The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1872-04-03

LIFE AND POETRY OF THE TRouBADoURs.-O
all the various languages of Latin origin. the Pro
vencal was the first which attained to an indie
pendent characteristic type of expression. X
its domain belonged not only the Provence o
later times but the whole of southern Franc,
and the neghboring parts Of Spain and Italy
the name of Provence, and the Provenca Ian
guage, pointed to the old Proyeucia Romano Of
its Caesars. The wealth Of. the country and the
lively and joyous character of its inhabitants
were highly favorable to the culture of poetry
and it is probable that in very early times songs
and dances to the sounds of the viola enlivened
the harvest-feasts of the Provencal villages; but
/ this oldest popular poetry, which was very likely
epic in character, existed only in the mouths of
the simple jongeurs and MINISTRIES, and in conse-
quence we have no documentary relics oft. The
poetic literature in the Provencal or langue doc
as it is called from the affirmative particle "oc"
Latin "hoc" 10 contrast to the northern
French dialect, the langue doil--Latn hoe il
lud'-begins for US only with the end of the
eleventh century. About that time lived the
first and one Of the most consummate trouba-
dours, Count William TX of Poiters. After him
followed great number Of refined and elevated
poets, who made their country famous through
out the civilized world. This epoch of poetical
bloom lasted in the south of France for two hun
dred years and came to an end together with the
thirteenth century. Several reasons may be
quoted for the sudden and complete cessation of
this rich creative power. The principal one must
be sought in the devastation which was spread
over the country by the fanatic crusades against
the Albgenes, and afterwards by the Inquisi.ion
Together with the Crusaders the northern French
element ntruded itself into the customs and Ian
guage. and snder these united influences the ten
der flower Of ProvencaI poetry withered quickly
and irretrievably. The last troubadour who en-
deavored to vivify the old traditions was the gift
ed scholar and poet Gurault Riquier; his labor
was lost by the general exhaustion of mind after
the long war, and the engrossing rudeness of the
nobility. The year Of his death, which may be
called also that of the poetry of the troubadours,
was 1894 after that time the langue doc sank
into a mere dialect every trace of this brilliant
epoch of literature disappeared, and even the
memory of it died out for generations. 1t is only
in recent times that its monuments have been
again discovered, but they have remained hither-
TO the exclusive property of scholars. Lately
poet of talent. VI. Mistral has attempted to res
tore the southern French dialect to place among |
the written languages; however, his poems have |
no connection with the old troubadours. His !
" MireiO" is as different from the lady loves of
Bertran de Born or Guillaume de Cabestank as
his irregular though sonorons pstois'is from their
refined and grammatical language. All true poe
try must be the offspring of its time 1t must show
as in mirror the best contemporary thoughts /
and ideas. This is the case with the poetry of the
troubadours. The period at which il takes its
rise, the end Of the eleventh century is the time
when Europe was filed with new life BY the en-.
thusiasm for Iiberating the Holy Sepalchre. Fan
rel therefore is justified n calling The poetry of
the troubadours the expression of knightly
IDEAS, feelings, and actions. - Dark Blue.