Medieval trash talk
Of Kings and Rappers
“Rockstars of the Middle Ages,” a modern song by Francis Cabrel.
As I mentioned recently, I had a chance to attend the Boston Early Music Festival. One event caught my attention: A Gallery of Kings: Uses and Abuses of Power, ca. 1300. Hm…sounds timely for today, and timely for this substack! The program is (was) chock full of Troubadour-era hits, including many you’ve probably heard in one our posts.
The event was organized into sections: The King is Dead - Long Live the King!, Of Penitential Kings, Of Abusive Kings, Amour, Of Courageous Kings, and Here My Song Ends. The program was constructed by Anne Azéma, the director of The Boston Camerata, who performed (and sang, and played the hurdy-gurdy!). At the conclusion, she spoke briefly about the program. There was no doubt a political edge to a program about “kings” given recent events, especially here in the United States. But refreshingly, her message was positive and optimistic: as we listen to songs from a thousand years ago about good and bad kings, we should be optimistic, and encouraged, because here we are a thousand years later, still listening, and arguably in a far better state than then, a sort of “this too shall pass” message. The audience applause indicated they appreciated her message. I certainly did, for she said in different words one of the reasons I study this period—for the light it sheds on today.
Ok, but back to trash talk.
The troubadours were the rock stars of their age. We’ve covered them so I won’t spend time on generalities, but they were (usually) nobility, typically (but not always) male, but almost always well-known in their culture. They also did not hesitate to call people out. Think of them as the Eminem of their age.
Many of the songs in the program were in this vein. It was wonderful to hear Richard the Lionheart’s song Ja Nus Hons Pris performed live. He wrote it from prison, awaiting his ransom after being captured returning from Crusade, and the song made its way across Europe. And he called out the people he thought were betraying him:
Companions whom I love, and still do love,
Geoffroi du Perche and Ansel de Caieux,
Tell them, my song, that they are friends untrue.
Never to them did I false-hearted prove;
But they do villainy if they war on me, —
While I lie here, unfree.
Tamely phrased, but the knife is there. A few more excerpts from the program give you the flavor.
King Mark, miserable old and frail,
Unable to do anything well,
You are like a mutt
Looking to pick a fight with a lion:
— Tant me sui de dire teu, Anonymous 13th century
Count Thibault, all inflamed
By passion, robed in crime,
You haven't garnered fame
For great chivalric deeds.
You're better suited, Count and King,
Old, filthy, swollen as you seem,
To study medicine; you'd bring
Your symptoms with you, every stain.
— En talent ai ke je die, Hue de la Ferté, ~1220
The King Rudolf loves God and is always sincere:
The King Rudolf stays away from all kinds of shame.
(blah blah blah)…
I do not doubt that he has a charitable heart:
He gladly listens to singing, fiddling and poetry-but gives nothing in exchange!
Artless nobility ends up with artless subjects
This is the result of small gifts.
Why should they be thanked? Why should one sing their praise?
Gift of beer perhaps? But that is praise without honor.
The nobility usually gladly enjoys singing and vielle playing, but for these people when in need, there is little money.
— Der kuninc Rodolp, Der Unverzagte, late 13th century
Translations from the program, and are by Peter Ricketts, Henry Adams, Peter Dronke, Kathleen Kulp-Hill, Samuel Rosenberg, Anne Azéma, and Anonymous.
The Camerata also performed Bertran de Born’s Bel m’es, quan vei chanjar lo senhoratge, a pointed song from de Born designed to spur Richard on to knightly prowess.
A man is young when he risks everything he has
…
A man is old when he won’t risk a thing,
and he hoards up grain and wine and bacon.
…
Arnaut the joglar, carry my sirventes both old and new to Richard, that it may
guide him; he should not try to pile up old treasure,
for with young treasure he can win merit.
This song closes with instructions for an “Arnaut” to carry this song to Richard. You can find an echo of this in my story The War Without Love, where Bertran directs his servant to address Richard. Bertran was not above “poking the bear.” In the song Molt m'es dissendre car co, he goes after Richard:
Since Count Richard wants
Benauges here by Bordeaux
more than Cognat or Mirebeau
or Chastres or Saint-Jean,
he is unlikely to recover Boutavant and
make its lord
wet his pants for fear.
I think Merlin's playing tricks on him!
and goes after Richard’s ally Alfonso:
The Aragonese lament,
as do the Catalans and the people of Urgel,
because they have no one to lead them
but a loose and lanky lord
who glorifies himself in song
and prefers pennies to honor.
He hanged his ancestor,
so he destroys himself and damns himself to hell.
The translations of de Born are from The Poems of the Troubadour Bertran de Born, edited by William D. Paden,Jr., Tilde Sankovitch, and Patricia H. Stäblein.
The performance also included a reading of a few of the letters between Richard and Saladin during the Third Crusade. They are fascinating, and I plan to cover them in our next installment!
