Jaufre Rudel (Jaufré in modern Occitan) was the Prince of Blaye and a troubadour of the early–mid 12th century, who probably died during the Second Crusade, in or after 1147. Occitan ( IPA BrE: /ˈɒksɪtn/ AmE: /ˈɑksəˌtɑn/ known also as Lenga d'òc or Langue d'oc (native name occitan Blaye is a commune and sub-prefecture in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. A troubadour ( IPA:, originally) was a composer and performer of Occitan Lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100&ndash1350 The Second Crusade (1147&ndash1149 was the second major Crusade launched from Europe, called in 1145 in response to the fall of the County of Edessa the He is noted for developing the theme of "love from afar" (amor de lonh or amour de loin) in his songs.
Very little is known about his life, but a reference to him in a contemporary song by Marcabru describes him as being oltra mar – across the sea, i. Marcabru (fl 1130-1150 is one of the earliest Troubadours whose poems are known e. on the Second Crusade in 1147. The Second Crusade (1147&ndash1149 was the second major Crusade launched from Europe, called in 1145 in response to the fall of the County of Edessa the According to his legendary Vida, or fictionalised biography, he was inspired to go on hearing from returning pilgrims of the beauty of Countess Hodierna of Tripoli, and that she was his amor de lonh, his far-off love. Hodierna of Tripoli (c 1110 &ndash c 1164 was the daughter of Baldwin II of Jerusalem and the Armenian noblewoman Morphia. The legend claims that he fell sick on the journey and was brought ashore in Tripoli a dying man. Tripoli ( Lebanese Arabic: طرابلس Ṭrāblos or Ṭrēblos locally Ṭrōbles Standard Arabic: Ṭarābulus Τρίπολις Tripolis is the second-largest Countess Hodierna is said to have come down from her castle on hearing the news, and Rudel died in her arms. This romantic but unlikely story seems to have been derived from the enigmatic nature of Rudel's verse and his presumed death on the Crusade.
Seven of Rudel's poems have survived to the present day, four of them with music. His composition Lanquan li jorn is thought to be the model for the Minnesinger Walther von der Vogelweide's crusade song Allerest lebe ich mir werde (Palästinalied). Minnesang was the tradition of lyric and Song writing in Germany which flourished in the 12th century and continued into the 14th century Walther von der Vogelweide (c 1170 - c 1230 is the most celebrated of the Middle High German lyric Poets Life history For all his fame Walther's
Rudel in legend and literature
Nineteenth-century Romanticism found his legend irresistible. Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the It was the subject of poems by Ludwig Uhland, Heinrich Heine, Robert Browning (Rudel to the Lady of Tripoli) and Giosué Carducci (Jaufré Rudel). Johann Ludwig Uhland ( April 26, 1787 &ndash November 13, 1862) was a German Poet. Christian Johann Heinrich Heine ( December 13, 1797 – February 17, 1856) was a Journalist, Essayist and one of the Robert Browning (7 May 1812 - 12 December 1889 was an English poet and playwright whose mastery of Dramatic verse, especially Dramatic monologues made him one of Giosuè Carducci (pseudonym Enotrio Romano ( July 27, 1835 – February 16, 1907) was an Italian poet oft reckoned one of Italy's greatest Algernon Charles Swinburne returned several times to the story in his poetry, in The Triumph of Time, The Death of Rudel and the now-lost Rudel in Paradise (also titled The Golden House). Algernon Charles Swinburne (5 April 1837 – 10 April 1909 was a Victorian era English poet In The Triumph of Time, he summarises the legend thus:
- There lived a singer in France of old
By the tideless dolorous midland sea.
In a land of sand and ruin and gold
There shone one woman, and none but she.
And finding life for her love’s sake fail,
Being fain to see her, he bade set sail,
Touched land, and saw her as life grew cold,
And praised God, seeing; and so died he.
- Died, praising God for his gift and grace:
For she bowed down to him weeping, and said
“Live”; and her tears were shed on his face
Or ever the life in his face was shed.
The sharp tears fell through her hair, and stung
Once, and her close lips touched him and clung
Once, and grew one with his lips for a space;
And so drew back, and the man was dead.
Sir Nizamat Jung Bahadur, of Hyderabad, also wrote an epic poem on the subject, Rudel of Blaye, in 1926. Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
The French dramatist Edmond Rostand took the legend of Rudel and Hodierna as the basis for his 1895 verse drama La Princesse lointaine, but reassigned the female lead from Hodierna to her jilted daughter Melisende, played by Sarah Bernhardt. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. A playwright, also known as a dramatist, is a person who writes dramatic literature or Drama. Edmond Eugène Alexis Rostand ( April 1, 1868 &ndash December 2, 1918) was a French Poet and Dramatist. Year 1895 ( MDCCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Melisende of Tripoli was the daughter of Hodierna of Tripoli and Raymond II, count of Tripoli. Sarah Bernhardt (October 22 1844 &ndash March 26 1923 was a French stage actress and has been referred to as "the most famous actress in the history of the world"
More recently, Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho has written an opera about Rudel called L'amour de loin, with a libretto by Amin Maalouf, which was given its world premiere at the Salzburg Festival in 2000 and its US premiere at the Santa Fe Opera in 2002. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance Kaija Saariaho (ˈkɑijɑ 'sɑːriˌɑho (born October 14, 1952) is a Finnish Composer. Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto L’amour de loin (Love from Afar is the first opera by the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho from a five act French libretto by Amin Maalouf Amin Maalouf ( أمين معلوف) born 25 February, 1949 in Beirut, is a Lebanese Author. The Salzburg Festival (Salzburger Festspiele is a prominent festival of Music and Drama. The Santa Fe Opera (SFO is an American Opera company located north of Santa Fe in the U
Further reading
- Michael Barrington, Blaye, Roland, Rudel and the Lady of Tripoli: a study in the relations of poetry to life. A. D. 731 - 1950 (Salisbury, 1953)
- Nick Riddle & Marcus Sedgwick, Outremer: Jaufré Rudel and Melisande of Tripoli, a Legend of the Crusades (Cambridge, 1994) ISBN 0-9524327-06
- George Wolf & Roy Rosenstein, eds. , "The Poetry of Cercamon and Jaufre Rudel" (New York, 1983)
External links
- Jaufré Rudel: Complete Works (in English and Provençal, with MIDIs of the extant melodies)
- Text of Rostand's La Princesse Lointaine
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