129.2(Paterson)

En Gui, digaz la qal penriaz vos, [Eble]
e non mentaz—si tot vos faiz feignenz:
capa de pers un mes denant Avenz
e granz osas afaitadas ab ros
tro a kalenda maia,
o tot l’estiu dona cortesa e gaia,
bella de cors, humil, de bona fe,
e tot’aital cum a fin drut cove.

II.

N’Ebles, ges eu no son aitals cum vos [Gui]
qe·m teigna dan freichs ni ploia ni venz,
qe fin’amors m’en deffent e jovenz
qe m’art lo cor aissi totas sazos
q’a pauc no vau ses braia!
E de domna no cuidez q’eu m’estraia,
e la capa lais a vos cui cove,
e·ill domna sai qe no·us faria re.

Text

Edition and notes: Linda Paterson. – Rialto 3.xii.2011.

Mss.

Da 210v.

Critical Editions / Other Editions

Critical editions: François-Just-Marie Raynouard, Choix de poésies originales des troubadours, 6 vols., Paris 1816-1821, vol. V, p. 139 (lines 1-6); Ludwig Selbach, Das Streitgedicht in der altprovenzalischen Lyrik und sein Verhältniss zu ähnlichen Dichtungen anderer Literaturen, Marburg 1886, p. 103; Salvatore Santangelo, Poesie di Gui d’Uisel, Catania 1909, p. 23; Henry Carstens, Die Tenzonen dem Kreise der Trobadors Gui, Eble, Elias und Peire d’Uisel, Königsberg 1914, p. 63; Linda Paterson, Rialto 3.xii.2011.

Other editions: Jean Audiau, Les Poésies des quatre troubadours d’Ussel, Paris 1922, p. 76 (on Carstens); Léon Billet, Généalogie de la famille d’Ussel. Les quatre troubadours d’Ussel, leur biographie et celle de la maison d’Ussel, Egletons 1982, p. 222 (on Audiau).

Metrics and music

Versification: a10 b10 b10 a10 c6’ c10’ d10 d10 (Frank, 577:159); two coblas unissonans. The versification is similar in all respects to that of six other pieces imitating that of a canso of Pons de Capdoill (BdT 375.10).

General info

This brief piece is inspired by a ‘question dilémmatique’, and may be incomplete, as there is hardly a debate developed here. Gui d’Uisel, who was probably a canon, is documented in 1195 only, and his brother Eble in 1190, 1195, and before 1233. Gui’s mala canso (BdT 194.19) seems to date from shortly after 1196 (Audiau, Les Poésies, pp. 9-17; Martín de Riquer, Los trovadores. Historia literaria y textos, 3 voll., Barcelona 1975, vol. II, pp. 1009-10).

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