The Evolution of Catalan Poetry: From Troubadours to Ausiàs March
The Golden Age of Catalan Poetry
From Troubadour Tradition to Renaissance Influences
Early Influences (Late 14th – Early 15th Century)
Jaume March (1335?-1410) and Pere March (1338?-1413), father and uncle of Ausiàs March, respectively, represent the link to the troubadour tradition. Jaume, maintainer of the poetic Consistory of Barcelona and author of a rhyming dictionary, and Pere, defender of moral values in society and introducer of lyrical classes, helped shape the poetic landscape of their time. Gilabert de Próxita (? -1405), Andreu Febrer (1375/1380-1444?), and Jordi de Sant Jordi (late 14th c.-1424/1425) marked a return to the classical troubadour model with careful thematic development and a distinct personal style. Febrer’s Catalan translation of Dante’s Divine Comedy suggests a growing influence of Italian poetry.
The Flourishing of Catalan Lyricism
Ausiàs March (1400-1459)
Ausiàs March, born in 1400, participated in King Alfonso V’s military campaigns. His privileged position allowed him to focus on managing his estate and, more importantly, his poetic production. He married Isabel Martorell, sister of the author of Tirant lo Blanc.
March’s extensive poetry is characterized by decasyllabic verses in eight-line stanzas (couplets), often concluding with a four-line envoi. While predominantly in Catalan, occasional Provençal influences appear. His use of Catalan represents the culmination of a stylistic shift and a personal opposition to the prevailing poetic trends.
His work explores cycles of love and morality, signaled by recurring themes like “lily among thorns,” “full of wisdom,” “love, love,” or “O foolish love.” He delves into death, contemplating the soul’s fate and love’s endurance beyond it. Religious themes emerge in spiritual songs addressed to God.
March’s lyricism portrays him as a lover grappling with the moral and psychological aspects of love. This “science of love” intertwines with a personality full of contradictions, ranging from spiritual aspirations to earthly desires. He critiques lovers driven by carnal appetites while acknowledging the spiritual suffering love can inflict.
Unlike the idealized female figures of earlier poets, March’s women are psychologically realistic, engaging in believable human relationships. His style, both sincere and intellectual, employs vivid and often hyperbolic imagery to express the moral struggles of a man divided between body and spirit.
The Poetic Legacy of the March Family
Jaume and Pere March, Ausiàs’s father and uncle, composed poetry rooted in troubadour conventions. Jaume played a significant role in Barcelona’s poetic contests. Their work remained largely unaffected by the emerging Italian influences.
Gilabert de Próxita, also minimally influenced by Italian trends, primarily explored love themes in his 21 poems, analyzing its various moods, from despair to melancholy, while retaining troubadour elements. His work displays influences from Dante and blends Provençal and Catalan.
Andreu Febrer and Jordi de Sant Jordi
Andreu Febrer, from a well-off artisan family in Vic, served King Martin of Aragon and later Alfonso V. His travels throughout Europe exposed him to Italian literature, culminating in his groundbreaking Catalan verse translation of Dante’s Divine Comedy. He influenced younger poets like Jordi de Sant Jordi and Ausiàs March.
Jordi de Sant Jordi, also exposed to Italian lyricism during a 1420 expedition, enjoyed the patronage of Alfonso V and his wife. His poetry, dedicated to a lady named Beatrice, adheres to troubadour themes of courtly love and vassalage, often incorporating Provençal elements into his Catalan verse.