Bieiris de Romans
Encyclopedia
Bieiris de Roman (from Bietris, also Beatriz or Beatritz; English: "Beatrice") was a trobairitz
of the first half of the thirteenth century. Her birthplace was Romans
near Montélimar
. She left behind one canso
, "Na Maria, pretz e fina valors" ("Lady Maria, in your merit and distinction"), addressed to another woman named Mary. The poem is written in the typical troubadour
style of courtly love
and has been consequently analysed as a lesbian
poem. Bieiris may, however, be simply writing from the masculine point of view, fully immersing herself in the masculinity of the genre. Nonetheless, the certain ascription of the poem to a woman makes it unlikely that there was any attempt to "fool" the audience: the poem is consequently emasculated.
François Zufferey has argued that Bieiris' composition is in fact a work by Gui d'Ussel
. Joining him in ascribing the poem of Bieiris to a man are Oskar Schultz-Gora, Gianfranco Folena, and Elizabeth W. Poe. The early French medievalist Jean-Baptiste de Lacurne de Sainte-Palaye believed it to have been written on behalf of a man. Bieiris' lesbianism, too, has its defenders: Pierre Bec
, Magda Bogin, Renat Nelli
, and John Boswell. Angelica Rieger, on the other hand, has forcefully defended her authorship and denied her lesbianism. She has sought to show that Bieiris is in fact employing the language of affection popular among noblewomen of the period. The Na Maria of the poem has even been understood as the Virgin Mary, and the sincerity and innocence of the lyrics do not disqualify it.
The last stanza of her canso goes like this:
Trobairitz
The trobairitz were Occitan female troubadours of the 12th and 13th centuries, active from around 1170 to approximately 1260. The word trobairitz was first used in the 13th-century romance Flamenca. It comes from the Provençal word trobar, the literal meaning of which is "to find", and the...
of the first half of the thirteenth century. Her birthplace was Romans
Romans-sur-Isère
Romans-sur-Isère or Romans is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Geography:...
near Montélimar
Montélimar
Montélimar is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. It is the second-largest town in the department after Valence.-History:...
. She left behind one canso
Canso (song)
The canso is a song style used by the troubadours. It consists of three parts. The first stanza is the exordium, where the composer explains his purpose. The main body of the song occurs in the following stanzas, and usually draw out a variety of relationships with the exordium. The canso can end...
, "Na Maria, pretz e fina valors" ("Lady Maria, in your merit and distinction"), addressed to another woman named Mary. The poem is written in the typical troubadour
Troubadour
A troubadour was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages . Since the word "troubadour" is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a trobairitz....
style of courtly love
Courtly love
Courtly love was a medieval European conception of nobly and chivalrously expressing love and admiration. Generally, courtly love was secret and between members of the nobility. It was also generally not practiced between husband and wife....
and has been consequently analysed as a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
poem. Bieiris may, however, be simply writing from the masculine point of view, fully immersing herself in the masculinity of the genre. Nonetheless, the certain ascription of the poem to a woman makes it unlikely that there was any attempt to "fool" the audience: the poem is consequently emasculated.
François Zufferey has argued that Bieiris' composition is in fact a work by Gui d'Ussel
Gui d'Ussel
Gui d'Ussel, d'Ussèl, or d'Uisel was a turn-of-the-thirteenth-century troubadour of the Limousin. Twenty of his poems survive: eight cansos, two pastorelas, two coblas, and eight tensos, several with his relatives and including a partimen with Maria de Ventadorn...
. Joining him in ascribing the poem of Bieiris to a man are Oskar Schultz-Gora, Gianfranco Folena, and Elizabeth W. Poe. The early French medievalist Jean-Baptiste de Lacurne de Sainte-Palaye believed it to have been written on behalf of a man. Bieiris' lesbianism, too, has its defenders: Pierre Bec
Pierre Bec
Pierre Bec , is an Occitan poet and linguist. Born in Paris, 1921, he spent his childhood in Comminges, where he learnt Occitan. He was deported to Germany between 1943 and 1945. After returning, he studied in Paris, where he graduated in 1959...
, Magda Bogin, Renat Nelli
Renat Nelli
Renat Nelli , who was born in Carcassonne, Aude in 1896 and died in 1982, was one of the major Occitan authors of the 20th century.In Vichy France, Nelli joined the French Resistance and in 1945 was one of the co-founders of the Institut d'Estudis Occitans...
, and John Boswell. Angelica Rieger, on the other hand, has forcefully defended her authorship and denied her lesbianism. She has sought to show that Bieiris is in fact employing the language of affection popular among noblewomen of the period. The Na Maria of the poem has even been understood as the Virgin Mary, and the sincerity and innocence of the lyrics do not disqualify it.
The last stanza of her canso goes like this:
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