Lorenç Mallol
Encyclopedia
Lorenç Mallol (fl.
1350) was a Catalan
poet of the fourteenth century, the first Petrarch
an of his country and one of the last troubadour
s. His two surviving pieces are composed in Old Occitan. His first name is also spelled Laurenç (lawˈɾɛns) in modern Occitan and Llorenç (ʎuˈɾɛns) in modern Catalan
.
Lorenç presented a certain vers figurat (figured verse), Sobre·l pus alt de tots los cims d'un arbre, to the Consistori del Gay Saber
in Toulouse
, a mystic allegory of Jesus Christ (Ihus lo salvaire), who is the auzel(l)et tot blanch (little all-white bird), and the Jews
, who are a corps mot vils (most vile corpse). The arbre (tree) signifies la vera crotz (the true cross). The poem has two tornadas, one to Mon Ric(h) Thesaur (my rich treasure), a senhal (code name) for the Virgin Mary and another to the seven lords (senyor set) of the consistori del Gay Sauber. It is Enrich de Villena
, a lord of the Consistori de Barcelona
, who informs us that this was not that consistori but the one of Toulouse, since the piece was written before the foundation in Barcelona (1393). The Marian reference is very typical for the Consistori of Toulouse and this poem is usually classed as a religious sirventes
. It is unknown if it won a prize at the joc florals or even when it was composed.
More useful for garnerning an understanding of Catalan and Occitan literature of the period, is Lorenç' escondig (escondit), which cannot be connected to the Consistori or its competitions. Moltes de vetz, dompna, ·m suy presentatz, as it begins, describes how certain jealous men (lauzengiers) told his lady that Lorenç was bragging that she loved him, a discourteous violation of the secrecy of love. Lorenç denies the charge in a way clearly inspired by Petrarch's fifteenth canzone
, which begins S'i'l dissi mai ("If I ever said that"). This line, translated into Occitan, is how the main (14 of 17) stanzas of Lorenç' 132-line poem begin: Si·u diguí may. The poet then describes the horrible fate which would await him for so treacherous a betrayal. The tornada employs the same senhal, Mon Rich Thesaur, as the religious poem, this time for an anonymous lady presumably not the Virgin. From another direction Lorenç seems influenced by Bertran de Born
, who wrote the only escondig attributable to a troubadour. In Lorenç, Renaissance
Petrarchism and reactionary troubadourism are combined.
Despite this, Lorenç is not avant garde. His poetry is not of especial literary quality, nor is his imitation of Petrarch the beginning of a trend. He did not borrow from Petrarch any of the latter's superior poetic innovations. Rather, he so happens to be one of the few Catalans of his time to find in Petrarch and the Italians things worth copying and fitting into their troubadouresque structures.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1350) was a Catalan
Catalan people
The Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
poet of the fourteenth century, the first Petrarch
Petrarch
Francesco Petrarca , known in English as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar, poet and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch is often called the "Father of Humanism"...
an of his country and one of the last 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....
s. His two surviving pieces are composed in Old Occitan. His first name is also spelled Laurenç (lawˈɾɛns) in modern Occitan and Llorenç (ʎuˈɾɛns) in modern Catalan
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
.
Lorenç presented a certain vers figurat (figured verse), Sobre·l pus alt de tots los cims d'un arbre, to the Consistori del Gay Saber
Consistori del Gay Saber
The Consistori del Gay Saber , commonly called the Consistori de Tolosa today, was a poetic academy founded at Toulouse in 1323 to revive and perpetuate the lyric school of the troubadours.-Foundation:...
in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, a mystic allegory of Jesus Christ (Ihus lo salvaire), who is the auzel(l)et tot blanch (little all-white bird), and the Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, who are a corps mot vils (most vile corpse). The arbre (tree) signifies la vera crotz (the true cross). The poem has two tornadas, one to Mon Ric(h) Thesaur (my rich treasure), a senhal (code name) for the Virgin Mary and another to the seven lords (senyor set) of the consistori del Gay Sauber. It is Enrich de Villena
Enrique de Villena
Enrique de Aragón , Marquess of Villena, was a medieval Spanish writer, theologian and poet. He was also the last legitimate descendant of the royal house of Aragón and the counts of Barcelona. When political power was denied to him, he turned to writing and was reputed to be a great...
, a lord of the Consistori de Barcelona
Consistori de Barcelona
The Consistori de Barcelona was a literary academy founded in Barcelona by John the Hunter, King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona, in 1393 in imitation of the Consistori del Gay Saber founded at Toulouse seventy years earlier . The poetry produced by and for the Consistori was heavily influenced...
, who informs us that this was not that consistori but the one of Toulouse, since the piece was written before the foundation in Barcelona (1393). The Marian reference is very typical for the Consistori of Toulouse and this poem is usually classed as a religious sirventes
Sirventes
The sirventes or serventes is a genre of Occitan lyric poetry used by the troubadours. In early Catalan it became a sirventesch and was imported into that language in the fourteenth century, where it developed into a unique didactic/moralistic type...
. It is unknown if it won a prize at the joc florals or even when it was composed.
More useful for garnerning an understanding of Catalan and Occitan literature of the period, is Lorenç' escondig (escondit), which cannot be connected to the Consistori or its competitions. Moltes de vetz, dompna, ·m suy presentatz, as it begins, describes how certain jealous men (lauzengiers) told his lady that Lorenç was bragging that she loved him, a discourteous violation of the secrecy of love. Lorenç denies the charge in a way clearly inspired by Petrarch's fifteenth canzone
Canzone
Literally "song" in Italian, a canzone is an Italian or Provençal song or ballad. It is also used to describe a type of lyric which resembles a madrigal...
, which begins S'i'l dissi mai ("If I ever said that"). This line, translated into Occitan, is how the main (14 of 17) stanzas of Lorenç' 132-line poem begin: Si·u diguí may. The poet then describes the horrible fate which would await him for so treacherous a betrayal. The tornada employs the same senhal, Mon Rich Thesaur, as the religious poem, this time for an anonymous lady presumably not the Virgin. From another direction Lorenç seems influenced by Bertran de Born
Bertran de Born
Bertran de Born was a baron from the Limousin in France, and one of the major Occitan troubadours of the twelfth century.-Life and works:...
, who wrote the only escondig attributable to a troubadour. In Lorenç, Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
Petrarchism and reactionary troubadourism are combined.
Despite this, Lorenç is not avant garde. His poetry is not of especial literary quality, nor is his imitation of Petrarch the beginning of a trend. He did not borrow from Petrarch any of the latter's superior poetic innovations. Rather, he so happens to be one of the few Catalans of his time to find in Petrarch and the Italians things worth copying and fitting into their troubadouresque structures.
Works available online
- Incipitario de Llorenç Mallol: includes edited texts of the original language for both of his extant poems.