Crusade Song - Seigneurs, sachiez qui or ne s’en ira - Thibaut de Champagne (1201–1253)

Описание: Paula Bär-Giese - soprano
Hans Meijer - lute
Thibaut de Champagne
(1201–1253)
   One of the most popular and prolific of the TROUVÈRES, Thibaut IV, count of Champagne and Brie, wrote more than 60 poems that are extant—the largest number of any of the trouvères.He was the grandson of MARIE DE CHAMPAGNE and thus the great-grandson of ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE and King Louis VII.
   Thibaut was born in Troyes in 1201. His father, Thibaut III, had died before he was born, and in order to gain the favor of King Philip II Augustus, his mother Blanche of Navarre made the king guardian of the child. Still, because of the circumstances of his birth, Thibaut’s claim to the lordship of Champagne was challenged twice before he secured his position.
   In support of Louis VIII, Thibaut fought the English at La Rochelle in 1224. He also supported the king in the Crusade against the Albigensians, though he abruptly left the king’s service in 1226 and returned to Champagne. Three months later Louis died, and his wife, Blanche of Castile, became regent during the minority of her son.
   Thibaut at first joined a group of powerful nobles opposed to Blanche’s regency, but later switched allegiance and became one of the queen’s chief supporters during her regency of 1228–32. His vacillation, however, angered his former allies, who attacked Champagne and were forced to retreat only when the queen threatened to intervene. Thibaut’s relationship with Queen Blanche has been the subject of a good deal of controversy. He was accused of being the queen’s lover, and even of poisoning Louis VIII to advance his own love. The fact that many of his love poems were dedicated to the queen only served to lend weight to these accusations, but they appear to be pure fabrication. Thibaut became king of Navarre in May of 1234 after the death of his uncle, Sancho VII, called “Sancho the Strong.” Thibaut seems not to have concerned himself much with the administration of Navarre, however, simply letting his deputies run the country.

Seigneurs, sachiez qui or ne s'en ira

Seignor, sachiés : qui or ne s'en ira
en cele terre ou Dex fu mors et vis,
et qui la crois d'Outremer ne penra,
a paines mais ira en Paradis.
Qui a en soi pitié ne ramembrance
au haut Seignor doit querre sa venjance
et delivrer sa terre et son païs.
 
Tuit li mauvés demorront par deça
qui n'aiment Dieu, bien, ne honor, ne pris.
Et chascuns dit " Ma feme, que fera ?
Je ne lairoie a nul fuer mes amis".
Cil sont cheoit en trop fole atendance,
qu'il n'est amis fors de cil, sans doutance,
qui por nos fu en la vraie crois mis.
 
Or s'en iront cil vaillant bacheler
qui aiment Dieu et l'ennor de cest mont,
qui sagement vuelent a Dieu aler,
et li morveux, li cendreux, demorront;
avugle sont, de ce ne dout je mie,
qui j secors ne fait Dieu en sa vie,
et por si pou pert la gloire dou mont.
 
Diex se lessa en crois por nos pener
et nos dira au jor que tuit vendront :
"Vos qui ma crois m'aidastes a porter,
vos en irez la ou mi angles sont;
la me verrez et ma mere Marie.
Et vos, par cui je n'oi onques aie,
descendrés tuit en Enfer le parfont."
 
Chacuns cuide demorer toz haitiez
et que ja mes ne doie mal avoir;
ainsi les tient anemis et pechiez
que il n'ont sen, hardement ne pooir.
Biax sire Diex, ostés leur tel pensee
et nos metez en la vostre contree
si saintement que vos puissons veoir.
 
Douce dame, roïne coronee,
proiez por nos, Virge bien aüree !
Et puis aprés ne nos puet meschoir.