Guglielmo di Poitiers, "Molt jauzions mi prenc amar" (BdT 183.8)

Abstract

Many scholars have seen the song Molt jauzions mi prenc amar as the earliest manifesto of fin’amor and as representing the courtly side of the first troubadour, thus as an evident contrast to his comic and satirical side. Roncaglia, however, believes that the poem contains a clearly obscene reference («la désignation triviale du sexe féminin») which would shed doubt on the image of a two-faced poet. The interpretation proposed here will also argue against the view of a poetical production played out on two opposite levels, but provides an entirely different explanation of the «mot scandaleux» compared to that of Roncaglia and will suggest a different approach to the parodical aspects in Guilhem de Peiteus’ poetry. The text has been reedited and is accompanied by a detailed commentary.

Keywords

• Troubadours
• Interpretation
• Old Occitan