Giraut de Bornelh

Giraut de Bornelh, Guiraut de Bornelh, or Giraut de Borneil (c. 1138–1215) was a Limousin poet and songwriter, considered by many in his own time and in ours to be the most accomplished of the troubadours.

Quotes

• Be·l saupra plus cobert far!
  Mas non a chans pretz enter,
  Can tuch no·n son parsoner.
  • I could easily make it more obscure, but a song's merit is not complete when all are not partners in it.
  • "A penas sai comensar", line 9; translation from Alan R. Press Anthology of Troubadour Lyric Poetry (1971) p. 129.

• Qu'eu cut c'atretan grans sens
  Es, qui sap razo gardar,
  Com los motz entrebeschar.
  • For I think that it's just as much good sense, if one can keep to the point, as to twist my words round each other.
  • "A penas sai comensar", line 19; translation from Alan R. Press Anthology of Troubadour Lyric Poetry (1971) p. 129.

• Bel companho, en chantan vos apel!
  No dormatz plus, qu'eu auch chantar l'auzel
  Que vai queren lo jorn per lo boschatge
  Et ai paor que.l gilos vos assatge
  Et ades sera l'alba.
  • Fair friend, in singing I call you:
    Sleep no longer, for I hear the bird sing
    Who goes seeking day through the wood
    And I fear that the jealous one will attack you,
    And soon it will be dawn!
  • "Reis glorios", line 11; translation from Gale Sigal Erotic Dawn-Songs of the Middle Ages (1996) p. 148.

• Bel dous companh, tan sui en ric sojorn
  Qu'eu no volgra mais fos l'alba ni jorn,
  Car la gensor que anc nasques de maire
  Tenc et abras, per qu'eu non prezi gaire
  Lo fol gilos ni l'alba.
  • Fair, gentle friend, I’ve found so dear a home
    I wish that dawn might never come again;
    The loveliest lady ever born of woman
    Lies in my arms, and I care not a straw
    For jealous fool or dawn!
  • "Reis glorios", line 31; translation from Peter Dronke The Medieval Lyric (1996) p. 176.

Criticism

• E fo meiller trobaire que negus d'aquels qu'eron estat denan ni foron après lui; per que fo apellatz maestre dels trobadors, et es ancar per totz aquels que ben entendon subtils ditz ni ben pauzatz d'amor e de sen.
  • He was the best troubadour of those who lived before him or came after him, and for that reason was called the master of the troubadours, a title which is still applied to him in the opinion of those who know something about poetry and love.
  • Anonymous 13th century Provençal biographer of Guiraut de Bornelh, cited from H. J. Chaytor The Troubadours of Dante (1902) pp. 29-30; translation from The Catholic Encyclopedia (1909) vol. 6. [1]

External links

• Texts of Giraut de Bornelh's songs in Occitan.
• Selected poems of Giraut de Bornelh in English.
• More poems of Giraut de Bornelh in translation.