Lecturae Tropatorum (Dec 2019)
Aimeric de Peguilhan, "Li fol e·ill put e·ill fillol" (BdT 10.32)
Abstract
This reading proposes a shift in perspective on the well-known sirventes of Aimeric de Peguilhan Li fol e·ill put e·ill fillol. Abandoning the idea that it was a spiteful invective due to personal reasons, as proposed so far, this satirical poem must be situated in the context of the troubadour performances characterised by a “realistic-comic style” (not serious, not concerning love) which took place in the Ligurian-Piedmontese territory for the entertainment and guidance of the courts. This way it is possible to remove the inconsistencies of the previous interpretation and to place the poem back in its historical and geographical context. In addition to clarifying some of the dynamics of the manuscript tradition, the new perspective connects with the linguistic and historical level and leads to a deeper understanding of the polysemous vocabulary used by Aimeric, to the confirmation, strengthening and sometimes revision of the historical information given by De Bartholomaeis and to a better understanding of the message the author aimed to leave to his audience. This audience, which has been ignored by scholars until today, was directly addressed by the author and becomes essential to understand the text. As a result, we shift from an invective to a courtly game defined more or less by actual situations. In the critical edition, the new perspective highlights the textual, lexical and interpretative problems, from the meaning of the words of the incipit to the famous verse concerning Sordel and the dice, from the date and place of composition to the frequent double entendres.
