Gautier-Argies

Gautier d'Argies - 1153

The " trouvères " in Northern French.

At the end of the XII century, possibly at the impetus of Alienor of Aquitaine, grand-daughter of Guillaume IX, Queen of France from 1137 to 1152, and her daughter, Marie de Champagne, urbane poems were written in Northern French " langue d'oïl ". Chrétien de Troyes, Blondel de Nesle, Gace Brulé and Gautier de Dargies were the first to imitate the Provençal lyric and bend to their tongue and sensibilities.

Having probably originated from the commune of Dargies, in the Beauvais region, Gautier may have been born in 1165 and died around 1236.

He is the interlocutor with Richard de Fournival and Blondel de Nesle in the two collections that have reached us. The beauty of his verses were admired by Dante .

The first three were in Northern French and also 17 chants in which he sings the joys and sorrows of love. The following is a sample of his work :

(I have copied the original text which can only be translated by a scholar)

"En icel tanz que je voi la fredour,
Noif et gresill remanoir, et boschage
Foillissent tot encontre la douçour
Du tanz d'esté, chantent oisel sauvage
Et resbaudit chascuns en son langage,
Ha las,chaitis ! et je tout ades plour
Fors qu'en chantant ramentoif ma dolour
Que j'ai soufert ades en mon corage ;
Morir en cuit, quar point ne m'assoage".

Qui peut être transcrit comme:

"Maintenant, la froidure, comme on voit,
a disparu, avec neige et grésil, et les bois
verdissent dans la douceur
d'un temps d'été ; Y chantent les oiseaux
et chacun se réjouit en son langage.
Mais moi hélas, je pleure sans fin,
puis je chante la mémoire d'une douleur
qui m'a dévoré le cœur
Je vois venir la mort faute d'apaisement."

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