Trobaritz Lyrics: Comtessa de Dia (Beatritz de Dia, fl. ca. 1175?)

     Positive historical identification of almost all troubadours and trobaritz is difficult to impossible because we have relatively few birth, death, and other documents surviving from the C11-12 period in which they flourished.  Most of the singer-poets' works are accompanied by a vida or "biography" of the poet, but these are of uncertain historical accuracy.  Still, sometimes they are all we have.  Beatritz de Dia's vida tells us she was married to Guilhem de Poitiers, but wrote her songs to her lover, a troubadour and nobleman named Raimbaut of Orange (ca. 1147-73).  Scholars have inferred that She may have been the daughter of Isoard de Dia, but no reliable historical records of her life have survived.  Only her songs remain.  Online access to lyrics by the trobaritz is extremely rare.  This example is translated  by Leonard Contrell and comes from his larger collection of professional translations at this Web page:  http://www.planck.com/rhymedtranslations/versetrans.htm .  I copy his translation here only because off-site links so frequently fail from year to year, and I hope to replace it with my own translation when I can.  For now, if you are hardy and dedicated, you might serve the trobaritz by translating their Occitan lyrics to give them wider readership.  See the Magda Bogin text from the Library's print collection, below, for more examples.

"Estat ai en greu cossirier" / "Of late I've been in great distress" (Note that, like almost all medieval works of literature, troubador and trobaritz lyrics are untitled, but now bear scholarly titles derived from their first lines.)

Of late I've been in great distress
about a knight I thought was mine.
I want it known for all of time
that though I loved him to excess,
his pleasure with me I delayed,
and was on that account betrayed!
It makes me wild: my mind can't rest
whether I'm in bed or dressed.

I'd like it well if I caressed
him with my naked arms. He'd get
excited if I merely let
him feel the softness of my breast;
and he'd delight me even more
than Floris once did Blanchaflor!
I'd offer him my every part,
my mind, my senses, and my heart.

When, my gallant handsome friend—
when shall I have you in my power?
I'll lie beside you and my tender
kiss will bring your love to flower.
I would be greatly comforted
to have you in my husband's stead,
but only if you swear to do
everything I wish you to!

translation ©1999, 2001 Leonard Cottrell. All rights reserved.

Estat ai en greu cossirier
per un cavallier qu'ai agut,
e vuoil sia totz temps saubut
cum ieu l'ai amat a sobrier;
ara vei qu'ieu sui trahida
car ieu non li donei m'amor
don ai estat en gran error
en lieig e quand sui vestida.

Ben volria mon cavallier
tener un ser en mos bratz nut,
qu'el s'en tengra per ereubut
sol qu'a lui fezes cosseillier;
car plus m'en sui abellida
no fetz Floris de Blanchaflor:
ieu l'autrei mon cor e m'amor
mon sen, mos huoillis e ma vida.

Bels amics avinens e bos,
cora.us tenrai en mon poder?
e que jagues ab vos un ser
e qu'ie.us des un bais amoros;
sapchatz, gran talen n'auria
qu'ie.us tengues en luoc del marit,
ab so que m'aguessetz plevit
de far tot so qu qu'ieu volria.