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Azalais de Porcairagues facts for kids

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Azalaïs de Porcairagues - BN MS12473 1
Azalais from a 13th-century chansonnier (a book of songs).

Azalais de Porcairagues was a talented female poet from the late 1100s. She wrote songs and poems in Occitan, an old language spoken in parts of southern France. Women poets like Azalais were called trobairitz.

The Life of Azalais

Most of what we know about Azalais comes from a short biography called a vida. This vida tells us she was from the area around Montpellier, France. She was well-educated and came from a noble family.

Azalais was in love with a man named Gui Guerrejat. He was the brother of William VII of Montpellier. The vida says she wrote many wonderful songs about Gui. This probably means the one poem we know from her was written for him.

Gui Guerrejat became sick in 1178 and passed away that same year. We do not know the exact years Azalais was born or died. Her name suggests she came from the village of Portiragnes. This village is near Béziers and Montpellier. It was close to the lands owned by Gui and his family.

Her Poetry

Only one poem written by Azalais has survived to this day. It is a simple and emotional poem. The poem is usually printed with 52 lines. However, the words can be slightly different in various old manuscripts. This suggests the poem might not have been written down right away.

Sadly, no music for her poem has survived. The poem mentions the death of Raimbaut of Orange in 1173. This means the poem might have been written before that date and then changed later. The end of the poem seems to mention Ermengarde of Narbonne. She was a famous supporter of troubadour poets.

Azalais's poem also seems to be part of a larger discussion among poets. This discussion was about whether a lady was dishonored by loving a richer man. Other famous poets like Raimbaut of Orange and Guilhem de Saint-Leidier also wrote about this topic.

Excerpt

Ar em al freg temps vengut
quel gels el neus e la fainga
el aucellet estan mut,
c'us de chanter non s'afrainga;
Now we are come to the cold time
when the ice and the snow and the mud
and the little birds are mute
(for not one inclines to sing);

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Azalaís de Porcairagues para niños

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