Medieval Lyric Poetry and Epic Literature in Spain

Posted on Feb 4, 2025 in Latin

Origins of Lyric Poetry

The origins of lyric poetry surfaced early on in all cultures because they are indicated through feelings. It was composed not only to be recited but also to be sung. It was always accompanied by music and was often sung by troubadours. A main theme was courtly love, which involved the idealization of the beloved, to whom the poet devoted his life to love and praise. This is known as Provençal lyric poetry.

Mozarabic Lyric Poetry

Mozarabic was the language of Christians living in Muslim territory. Jarchas are preserved in this language. These compositions are inserted at the end of short poems called moaxajas. The theme is generally loving and is put into the mouth of a woman.

Galician-Portuguese Lyric Poetry

At the end of the twelfth century, a form of lyric poetry, usually with profane content, emerged. Cantigas de amor are told from the mouth of a man and developed the theme of courtly love. Cantigas de amigo are told from the mouth of a woman who complains about the absence of her friend. Mocking songs deride vices, defects, or persons.

Castilian Lyric Poetry

Castilian lyric poetry arrived through songbooks. Villancicos are strophic poems composed of a chorus and a verse that develops the content, with a theme of love. Serranillas are pastorals derived from Provençal, where the gentleman seeks the love of the shepherdess.

The Epic

Stories in verse called epics recount the exploits of a hero. They arose in Castile in the twelfth century under the influence of the Chanson de Roland.

Features of Epic Poetry

  • Historicist Character: The world is that of warriors, sometimes adorned with superhuman virtues, capable of overcoming all obstacles.
  • The Hero: The hero embodies the fate of his people and the ideas of the feudal class.
  • Structure: Epics are composed of sets of long lines, divided into two hemistiches, separated by a caesura.

Castilian Epic Poetry

  • Cantar de Roncesvalles: From the 13th century, about a hundred verses.
  • Mocedades de Rodrigo: From the 14th century.
  • Cantar de Mio Cid: From the 13th century, almost complete.

Cantar de Mio Cid

Cantar de Mio Cid is the process of glorification of a hero.

Authorship and Date of Composition

A manuscript preserved by Per Abbat indicates that he wrote it in May of MCC[C] years, but there is a gap in the date.

Structure of Cantar de Mio Cid

The poem is divided into three parts:

  1. Cantar del Destierro (Song of Exile): The Cid is banished by the king, but he sends gifts and shows his loyalty.
  2. Cantar de las Bodas (Song of the Weddings): The king pardons the Cid and marries his daughters to the heirs of Carrión.
  3. Cantar de la Afrenta de Corpes (Song of the Outrage of Corpes): The heirs of Carrión show their cowardice and plot their revenge.

Style of Cantar de Mio Cid

  • Epic epithets (adjectives characterizing the heroes)
  • Pleonasm (unneeded items)
  • Appeals to the public (to keep the reader’s attention)
  • Use of particular exclamations, such as “Oh”
  • Suppression of the verb “to say” (for more speed and dynamism)
  • Rhetorical repetition (the same concepts with different words)

The Romance

Romances include little description. Their structure is an exchange, beginning in medias res (the beginning is not known) and ending abruptly. They make use of repetition, interrogations, and exclamations.

Mester de Clerecía

The Mester de Clerecía was composed by clergy with a moral and didactic purpose. It employs the couplet and the cuaderna vía (four-line stanza with a single rhyme).

Gonzalo de Berceo

Gonzalo de Berceo did not intend to be original. His style is easy and popular, trying to indoctrinate as wide an audience as possible. He tends to romanticize, using the cuaderna vía. His most extensive work is Milagros de Nuestra Señora, where men are saved by the Virgin. It has an introduction and twenty-five miracles.

Archpriest of Hita

The most important work of the Archpriest of Hita is the Libro de Buen Amor. Nothing is known about the author except that his name was Juan Ruiz and he was the Archpriest of Hita. It consists of more than 7,000 verses and is somewhat autobiographical. It warns about the dangers of love, using satire, lyric poems, and allegorical stories. It is written in cuaderna vía.