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Gavaudan
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I. |
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Senhors, per los nostres peccatz |
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creys la forsa dels Sarrazis: |
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Jherusalem pres Saladis |
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et encaras non es cobratz; |
5 |
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per que manda·l reys de Marroc |
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qu’ab totz los reys de
Crestias |
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se combatra ab sos trefas |
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Andolozitz et Arabitz |
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contra la fe de Crist garnitz. |
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II. |
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Totz los alcavis a mandatz: |
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masmutz, maurs, goitz e barbaris, |
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e no·y reman gras ni mesquis |
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que totz no·ls aya·n ajostatz: |
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anc pus menut ayga non ploc |
15 |
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cum elhs passon e prendo·ls
plas; |
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la caraunhada dels milas |
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geta·ls paysser, coma berbitz, |
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e no·y reman brotz ni razitz. |
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III. |
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Tant an d’erguelh selh qu’a
triatz |
20 |
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qu’els cujo·l mons lur si’aclis; |
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Marroquenas, Marabetis |
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pauzon a mons per mieg los pratz; |
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mest lor gabon: «Franc, faiz
nos loc! |
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Nostr’es Proensa e Tolzas, |
25 |
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entro al Puey totz lo mejas!» |
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Anc tan fers gaps no fon auzitz |
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dels falses cas, ses ley,
marritz. |
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IV. |
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Emperaire, vos o aujatz, |
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e·l reys de Frans’e sos cozis, |
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e·l reys engles, coms peitavis: |
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qu’al rey d’Espanha
secorratz! |
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Que anc mais negus mielhs no poc |
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a servir Dieu esser propdas: |
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ab Luy venseretz totz los cas |
35 |
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cuy Bafometz a escarnitz |
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e·ls renegatz outrasalhitz. |
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V. |
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Jhezus Cristz, que·ns a
prezicatz |
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per que fos bona nostra fis, |
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nos demostra qu’es dregz camis: |
40 |
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qu’ab penedens’er perdonatz |
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lo peccatz que d’Adam se moc. |
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E vol nos far ferms e certas, |
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si·l crezem, qu’ab los
sobiras |
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nos metra, e sara·ns la guitz |
45 |
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sobre·ls fals fellos descauzitz. |
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VI. |
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Non laissem nostras heretatz, |
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pus qu’a la gran fe em assis, |
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a cas negres outramaris; |
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q’usquecx ne sia perpessatz |
50 |
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enans que·l dampnatge nos toc! |
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Portogals, Gallicx, Castellas, |
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Navars, Aragones, Serdas |
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lur avem en barra gequitz |
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qu’els an rahuzatz et aunitz. |
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VII. |
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Quan veyran los baros crozatz, |
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Alamans, Frances, Cambrezis, |
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Engles, Bretos et Angevis, |
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Biarns, Gascos, ab nos mesclatz, |
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e·ls Provensals, totz en un
floc, |
60 |
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saber podetz qu’ab los Espas |
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romprem la preyss’e·l cap e·ls
mas, |
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tro·ls ajam mortz totz e delitz; |
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pueys er mest nos totz l’aurs
partitz. |
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VIII. |
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Profeta sera·n Gavaudas |
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que·l digz er faitz. E mortz
als cas! |
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E Dieus er honratz e servitz |
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on Bafometz era grazitz. |
English translation [LP]
I. Lords, because of our sins the
Saracens’ strength increases: Saladin captured Jerusalem and it is still not
reconquered. As a consequence the king of Morocco makes known that he will fight
all the kings of Christendom, with his perfidious Andalusians and Arabs armed
against the faith of Christ.
II. He has summoned all his lieutenants, Masmudes, Moors, Goths and Berbers, and
there remains not one, fat or thin, which he will fail to line up in his army.
Never was rainfall so dense as they are when they pass through and take the
plains; he throws them carcasses to graze on that have been left for the
vultures, as if they were sheep, and [when they have passed by] not a shoot or
root remains.
III. Those he has hand-picked are so arrogant that they think the world is
subject to them; masses of Moroccans and Marabouts take rest in the fields
and boast among themselves: ‘Franks, make way for us! Provence and the
Toulousain are ours, and all the land to Le Puy!’ You never heard a more
terrifying threat than that of these false cursed pagan dogs.
IV. Emperor, hear this, and you, the King of France, and you, his cousin, and
the English king, the Count of Poitou: come and assist the King of Spain! For
never could anyone be more close at hand to serve God: with His assistance you
will vanquish all the curs that Mohammed has deceived, and the renegades who
have gone over to his side.
V. Jesus Christ, who has preached to us so that our end should be a good one,
shows us which is the right path: for the sin that came from Adam will be
pardoned with penitence. And He wants to make us sure and certain that if we
believe in Him He will place us with the elect, and He will be our guide there
against the false vile traitors.
VI. Let us not abandon our patrimony, since we are established in the great
faith, to black dogs from overseas: let each man think on this before the damage
touches us! Men of Portugal, Galicia, Castile, Navarre, Aragon and Cerdagne we
have thrown against them as a barrier, but they have routed and humiliated them.
VII. When they see the barons who have taken the Cross, the Germans, French,
Cambresians, English, Bretons and Angevins, men of Bearn and Gascony, united
with us, and the Provençals, in a great multitude, then you can be certain that
with the Spaniards we shall smash the rabble, and the head and hands [of the
enemy], until we have killed and destroyed them all; then all the gold will be
divided up among us.
VIII. Gavaudan will be a prophet: what he has said will be done. Death to the
dogs! And God will be honoured and served where Mohammed used to be worshipped.
Italian
translation [SG]
I. Signori, per i nostri peccati cresce la
forza dei Saraceni: Saladino ha preso Gerusalemme ed essa non è stata ancora
riconquistata; ed ecco che il re del Marocco fa sapere che si batterà contro
tutti i re cristiani assieme ai suoi perfidi Andalusi e Arabi armati contro la
fede di Cristo.
II. Ha mandato a chiamare tutti i suoi luogotenenti, masmudi, mori, goti e
berberi, e non c’è nessuno, pingue o mingherlino, che non sia stato incluso nei
ranghi: mai pioggia venne giù più fitta di quanto siano essi quando passano
ricoprendo le pianure; egli (il re del Marocco ) spinge al pascolo come pecore
queste orde, carogna per gli avvoltoi, e (dopo il loro passaggio) non resta filo
d’erba né radice.
III. Sono cosi pieni d’albagia quelli che egli ha convocato che credono d’essere
i padroni del mondo; Marocchini e Marabutti sostano a mucchi in mezzo ai prati e
fra di loro dicono irridendo: «Franchi, fateci largo! Nostra è la Provenza e la
regione attorno a Tolosa e tutta la terra che si estende fino a Puy!». Mai cosi
terribile minaccia era stata udita da parte di questi perfidi cani, infedeli,
degni di sprezzo.
IV. Ascoltate, imperatore, e voi, re di Francia, e voi, suo cugino, e voi, re
d’Inghilterra, conte di Poitiers: correte in soccorso del re di Spagna! Nessuno
ebbe mai migliore occasione di servire Dio: con la Sua assistenza vincerete
tutti i cani che Maometto ha abbindolato e i rinnegati che son passati dalla
loro parte.
V. Gesù Cristo, che ha voluto illuminarci con la Sua parola perché la nostra
fine fosse buona, ci mostra qual è la giusta via: con la penitenza sarà
perdonato il peccato che comincio da Adamo. E desidera assicurarci fermamente
che, se abbiamo fede in Lui, ci collocherà tra gli eletti e sarà laggiù nostra
guida contro i perfidi scellerati infedeli.
VI. Non lasciamo i nostri beni, dal momento che siamo sostenuti dalla grande
fede, ai cani neri d’oltremare: che ciascuno ci rifletta, prima che il danno ci
colpisca! Portoghesi, Galleghi, Castigliani, Navarrini, Aragonesi, Seritani,
abbiamo loro opposto come barriera, ma essi li hanno respinti e umiliati.
VII. Quando vedranno i baroni crociati, Alemanni, Francesi, Cambresini, Inglesi,
Bretoni, Angioini, Bearnesi, Guasconi, uniti a noi, coi Provenzali, tutti in un
imponente stuolo, allora, potete essere certi, assieme agli Spagnoli, fenderemo
la calca e la testa (degli invasori) e le mani, fino ad ucciderli tutti e a
sterminarli; e poi sarà diviso tra noi tutto il loro oro.
VIII. Gavaudan sarà profeta: ciò che ha predetto si avvererà. E morte ai cani! E
Dio sarà onorato e servito là dove Maometto era adorato.
Text: Guida 1979 (V). –
Rialto 4.xii.2013.
Notes:
Gavaudan’s song was composed immediately after
the Christian defeat at Alarcos (July 1195), when the Almohad caliph
Abu Yusuf Ya ’qub al-Mansur was pressing towards areas of northern
Spain which had hitherto long been beyond the reach of the Arabs,
traditionally considered to be an impregnable bastion of the
western world, and from where he was threatening to move on towards
Proensa e Tolzas. It is clear from stanza VII that Gavaudan
created his crusade song in lands subject to the count of Toulouse,
since the ethnic-political group to which the troubadour felt
himself to belong, as he imagined the contingents of the other
European regions ab nos mesclatz in common opposition to the
Arabs, must be identified with Raimon VI’s subjects. –
Line 3: Jerusalem fell to Saladin on 2 October 1187. –
Line 5: the Almohad caliphs proclaimed themselves rulers not only of
Morocco but of all Ifriqiya and al-Andalus. – Line
11: Masmudes were a Berber tribe of the Almohade
dynasty. – Line 28: Holy Roman Emperor
Henry VI (see Guida’s edition, pp. 51-52). – Line
29: King Philip Augustus and Count Raymond VI of
Toulouse (see Guida’s edition, pp. 52-53). – Line
30: Richard the Lionheart. – Line 44:
la indicates that Gavaudan was not in Spain when he composed
this song.
[LP, lb]

BdT
Gavaudan
174.10
Songs referring to the crusades |