Songs of Love, Songs of Scorn

Compiled and translated by Tágide Graça
Edited and revised by Tágide Crista

Last update: 02/2001

In the early days of the written Portuguese language, there were the troubadours, the first poets of the region. Writing and singing between the 12th and the 14th centuries, they came from and to all parts of the Iberian Peninsula. They produced their work in the Portuguese-Galician language, the ancestor of today's Portuguese and Galician. Their art was greatly appreciated, and many noble people experimented with it, too. 

The troubadours used to write and sing three different kinds of songs: love songs, women love songs, and satirical songs (songs of scorn and of gossip). All but 12 of the 1650 songs' music is lost; we're left with the words.

So, take a moment and enjoy ! 

  
 
Ai dona feia, foste-vos queixar
que nunca vos louvo en-o meu trovar,
mais ora quero fazer um cantar
em que vos loarei, todavia;
e vedes como vos quero loar:
   dona feia, velha e sandia.

Dona feia, se Deus me perdom,
pois havedes atam gram coraçom
que vos eu loe, em esta razom
vos quero já loar todavia;
e vedes qual será a loaçom:
   dona feia, velha e sandia.

Dona feia, nunca vos eu loei
em meu trovar, pero mui trobei;
mais ora já um bom cantar farei
em que vos loarei todavia:
e direi-vos como vos loarei:
    dona feia, velha e sandia.

João Garcia de Guilhade

 Oh ugly lady, you made a complaint
that I never praise you in my singing,
but now I want to make a song
in which, henceforth, I will praise you;
and you'll see how I want to praise you:
  ugly lady, old and fool.

Ugly lady, may God forgive me,
because you have such a heartily desire
for me to praise you, in this way
I want, henceforth, to praise you;
and you'll see what the praise will be:
  ugly lady, old and fool.

Ugly lady, I never praised you
in my singing, but I sang a lot;
but now a good song I will make
in which, henceforth, I will praise you
and I'll tell you how I'll praise you:
  ugly lady, old and fool.

(translated in Feb.2001)
Senhor fremosa, vejo-vos queixar
porque vos amo, e no meu coraçom
hei mui gram pesar, se Deus mi perdom,
porque vej'end'a vós haver pesar,
e queria-m'en de grado quitar
mais nom posso forçar o coraçom

que me forçou meu saber e meu sem,
des i meteu-me no vosso poder;
e do pesar que vos eu vej'haver,
por Deus, senhor, a mim pesa muit'en,
e partir-m'-ia de vos querer bem
mais tolhe-m'end'o coraçom poder

que mi forçou de tal guisa, senhor,
que sem nem força nom hei já de mi;
e do pesar que vós tomades i
tom'eu pesar, que nom posso maior,
e queria nom vos haver amor
mais o coraçom pode mais ca mi.

King D. Dinis circa 1300

 Beautiful lady, I hear you complain
because I love you, and in my heart
I hold a deep suffering, God forgive me,
because I see you suffer with that,
and I would like, gladly, to stop
but I can't force my heart

it forced my wisdom and my senses,
and then has put me in your power;
and because of the suffering I see in you,
by God, my lady, I suffer too,
and I would gladly stop to love you,
but my heart doesn't give me that power

it forced me in such a way, my lady,
that senses and strength I don't have any more;
and the suffering you have
makes me suffer, more I can't take,
and I would like not to love you,
but my heart is more powerful than me.

(translated in Jan.2001)
Pois a todos avorrece
este jogar avorrido
de tal mulher e marido
que a mim razom parece
de trazer, por seu pedrolo,
o filho doutro no colo.

Pois ela trage camisa
de sirgo, tam bem lavrada,
e vai a cada pousada
por algo, nom é sem guisa 
de trazer, por seu pedrolo,
o filho doutro no colo.

Como Pero da Arruda
foi da mulher ajudado,
nom é mui desaguisado,
pois lh'esta faz tal ajuda, 
de trazer, por seu pedrolo,
o filho doutro no colo.

Estêvão da Guarda

 Since everybody is bored
with this boring game
of such wife and husband
I think it's a reasonable thing
to carry, as his own,
other man's child in his arms.

So she wears a shirt
of silk, so well embroiled,
and goes in every inn
for something, it's not unwise
to carry, as his own,
other man's child in his arms.

Like Pero da Arruda
got some help from his wife,
it's not too unwise,
since she helps him in such a way,
to carry, as his own,
other man's child in his arms.

(translated in Jan.2001)

Translations are © Copyright 2001 by Graça Videira Lopes. All rights reserved.
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