Boecis
Encyclopedia
The Boecis is an anonymous fragment written around the year 1000 in the Limousin dialect of Old Occitan, spoken in the nowadays southern France
. It is the first known poem in langue d'oc, and one of the first texts written in this language. According to François Juste Marie Raynouard
, it is the second oldest after the Oaths of Strasbourg
. On the alleged hundreds or thousands of original lines, only 257 have reached today.
This poem was inspired by the work De consolatione philosophiae
of the Latin poet, philosopher and politician Boethius
(~480-524).
s 23 to 28:
XXIII
XXIV
XXV
XXVII
XXVIII
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is the first known poem in langue d'oc, and one of the first texts written in this language. According to François Juste Marie Raynouard
François Juste Marie Raynouard
François Juste Marie Raynouard was a French dramatist and academic.He was born at Brignoles in Provence, trained for the bar, and practised at Draguignan. In 1791 he went to Paris as deputy to the Legislative Assembly, but after the fall of the Girondists, whom he followed, he went into hiding...
, it is the second oldest after the Oaths of Strasbourg
Oaths of Strasbourg
The Oaths of Strasbourg were several historical documents which included mutual pledges of allegiance between Louis the German , ruler of East Francia, and his brother Charles the Bald , ruler of West Francia...
. On the alleged hundreds or thousands of original lines, only 257 have reached today.
This poem was inspired by the work De consolatione philosophiae
Consolation of Philosophy
Consolation of Philosophy is a philosophical work by Boethius, written around the year 524. It has been described as the single most important and influential work in the West on Medieval and early Renaissance Christianity, and is also the last great Western work that can be called Classical.-...
of the Latin poet, philosopher and politician Boethius
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boëthius, commonly called Boethius was a philosopher of the early 6th century. He was born in Rome to an ancient and important family which included emperors Petronius Maximus and Olybrius and many consuls. His father, Flavius Manlius Boethius, was consul in 487 after...
(~480-524).
Fragments
LaisseLaisse
A laisse is a type of stanza, of varying length, found in medieval French literature, specifically medieval French epic poetry , such as The Song of Roland. In early works, each laisse was made up of assonanced verses, although the appearance of rhymed laisses was increasingly common in later...
s 23 to 28:
XXIII
- Cum jaz Boecis e pena, charceraz,
- Plan se sos dols e sos menuz pecaz,
- D’una donzella fo laïnz visitaz:
- Filla·s al rei qui a granz poestaz.
- Ella·ta bella, reluzent lo palaz.
- Lo mas o intra, inz es granz claritaz;
- Ja no es obs fox i sia alumnaz:
- Veder pot l’om per quaranta ciptaz.
- Qual ora·s vol, petitas fai asaz;
- Cum ella s’auça, cel a del cap polsat;
- Quant be se dreça lo cel a pertusat,
- E ve laïnz tota la majestat.
XXIV
- Bella·s la donna e·l vis a ta preclar,
- Davan so vis nulz om no·s pot celar;
- Ne eps li omne qui sun ultra la mar
- No potden tant e lor cors cobetar
- Qu’ella de tot no vea lor pessar.
- Qui·e leis se fia, morz no l’es a doptar.
XXV
- Bella·s la donna, mas molt es de longs dis,
- No·s pot rascundre nulz om denant so vis.
- Hanc no vist omne, ta grant onor aguís,
- Si·l forfez tan dont ella·s rangurís,
- Sos corps ni s’arma miga per ren guarís;
- Quoras que·s vol s’en a lo corps aucís
- E pois met l’arma en effern e somsís:
- Tal li comanda qui totz dias la bris.
- Ella metesma ten claus de paradís,
- Quoras que·s vol, laïnz col sos amigs.
- Bels sun si drap, no sai nommar lo fil,
- Mas molt per foren de bon e de sobtil.
- Ella se·ls fez, avia anz plus de mil.
- Ta no son vel, miga lor prez avil.
XXVII
- Ella medesma teiset so vestiment
- Que negus om no pot desfar neient.
- Pur l’una fremna qui vers la terra pent
- Non comprarias ab mil liuras d’argent.
- Ella ab Boeci parlet ta dolzament:
- «Molt me derramen donzellet de jovent,
- Que zo esperen que faza a lor talen.
- Primas me amen, pois me van aïssent;
- La mi'amor ta mal van deperden».
XXVIII
- Bel sun li drap que la domn’a vestit;
- De caritat e de fe sun bastit.
- I sun ta bel, ta blanc e ta quandid,
- Tant a Boecis lo vis esvanuit
- Que el zo pensa: uel sien amosit.
Further reading
- Cropp, G.M. "The Occitan Boecis, the Medieval French Tradition of the Consolatio Philosophiae and Philosophy’s Gown." In Études de langue et de littérature médiévales offertes à Peter T. Ricketts, ed. D. Billy and A. Buckley. Turnhout, 2005. pp. 255-66.
- Lavaud, R. and G. Machicot (eds.). Boecis, Poème sur Boèce (fragment). Toulouse, 1950.
- Schwarze, C. (ed.). Der altprovenzalische Boeci. Forschungen zur romanischen Philologie 12. Münster, 1963.