kids encyclopedia robot

Mendinho facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Mendinho, also known as Meendinho, Mendiño, and Meendiño, was a medieval (meaning very old, from the Middle Ages) Iberian poet. He lived a long time ago, possibly in the early 1200s.

We don't know much about Mendinho, only what we can guess from his work. People think he was from Galicia in Spain. This is because his most famous poem talks about the shrine of San Simión, which is on an island called San Simón near Vigo.

Because his name is just "Mendinho" (without a family name or a place name), and because of how he wrote, many believe he was a jogral. A jogral was a type of Minstrel who wasn't from a noble family. They would travel around and perform songs and poems.

Mendinho's work is very old, making him one of the first poets from this time whose poems we still have today.

Mendinho's Famous Song

Mendinho is known for just one poem, called a cantiga de amigo. This is a special type of song where a girl sings about her boyfriend. Mendinho's poem is titled Sedia-m' eu na ermida de San Simion.

Even though he only wrote one poem that we know of, it's one of the most famous from the Galician-Portuguese style of poetry. There are about 1685 poems from this time, and his stands out!

People love his poem because of its beautiful pictures in words, its rhythm, and how it uses repeating ideas and sounds. Some experts say the girl in the poem is afraid of the waves, which might represent her strong feelings.

Legacy and Recognition

In 1998, a special day called Día das Letras Galegas (Galician Letters Day) was held to honor Mendinho. Two other poets, Martín Codax and Xohán de Cangas, were also celebrated that day.

Mendinho's only known poem was even turned into music! A French composer named Alain Oulman created a song from it. He worked often with the famous Portuguese singer Amália Rodrigues.

The poem has also been translated into English. An English version of Sedia-m'eu na ermida... can be found in a long poem called The Tale of Tekarionyoken (2013) by Thomas M. Capuano.

Sedia-m' eu na ermida de San Simión

Here is the poem by Mendinho, with an English translation.


Sedia-m' eu na ermida de San Simion
e cercaron-mi as ondas, que grandes son,
eu atendendo meu amigo.

Estando na ermida ant'o altar,
cercaron-mi as ondas grandes do mar,
eu atendendo meu amigo.

E cercaron-mi as ondas, que grandes son:
non ei i barqueiro, nen remador,
eu atendendo meu amigo.

E cercaron-mi as ondas do alto mar:
non ei i barqueiro, nen sei remar,
eu atendendo meu amigo.

Non ei i barqueiro, nen remador:
e morrerei fremosa no mar maior,
eu atendendo meu amigo.

Non ei i barqueiro, nen sei remar:
e morrerei eu fremosa no alto mar,
eu atendendo meu amigo.

I was sitting at the shrine of San Simeon
And the waves surrounded me, how high they were,
Me waiting for my friend/date.

Sitting at the shrine, before the altar,
The high waves of the sea surrounded me,
Me waiting for my friend/date.

And the waves surrounded me, how high they were:
I have no boatman, nor any one to row,
Me waiting for my friend/date.

And the waves of the high sea surrounded me:
I have no boatman and don’t know how to row,
Me waiting for my friend/date.

I have no boatman, nor anyone to row:
And I’ll die, beautiful me, in the vast sea,
Me waiting for my friend/date.

I have no boatman and don’t know how to row,
And I’ll die, beautiful me, in the sea so vast,
Me waiting for my friend/date.


Images for kids

  • Kids robot

    A robot, representing a kid-friendly encyclopedia.

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Mendinho Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.