Arnaut Daniel, image taken from wikipedia
The 12th century minstrel Arnaut Daniel (born in what is now Dordogne, France) has had a cult following that goes from Dante to Petrarch and from Ezra Pound to T.S. Eliot. A student of Latin turned into a poet / singer, this passionate troubadour could be as sensual and arrogant as complex and obscure.
|
E ma chanzos prec que no’us si’enois |
And I pray my song does not displease you |
Among his most celebrated and famous lines are the following:
| Ieu sui Arnautz qu’amas l’aura e cas la lebre ab lo bueu e nadi contra suberna. |
I am Arnaut who hoard the air |
Not everybody was as impressed with his complex and intricate poetry though. Another poet, the monk of Montaudon, wrote a satire on various troubadours,Pois Peire d’Alvernh’ a chantat. Arnaut Daniel , who was probably alive when the monk of Montaudon wrote this verses, is featured on an unflattering way:
With Arnaut Daniel there are seven,
who in his life never sung well,
except for some fool words nobody understands.
Since he hunted the hare and the ox and swam against the tide,
his songs are worthless.
(a) I took this translation from this site here, though I prefer the last line to read: little cares Arnaut who likes or dislikes them
(b) translation taken from the same site as in (a)