Raimon de las Salas
Encyclopedia
Raimon de Salas or la Sala was a Provençal
troubadour
probably of the 1220s/1230s. His short vida
survives. He left behind four or five poems, but he must have composed more, since he is vida records his composition of cansos
, albas
, and retroensas. Along with Ferrari da Ferrara, he is the only troubadour known to have tried his hand at the retroensa.
Raimon was a burgess from Marseille
. He may have served at the court of Hugh II des Baux, viscount of Marseille, from 1193 to 1240. He mentions Raimbalda des Baux in one of his poems. His vida records that he was neither well known nor esteemed.
Interestingly, two of Raimon's tensos were composed with women, including Si.m fos graziz mos chanz, eu m'esforcera, which has a modern English translation by Meg Bogin. Raimon also composed a partimen
with an otherwise unknown Bertran, who proposed the dilemma: who are better at making war, feasts, and gifts, the Lombards
or Provençals
? Raimon praises his compatriots and puts down Lombard women as big and ugly.
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
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....
probably of the 1220s/1230s. His short vida
Vida (Occitan literary form)
Vida is the usual term for a brief prose biography, written in Old Occitan, of a troubadour or trobairitz.The word vida means "life" in Occitan languages. In the chansonniers, the manuscript collections of medieval troubadour poetry, the works of a particular author are often accompanied by a...
survives. He left behind four or five poems, but he must have composed more, since he is vida records his composition of cansos
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...
, albas
Alba (poetry)
The alba is a subgenre of Occitan lyric poetry. It describes the longing of lovers who, having passed a night together, must separate for fear of being discovered by their respective spouses....
, and retroensas. Along with Ferrari da Ferrara, he is the only troubadour known to have tried his hand at the retroensa.
Raimon was a burgess from Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
. He may have served at the court of Hugh II des Baux, viscount of Marseille, from 1193 to 1240. He mentions Raimbalda des Baux in one of his poems. His vida records that he was neither well known nor esteemed.
Interestingly, two of Raimon's tensos were composed with women, including Si.m fos graziz mos chanz, eu m'esforcera, which has a modern English translation by Meg Bogin. Raimon also composed a partimen
Partimen
The partimen is a genre of Occitan lyric poetry composed between two troubadours, a subgenre of the tenso or cobla exchange in which one poet presents a dilemma in the form of a question and the two debate the answer, each taking up a different side. It was especially popular in poetic contests....
with an otherwise unknown Bertran, who proposed the dilemma: who are better at making war, feasts, and gifts, the Lombards
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
or Provençals
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
? Raimon praises his compatriots and puts down Lombard women as big and ugly.