Lark in the Morning: The Verses of the Troubadours: A Bilingual Edition » (1)

Robert Kehew is an independent scholar, translator, and troubadour enthusiast.

Although the troubadours flourished at the height of the Middle Ages in southern France, their songs of romantic love, with pleasing melodies and intricate stanzaic patterns, have inspired poets and song writers ever since, from Dante to Chaucer, from Renaissance sonneteers to the Romantics, and from Verlaine and Rimbaud to modern rock lyricists. Yet despite the incontrovertible influence of the troubadours on the development of both poetry and music in the West, there existed no comprehensive anthology of troubadour lyrics that respected the verse form of the originals until now.

Lark in the Morning honors the meter, word play, punning, and sound effects in the troubadours' works while celebrating the often playful, bawdy, and biting nature of the material. Here, Robert Kehew augments his own verse translations with those of two seminal twentieth-century poets—Ezra Pound and W. D. Snodgrass—to provide a collection that captures both the poetic pyrotechnics of the original verse and the astonishing variety of troubadour voices. This bilingual edition contains an introduction to the three major periods of the troubadours—their beginning, rise, and decline—as well as headnotes that briefly put each poet in context. Lark in the Morning will become an essential collection for those interested in learning about and teaching the origins of Western vernacular poetry.

Medieval Review

"This is an important book. . . . It is a handsomely produced and illustrated selection, in paperback, of some of the most important lyrics composed between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. . . . [It] is likely to generate a new wave of interest, among undergraduates and the general reader especially, in the emotional vitality and rhetorical freshness of a group of poets who . . . influenced profoundly not only medieval poets such as Dante and Chaucer, but English and French Romanticism and even, distantly, rock lyricists. . . . A valuable book: a useful and stimulating introduction to a poetic tradition undergraduate students and the general reader might otherwise neglect."—Michael P. Kuczynski, Medieval Review

— Michael P. Kuczynski

Preface Introduction
Part 1: Dawn of a New Age
 
Guillem de Peiteus Ab la dolchor del temps novel / A New Song for New Days Farai un vers de dreyt nien / The Nothing Song Farai un vers, pos mi somelh / The Ladies with the Cat

Cercamon Quant l'aura doussa s'amarzis / When the Sweet Air Goes Bitter

Marcabru A la fontana del vergier / By the Bank L'autrier jost' una sebissa / The Peasant Lassie Pax in nomine Domini! / The Cleansing Place

Jaufre Rudel Lanquan li jorn / A Love Afar Quan lo rossinhol el fulhos / The Nightingale

Part 2: Zenith of the Troubadours

Bernart de Ventadorn Can vei la lauzeta mover / The Skylark Can l'erba fresch' / When Tender Grass and Leaves Appear Pois preyatz me, senhor / You've Asked, My Lords, for Song Lancan vei la folha / Now the Birds Are Leaving Be m'an perdut lai enves Ventadorn / Farewell to Ventadorn Non es meravelha s'eu chan / No Marvel If My Song's the Best

Peire d'Alvernhe Rossinhol, el seu repaire / Nightengale, for Me Take Flight Deiosta ls breus iorns e ls loncs sers / When Days Grow Short and Night Advances

Raimbaut d'Aurenga Er resplan la flors enversa / Splendid Are the Flowers Reversed Escotatz, mas no say que s'es / Beg Pardon, Lords

Guiraut de Bornelh Reis glorios / Day's Glorious Lord Can lo freitz e l glatz e la neus / When the Ice and Cold and Snow Retreat

Peire Bremon lo Tort En abril, quan vey verdeyar / From Syria

Bertran de Born Be m platz lo gais temps de pascor / A War Song Un sirventes on motz no falh / Quarrels Where Words Don't Miss Fire Domna, puois de me no us chal / Lady, Since You Care Nothing for Me Ieu m'escondisc, domna, que mal no mier / He Protests His Innocence to a Lady Belh m'es, quan vey camjar lo senhoratge / The Secret to Staying Young Si tuit li dol e il plor e il marrimen / Planh for the Young English King

Comtessa de Dia Estat ai en greu cossirier / Cruel Are the Pains I've Suffered A chantar m'er de so q'ieu no volria / I'm Forced to Sing

Maria de Ventadorn and Gui d'Ussel Gui d'Ussel be m pesa de vos / When a Lady Loves

Monge de Montaudon Mout me platz deportz e gaieza / What I Like Be m'enueia, s'o auzes dire / What I Don't Like

Arnaut Daniel Chansson do il mot son plan e prim / I'll Make a Song Autet e bas entrels prims fuoills / Now High and Low, Where Leaves Renew Doutz brais e critz / Sweet Cries and Cracks Can chai la fueilla / When Sere Leaf Falleth L'aura amara / The Bitter Air En cest sonet coind'e leri / Canzon: Of the Trades and Love

Arnaut de Marueill Si m destreignetz, dompna, vos et Amors / Lady, by You and Love I Am So Swayed Belh m'es quan lo vens m'alena / Fair Is It to Me

Gaucelm Faidit Del gran golfe de mar / From the Depths of the Sea

Peire Vidal Pos tornatz sui en Proensa / To Provence I Can Return Now Ab l'alen tir vas me l'aire / The Song of Breath

Peirol Atressi co l signes fai / Even as the Swan

Raimbaut de Vaqueiras Kalenda maya / May Day

Guillem de Cabestanh Lo jorn qu'ie us vi, dompna, primeiramen / That Day, My Lady, When I First Discovered That You Exist

Part 3: Destruction of the Southern Courts Folquet de Marseilla Tant m'abellis l'amoros pessamens / So Pleasureth Me the Amorous Thought

Peire Cardenal Una ciutatz fo, no sai cals / There Was a Town Ar me puesc ieu lauzar d'Amor / I Dare to Claim, Now, Love Cannot Un sirventes novel vueill comensar / A New Protest Song

Guillem Figueira D'un sirventes far en est son que m'agenssa / Rome, Where Goodness Declines

Sordel Planher vuelh En Blacatz en aquest leugier so / I Want to Mourn Blacatz

Guillelma de Rosers and Lanfranc Cigala Na Guillelma, maunt cavalier arratge / Which of the Two Behaved Most Fittingly?

Guiraut Riquier Be m degra de chantar tener / It Would Be Best If I Refrained from Singing

Appendix: Alternate Translations Cercamon When the Soft Wind Turns Bitter (Quant l'aura doussa s'amarzis)
Folquet de Marseilla So Much Does the Anxiety of Love Please Me
(Tant m'abellis l'amoros pessamens)

Notes Acknowledgments Bibliography Index of First Lines and Titles