Bernard Etxepare
Encyclopedia
Bernard Etxepare was a Basque
writer of the 16th century, most famous for a collection of poems titled Linguæ Vasconum Primitiæ ("Beginnings of the Basque Language") he published in 1545, the first book to be published in the Basque language
.
spelling D'echepare. He himself used Dechepare.
in Lower Navarre
. His birthplace is the Etxeparia farmhouse in Bussunarits-Sarrasquette
and to have spent the majority of his life in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, working as rector
in Saint-Michel
at the church of Saint-Michel-le-Vieux and vicar
in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.
Etxepare's lived through a period of war and upheaval from 1512 onward with the Castilian conquest of Upper Navarre
. In one of his poems, Mossen Bernat echaparere cantuya, he confesses to having spent time in prison in Béarn
, although the reasons for his detainment are not very clear. According to some, he was accused of having taken the side of Castile
in its conflict with Navarre, not least of all due to religious reasons. Others, however, think that the reasons for his incarceration were moral rather than political. Either way, Etxepare maintend he was innocent.
The date of his death is unknown.
, the Linguæ Vasconum Primitiæ, generally assumed to be the first book ever printed in Basque. It contains a collection of poems, some religious in nature, some love poems, one about his life, some extolling the virtues of the Basque language and others. It has been suggested by Oihenart
in his L´art poétique basque from 1665 that some of his prestigious contemporary Basque writers such as Joan Etxegarai and Arnaut Logras who were famous for their pastorals might have been published too. However, if they were, any evidence has been lost.
It is written in the Lower Navarrese
dialect of Basque, using a French-influenced orthography
and the metre and style of writing suggest that Etxepare was a bertsolari
, a type of Basque poet known for producing sung extemporised poetry.
The book contains:
The following example is the Contrapas, which is a poem that broadly sets out Etxepare's motivation for producing this book and his hopes for the language. Etxepare explains that he is the first Basque writer to have his work published in print. He calls for the Basque language to "go out" and become more widely known, for the Basques to blaze new trails and make themselves known to the world.
Note that the above rendition into Standard Basque contains several words which would be spelled like that but are rarely used. Instead of lengoaje "language" the indigenous terms mintzaira or hizkuntza would be most widely used today for example.
The only surviving original copy of the book is kept at the National Library of France in Paris. Irrespective of its literary value, his book has enjoyed enduring fame amongst Basques. Especially the last two pieces of his book, or excerpts thereof, are frequently quoted or used otherwise in the Basque scene. During the 1960s for example the Basque musician Xabier Lete produced a musical score to accompany the Kontrapas. More recently, a newly developed speech recognition
software tool has been named Sautrela
after the final poem in Etxepare's book and a Basque literature series in Basque Television
is also named Sautrela.
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
writer of the 16th century, most famous for a collection of poems titled Linguæ Vasconum Primitiæ ("Beginnings of the Basque Language") he published in 1545, the first book to be published in the Basque language
Basque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
.
Spellings of the name
His first name is also spelled Bernat or Beñat in Basque, he himself used Bernat. His surname is spelled Etxepare in modern Basque but the variant Detxepare is also occasionally encountered, in Basque or Dechepare in Spanish, both based on the FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
spelling D'echepare. He himself used Dechepare.
Life
Very little is known about his life. He was born born c. 1470–1480 in the area of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-PortSaint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France close to Ostabat in the Pyrenean foothills....
in Lower Navarre
Lower Navarre
Lower Navarre is a part of the present day Pyrénées Atlantiques département of France. Along with Navarre of Spain, it was once ruled by the Kings of Navarre. Lower Navarre was historically one of the kingdoms of Navarre. Its capital were Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and Saint-Palais...
. His birthplace is the Etxeparia farmhouse in Bussunarits-Sarrasquette
Bussunarits-Sarrasquette
Bussunarits-Sarrasquette is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.It is located in the former province of Lower Navarre.-External links:*...
and to have spent the majority of his life in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, working as rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
in Saint-Michel
Saint-Michel, Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Saint-Michel is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.It is located in the former province of Lower Navarre. It borders Caro to the north, Aincille and Estérençuby to the east, Uhart-Cize and Arnéguy to the west, and Spain to the south.-References:* -External...
at the church of Saint-Michel-le-Vieux and vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.
Etxepare's lived through a period of war and upheaval from 1512 onward with the Castilian conquest of Upper Navarre
Spanish conquest of Iberian Navarre
A series of wars between 1512–1524 led to the Spanish conquest of the Iberian part of Navarre. Ferdinand of Aragon was in 1512 both King of Aragon and Regent of Castile. When Pope Julius II declared a Holy League against France, Navarre tried to remain neutral...
. In one of his poems, Mossen Bernat echaparere cantuya, he confesses to having spent time in prison in Béarn
Béarn
Béarn is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Basque provinces of Soule, Lower Navarre, and Labourd, the principality of Bidache, as well as small parts of Gascony, it forms in the...
, although the reasons for his detainment are not very clear. According to some, he was accused of having taken the side of Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
in its conflict with Navarre, not least of all due to religious reasons. Others, however, think that the reasons for his incarceration were moral rather than political. Either way, Etxepare maintend he was innocent.
The date of his death is unknown.
Linguæ Vasconum Primitiæ
In 1545 he published a book in BordeauxBordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, the Linguæ Vasconum Primitiæ, generally assumed to be the first book ever printed in Basque. It contains a collection of poems, some religious in nature, some love poems, one about his life, some extolling the virtues of the Basque language and others. It has been suggested by Oihenart
Arnauld de Oihenart
Arnauld de Oihenart was a Basque historian and poet.Born at Mauléon, he studied law at Bordeaux, where he took his degree in 1612. He practised with Jeanne d'Erdoy, the heiress of a noble family of Saint-Palais, at the bar of the parlement of Navarre...
in his L´art poétique basque from 1665 that some of his prestigious contemporary Basque writers such as Joan Etxegarai and Arnaut Logras who were famous for their pastorals might have been published too. However, if they were, any evidence has been lost.
It is written in the Lower Navarrese
Lower Navarrese
Lower Navarrese is a dialect of the Basque language spoken in the Lower Navarre region of France. It differs somewhat from Upper Navarrese, which is more generally spoken in the Spanish Basque Country....
dialect of Basque, using a French-influenced orthography
Orthography
The orthography of a language specifies a standardized way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Where more than one writing system is used for a language, for example Kurdish, Uyghur, Serbian or Inuktitut, there can be more than one orthography...
and the metre and style of writing suggest that Etxepare was a bertsolari
Bertsolari
A bertsolari is a singer of bertso, a musical verse in Basque tradition. The bertolaris are often found in pairs, in which a topic is sung extemporaneously in verses alternatively, but they can stage solo or group verse sessions too. It is usually sung to a slow tempo with long or short verses and...
, a type of Basque poet known for producing sung extemporised poetry.
The book contains:
- Foreword
- Doctrina Christiana "Christian Doctrine"
- Hamar manamenduyak "The Ten CommandmentsTen CommandmentsThe Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
" - Iudicio generala "General Judgement"
- Amorosen gaztiguya "The Disappointment of Lovers"
- Emazten favore "In Defense of Wives"
- Ezconduyen coplac "The Couplet of the Married Couple"
- Amoros secretuguidena "The Secret Lover"
- Amorosen partizia "The Separation of Lovers"
- Amoros gelosia "The Jealous Lover"
- Potaren galdacia "Asking for a Kiss"
- Amorez errequericia "Requesting Love"
- Amorosen disputa "The Lovers Dispute"
- Ordu gayçarequi horrat zazquiçat
- Amore gogorren despira "Contempt for the Harsh Mother"
- Mossen Bernat echaparere cantuya "The Song of Mosén Bernat Etxepare"
- Contrapas
- Sautrela
- Extraict des regestes de Parlement
The following example is the Contrapas, which is a poem that broadly sets out Etxepare's motivation for producing this book and his hopes for the language. Etxepare explains that he is the first Basque writer to have his work published in print. He calls for the Basque language to "go out" and become more widely known, for the Basques to blaze new trails and make themselves known to the world.
| Original text | Text in Standard Basque Batua Standard Basque is a standardised version of the Basque language, developed by the Basque Language Academy in the late 1960s, which nowadays is the most widely and commonly spoken Basque-language version throughout the Basque Country... |
English |
|---|---|---|
| Heuscara ialgui adi cãpora. | Euskara ialgi hadi kanpora. | Basque, go outside. |
| Garacico herriaBenedicadadilaHeuscarari emandioBeharduyen thornuya. | Garaziko herriabenedika dadilaEuskarari eman diobehar duen tornuia. | The town of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Portbe blessedfor having given to Basqueits befitting rank. |
| Heuscara ialgui adi plaçara. | Euskara ialgi hadi plazara. | Basque, go out into the square. |
| Berce gendec usteçutenEcin scribaçayteyenOray dute phorogatuEuganatu cirela. | Bertze jendek uste zutenezin skriba zaiteienorain dute frogatuenganatu zirela. | Other deemed it impossibleto write in Basquenow they have proofthat they were mistaken. |
| Heuscara ialgui adi mundura. | Euskara ialgi hadi mundura. | Basque, go out into the world. |
| Lengoagetan ohi inçanEstimatze gutitanOray aldiz hic beharducOhori orotan. | Lengoajetan ohi hintzenestimatze gutxitanorain aldiz hik behar dukohore orotan. | Amongst the tonguesin little esteem (you were)now however, which you deservehonoured amongst all. |
| Heuscara habil mundu gucira. | Euskara habil mundu guztira. | Basque, walk the world at large. |
| Berceac oroc içan diraBere goihen gradoraOray hura iganendaBerce ororen gaynera. | Bertzeak orok izan dirabere goihen gradoraorain hura iganen dabertze ororen gainera. | The others all haveascended to their splendournow it (Basque) shall ascendabove them all. |
| Heuscara | Euskara | Basque |
| Bascoac oroc preciatzẽHeuscaraez iaquin harrẽOroc iccassiren duteOray cerden heuscara. | Baskoak orok prezatzenEuskara ez jakin arrenorok ikasiren duteorain zer den Euskara. | All praise the Basquesthough not knowing the Basque languagenow they shall learnwhat Basque is like. |
| Heuscara | Euskara | Basque |
| Oray dano egon bahizImprimitu baguericHiengoitic ebilirenMundu gucietaric. | Oraindano egon bahaizinprimatu bagerikhi engoitik ibilirenmundu guztietarik. | If you have until nowwere without printingyou now shall travelthroughout the world. |
| Heuscara | Euskara | Basque |
| Eceyn erelengoagericEz francesa ez bercericOray eztaerideytenHeuscararen pareric. | Ezein ere lengoajerikez frantzesa ez bertzerikorain ez da erideitenEuskararen parerik. | There is no other languageneither French nor anotherthat nowcompares to Basque. |
| Heuscara ialgui adi dançara. | Euskara ialgi hadi dantzara. | Basque, go to the dance. |
Note that the above rendition into Standard Basque contains several words which would be spelled like that but are rarely used. Instead of lengoaje "language" the indigenous terms mintzaira or hizkuntza would be most widely used today for example.
The only surviving original copy of the book is kept at the National Library of France in Paris. Irrespective of its literary value, his book has enjoyed enduring fame amongst Basques. Especially the last two pieces of his book, or excerpts thereof, are frequently quoted or used otherwise in the Basque scene. During the 1960s for example the Basque musician Xabier Lete produced a musical score to accompany the Kontrapas. More recently, a newly developed speech recognition
Speech recognition
Speech recognition converts spoken words to text. The term "voice recognition" is sometimes used to refer to recognition systems that must be trained to a particular speaker—as is the case for most desktop recognition software...
software tool has been named Sautrela
Sautrela
Sautrela is a highly modular and pluggable open source framework focused on Speech Recognition and developed by the at the University of the Basque Country, Spain....
after the final poem in Etxepare's book and a Basque literature series in Basque Television
Euskal Telebista
Euskal Irrati Telebista is the Basque Country's public broadcast service. Its main brand is Euskal Telebista ....
is also named Sautrela.