
Like to him who bends the leaves
Lo jorn qu'ie? us vi, dompna, primeiramen,
The day I saw you, lady that first time,
Anc mais no m? fo semblan
Never would I have conceived
Bertran de Born (c1140-d. before1215)
Dompna, puois de mi no? us cal
Lady, since you care not at all
Be? m platz lo gais temps de pascor
The joyful springtime pleases me
Ai! Lemozis, francha terra cortesa,
Ah, Limousin! Country free and courtly,
Giraut de Bornelh (c. 1138 - 1215)
Reis glorios, verais lums e clartatz,
Glorious king, true light and clarity,
Peire Raimon de Toulouse (fl.
1180-1220)
De fin'amor son tot mei pensamen
On true love are all my thoughts bent
Anonymous Aubes (12th-13th century)
Quan lo rossinhols escria
While the nightingale sings away
En un vergier sotz fuella d'albespi
In a deep bower under a hawthorn-tree
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,
Gaucelm Faidit (c. 1170 - c. 1202)
Fortz chausa es que tot lo maior dan
A harsh thing it is that brings such harm,
Peire Cardenal (c. 1180-c. 1278)
Vera vergena Maria
Truest Virgin, our Maria
Sordello (fl. 1220-1265)
Planher vuelh En Blacatz en aquest leugier so
I wish to mourn Blacatz, now, in skilful song,
Ai las e que-m fan mei uehls
Alas, what use are my eyes
Guiraut Riquier (c. 1230 - 1292)
Ab plazen
From pleasant
Translator's Introduction
Merry Company
'The Annunciation'
The Book of Hours - c. 1407 The British Library
This personal selection of Occitan poetry is of verse that I feel has true poetic merit, and nothing is included solely for its historic interest. I considered a simple prose or free verse translation of these poems, but to show the Troubadours without their rhyme schemes, their form, seemed to me too great an admission of failure. Form is half their art and crucially their poems were set to music, a large amount of which survives.
Either approach, rhymed or un-rhymed, is of course valid. As always the end result is what counts. I have gone for rhyme and aimed for accuracy of meaning. These translations attempt to stay close to the original text, in rhythm, rhyme-scheme and content. I have given the first lines of the poems, the incipits, as Occitan headings (one only is in Latin), so that a quick search on the Web for the line, remembering to enclose it in double quotes, will usually turn up the original text for those who need to see it.
Estat ai en greu cossirier
I've been in great distress of mind,
A chantar m'er de so qu'ieu no volria
Now I must sing of what I would not do,
Arnaut de Mareuil (late 12th century)
Bel m'es quan lo vens m'alena
It's sweet when the breeze blows softly,
Arnaut Daniel (fl. 1180-1210)
Sols sui qui sai lo sobrafan que? m sortz
I am the one that knows the pain that flows
Quan chai la fueilha
When the pale leaves descend
Douz braitz e critz
Sweet tweet and cry
Er vei vermeilhs, vertz, blaus, blancs, gruocs
I see scarlet; green, blue, white, yellow
Anc ieu non l'aic, mas elha m'a
I have him not, yet he has me
Lo ferm voler qu'el cor m'intra
The firm desire that in my heart enters
En cest sonnet coind'e leri
To this light tune, graceful and slender,
Peire Vidal (1175 - 1205)
Ab l'alen tir vas me l'aire
I breathe deeply, draw in the air:
Ges quar estius
Though spring's glorious
Plus que. l paubres quan jai el ric ostal
No more than a beggar dare complain,
Estat ai gran sazo
I've felt, for so long, so
Raimbaut de Vaqueiras (c1155- fl. 1180-d. c1207)
Altas ondas que venez suz la mar
Deep waves that roll, travelling the sea,
Gaita be, gaiteta del chastel
Keep a watch, watchman there, on the wall,
Kalenda maia
Calends of May
Guillem de Cabestan (1162-1212)
Aissi cum selh que baissa? l fuelh
Like to him who bends the leaves
Lo jorn qu'ie? us vi, dompna, primeiramen,
The day I saw you, lady that first time,
Anc mais no m? fo semblan
Never would I have conceived
Bertran de Born (c1140-d. before1215)
Dompna, puois de mi no? us cal
Lady, since you care not at all
Be? m platz lo gais temps de pascor
The joyful springtime pleases me
Ai! Lemozis, francha terra cortesa,
Ah, Limousin! Country free and courtly,
Giraut de Bornelh (c. 1138 - 1215)
Reis glorios, verais lums e clartatz,
Glorious king, true light and clarity,
Peire Raimon de Toulouse (fl.
1180-1220)
De fin'amor son tot mei pensamen
On true love are all my thoughts bent
Anonymous Aubes (12th-13th century)
Quan lo rossinhols escria
While the nightingale sings away
En un vergier sotz fuella d'albespi
In a deep bower under a hawthorn-tree
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,
Gaucelm Faidit (c. 1170 - c. 1202)
Fortz chausa es que tot lo maior dan
A harsh thing it is that brings such harm,
Peire Cardenal (c. 1180-c. 1278)
Vera vergena Maria
Truest Virgin, our Maria
Sordello (fl. 1220-1265)
Planher vuelh En Blacatz en aquest leugier so
I wish to mourn Blacatz, now, in skilful song,
Ai las e que-m fan mei uehls
Alas, what use are my eyes
Guiraut Riquier (c. 1230 - 1292)
Ab plazen
From pleasant
Translator's Introduction
Merry Company
'The Annunciation'
The Book of Hours - c. 1407 The British Library
This personal selection of Occitan poetry is of verse that I feel has true poetic merit, and nothing is included solely for its historic interest. I considered a simple prose or free verse translation of these poems, but to show the Troubadours without their rhyme schemes, their form, seemed to me too great an admission of failure. Form is half their art and crucially their poems were set to music, a large amount of which survives.
Either approach, rhymed or un-rhymed, is of course valid. As always the end result is what counts. I have gone for rhyme and aimed for accuracy of meaning. These translations attempt to stay close to the original text, in rhythm, rhyme-scheme and content. I have given the first lines of the poems, the incipits, as Occitan headings (one only is in Latin), so that a quick search on the Web for the line, remembering to enclose it in double quotes, will usually turn up the original text for those who need to see it.
