An Anthology of Ancient and Medieval Woman’s Song

Cover......Page 1
Contents......Page 6
Preface......Page 14
Preparation of the Texts and Translations......Page 16
Introduction......Page 18
1 Ancient Greece......Page 34
Alcman: 26—A Partheneion or Maidens’ Song......Page 35
Sappho: 1—Hymn to Aphrodite......Page 36
Sappho: 31—“I think he’s equal to the gods”......Page 37
Sappho: 102—“Sweet mother, I cannot ply the loom”......Page 38
Aristophanes: Ecclesiazusae (“Women at the Assembly”) 952a–68b......Page 39
Euripides: Medea 465–519......Page 40
Euripides: The Trojan Women 657–83......Page 43
Theocritus: Idyll 18 (Epithalamion for Helen) 9–58......Page 44
Anonymous: The Locrian Song......Page 46
2 Ancient Rome......Page 48
Catullus: Carmina 64.124–201—Lament of Ariadne......Page 49
Virgil: Aeneid 4.305–30, 365–87—Two laments of Dido......Page 52
Sulpicia: Carmina Tibulli 3.13–18—Six love poems......Page 54
Ovid: Heroides 10.1–36, 59–74, 145–50—Lament of Ariadne......Page 56
Ovid?: Heroides 15, (Epistula Sapphus) 1–20, 123–34, 157–72, 195–220—Lament of Sappho......Page 58
Anonymous: Créde’s Lament for Cáel......Page 62
Anonymous: Wulf and Eadwacer......Page 66
Anonymous: The Wife’s Lament......Page 67
Anonymous: Guđrúnarkviđa in fyrsta (“The First Lay of Guthrun”)......Page 70
6 Early Medieval Spain......Page 74
Wallada: A-la hal la-na min ba‘di hadha l-tafarruqi—“Is there no way for us to meet again after our parting?”......Page 75
Ibn Labbun and al-Khabbaz al-Mursi: Ya mamma, mio al-habibi—“Oh mother, my lover is going”......Page 76
Yehuda Halevi, Ibn Ruhaym, and Ibn Baqi: Non me tanqesh, ya habibi—“Don’t touch me, oh my lover”......Page 77
Ibn al-Sayrafi: Bokella al-‘iqdi—“Mouth of pearls”......Page 78
Anonymous: Amanu, ya habibi—“Mercy, my lover!”......Page 79
Occitan (Provençal)......Page 80
Marcabru: A la fontana del vergier—“At the spring in the orchard”......Page 81
Marcabru: L’autrier jost’una sebissa—“The other day, by a hedgerow”......Page 82
Comtessa de Dia: Ab ioi et ab ioven m’apais—“I feed on joy and youth”......Page 84
Comtessa de Dia: A chantar m’er de so q’ieu no volria—“It’s my task to sing of what I would not wish”......Page 85
Comtessa de Dia: Estat ai en greu cossirier—“I have been in sore distress”......Page 86
Raimbaut d’Aurenga and a Lady: Amics, en gran cosirier—“Friend, I’m in great distress”......Page 87
Castelloza: Mout avetz faich lonc estatge—“Long is the time you’ve been away”......Page 88
Anonymous: En un vergier sotz fuella d’albespi—“In an orchard, under the leaves of a hawthorn tree”......Page 90
Anonymous: Quant lo gilos er fora—“When that jealous man’s away”......Page 91
Anonymous: Quan vei los praz verdesir—“When I see the fields grow green”......Page 92
Anonymous: A l’entrade del tens clar—“At the beginning of the fair season”......Page 93
Northern French......Page 94
Richard de Semilly: L’autrier tout seus chevauchoie mon chemin—“I was riding all alone the other day”......Page 95
Anonymous: Bele Yolanz en chambre koie—“Fair Yolande, quiet in her chamber”......Page 96
Anonymous: Quant vient en mai, que l’on dit as lons jors (Bele Erembors)—“When it befalls in May, called the time of long days”......Page 97
Anonymous: Jherusalem, grant damage me fais—“Jerusalem, you do me great injury”......Page 98
Adam de la Halle: Fi, maris, de vostre amour—“Fie, husband, on your love”......Page 99
Anonymous: Por coi me bait mes maris—“Why does my husband beat poor wretched me”......Page 100
Anonymous: Entre moi et mon amin—“My lover and I”......Page 101
Eustache Deschamps: Il me semble, a mon avis Sui je, sui je, sui je belle?—“In my opinion, it seems to me”......Page 102
Christine de Pizan: Seulete sui et seulete vueil estre—“Alone I am and alone wish to be”......Page 104
Christine de Pizan: Doulce chose est que mariage—“Marriage is a sweet thing”......Page 105
Anonymous: Plangit nonna, fletibus—“A nun is crying”......Page 106
Anonymous: Levis exsurgit zephirus (Carmina Cantabrigiensia 40)—“The light breeze rises”......Page 108
Anonymous: Veni, dilectissime (Carmina Cantabrigiensia 49)—“Come, sweetheart”......Page 109
Anonymous: Huc usque, me miseram (Carmina Burana 126)—“Until now, poor wretched me”......Page 110
Anonymous: Floret silva nobilis (Carmina Burana 149)—“The fine wood is blooming”......Page 111
Anonymous: Ich was ein chint so wolgetan (Carmina Burana 185)—“I was such a lovely girl”......Page 112
Anonymous: Dû bist mîn, ich bin dîn—“I am all yours, you all mine”......Page 114
Anonymous: Chume, chume, geselle min (Carmina Burana 174A)—“Come, my love, come to me”......Page 115
Der von Kürenberg: Ich zôch mir einem valken—“I trained me a falcon”......Page 116
Hartmann von Aue: Diz waeren wunneclîche tage—“These would be delightful days”......Page 117
Reinmar der Alte: War kan iuwer schoener lîp?—“Where has your beauty gone?”......Page 118
Reinmar der Alte: Zuo niuwen vröuden stât mîn muot—“With prospect of new joys, my heart”......Page 119
Wolfram von Eschenbach: Sîne klâwen durch die wolken sint geslagen—“Its claws tear through the clouds”......Page 120
Walther von der Vogelweide: Under der linden—“Under the linden”......Page 121
Otto von Botenlauben: Waere Kristes lôn niht alsô süeze—“Were Christ’s reward not so sweet”......Page 122
Neidhart: Der meie der ist rîche (Sommerlied 2)—“May is mighty”......Page 123
King Frederick II of Sicily: Dolze meo drudo, eh! vatène?—“My sweet love, are you leaving?”......Page 126
Rinaldo d’Aquino: Ormai quando flore—“Now, when things are in bloom”......Page 127
Anonymous: Compiangomi, laimento e di cor doglio—“I lament, bewail, and grieve from my heart”......Page 128
Anonymous: Tapina in me, c’amava uno sparvero!—“Alas for me! I loved a hawk”......Page 129
La Compiuta Donzella: A la stagion che ’l mondo foglia e fiora—“In the season when the world puts out leaves and flowers”......Page 130
Anonymous: Mamma, lo temp’è venuto—“Mother, the time has come”......Page 131
Anonymous: Pàrtite, amore, adeo—“Leave me, my love, adieu”......Page 132
Martin Codax: Ondas do mar de Vigo—“Waves of the Bay of Vigo”......Page 134
Nuno Fernandes Torneol: Levad’, amigo, que dormides as manhanas frias—“Rise, my friend, sleeping in the chill morning”......Page 135
Nuno Fernandes Torneol: Vi eu, mia madr’, andar—“I saw the ships going, mother”......Page 136
Martin de Ginzo: Treides, ai mia madr’, en romaria—“Come, my mother, on pilgrimage”......Page 137
Pero Meogo: Digades, filha, mia filha velida—“Tell me, daughter, my lovely daughter”......Page 138
Airas Nunez: Oí oj’eu ûa pastor cantar—“Today I heard a shepherdess singing”......Page 139
Airas Nunez: Bailemos nós ja todas tres, ai amigas—“Let us dance now, friends, all three”......Page 140
King Denis of Portugal: Ai flores, ai flores do verde pino—“Oh flowers, oh flowers of the green pine”......Page 141
Castilian......Page 142
Anonymous: Agora que soy niña—“Now, while I’m young”......Page 143
Anonymous: No pueden dormir mis ojos—“My eyes can’t sleep”......Page 144
Anonymous: So ell enzina, enzina—“Under the oak-tree, oak-tree”......Page 145
Anonymous: Niña y viña—“A girl and a vine”......Page 146
Anonymous: Al alva venid, buen amigo—“Come at dawn, good friend”......Page 147
Anonymous: Si la noche hace escura—“If the night is dark”......Page 148
Anonymous: Now springes the spray—“Now springs the budding spray”......Page 150
Anonymous: Wolde God that hyt were so—“Would God that it were so”......Page 151
Anonymous: Rybbe ne rele ne spynne yc ne may—“I cannot scrape, wind, nor spin”......Page 152
Anonymous: Alas, alas, the wyle!—“Alas, alas, the time”......Page 154
Anonymous: A, dere God, what I am fayn—“Ah, dear God, how worthless I am”......Page 156
Anonymous: I have forsworne hit whil I live—“I have forsworn it while I live”......Page 157
Anonymous: Kyrie, so kyrie—“Kyrie, kyrie”......Page 158
Anonymous: Hey noyney!—“Hey nonny!”......Page 159
Anonymous: I pray yow, cum kyss me—“I pray you, come kiss me”......Page 160
Textual Notes......Page 164
Works Cited......Page 192
A......Page 202
C......Page 203
F......Page 205
H......Page 206
K......Page 207
M......Page 208
P......Page 210
S......Page 211
T......Page 212
Z......Page 213