Medieval Spanish Lyric and Epic: From Troubadours to El Cid
Medieval Spanish Lyric Poetry
Provençal Lyric Influence
This poetry was composed to be sung, always accompanied by music, and was performed by poets known as troubadours. Originating in the south of France, this courtly lyric, written in Provençal with elaborate artistic intention, primarily focuses on the theme of courtly love. This involved the idealization of the beloved, establishing a code where the poet dedicated his life to loving and praising a woman who often did not belong to him and might treat him with contempt, causing pain. This lyric poetry is known as Provençal lyric.
Mozarabic Lyric: The Jarchas
Mozarabic was the language spoken by Christians living in Muslim territory. Preserved in this language are the jarchas, short compositions inserted at the end of longer cultured poems called moaxajas, written in Arabic or Hebrew. The theme generally involves a woman lamenting the absence of her lover.
Galician-Portuguese Lyric: Cantigas
The main forms include three types of cantigas (songs):
- Cantigas de amor (songs of love): Sung by a man, developing the theme of courtly love.
- Cantigas de amigo (songs of a friend): A woman laments the absence of her beloved.
- Cantigas de escárnio e maldizer (songs of scorn and mockery): Satirize vices, defects, or individuals.
Early Castilian Lyric
The most representative forms are the villancicos (carols), which are strophic poems composed of a refrain (estribillo) and stanzas (glosas) that develop the refrain’s theme, often love. Also notable are the serranillas, poems depicting encounters between a knight and a shepherdess in the mountains of Castile.
Lyric Narrative: The Epic
The performance of these works often fell to the juglares (minstrels) as part of the mester de juglaría (ministry of minstrelsy). They entertained and informed the public in exchange for money, shelter, or food. Epic poems, recounting such stories, appeared in Castile in the 12th century.
Characteristics of the Epic Poem
An epic poem is a narrative verse recounting the heroic exploits of a central figure. The hero is often depicted as a figure unjustly treated by a section of society, whose exploits lead to a triumphant return and restoration of honor. The hero often embodies the values and destiny of their people. These compositions typically consist of long series of verses, usually 14 to 16 syllables, divided into two half-lines (hemistichs) by a pause called a caesura. They use assonance rhyme, which is maintained consistently within a thematic unit or laisse (tirada), though the length of the laisse varies.
El Cantar de Mio Cid
El Cantar de Mio Cid chronicles the glorification of the hero Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar. It narrates how King Alfonso VI stripped him of his property and banished him from Castile, and how El Cid regained his honor through his valiant actions.
Character of El Cid
His personality is characterized by:
- Loyalty to the King: Despite his exile, El Cid remains faithful and loyal to King Alfonso VI.
- Concern for Honor: He seeks to restore and increase his honor, culminating in his daughters marrying the heirs (infantes) of Navarre and Aragon.
- Personal Effort and Faith: His success is attributed to his own efforts and strong faith in God.
- Moderation (Mesura): He acts with prudence and restraint, showing affection and composure even in difficult circumstances.
The work is anonymous, although the existing manuscript was signed by a copyist named Per Abbat, indicating when it was copied (though not necessarily composed).
Structure of the Cantar de Mio Cid
The poem is traditionally divided into three parts or cantares:
- Cantar del destierro (Song of Exile): El Cid is banished from Castile. He leaves his family at the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña and begins his military campaigns in Moorish lands.
- Cantar de las bodas (Song of the Weddings): This part narrates the conquest of Valencia. King Alfonso VI publicly forgives El Cid. The cantar concludes with the marriage of El Cid’s daughters, Doña Elvira and Doña Sol, to the Infantes de Carrión.
- Cantar de la afrenta de Corpes (Song of the Affront of Corpes): The Infantes de Carrión show their cowardice. Seeking revenge for perceived slights, they brutally assault and abandon El Cid’s daughters in the oak forest of Corpes. El Cid appeals to the King for justice. A trial (cortes) is held in Toledo, and the Infantes are defeated in duels. The poem ends with the announcement of new marriages for El Cid’s daughters to the heirs (infantes) of Navarre and Aragon, signifying the culmination of El Cid’s restored honor.