- Bernart d'Auriac
Bernat or Bernart d'Auriac was a minor
troubadour notable mainly for initiating a cycle of five short "sirventes " in the summer of 1285. According to a rubric of thechansonnier in which the cycle is preserved, Bernart was a "mayestre de Bezers" (master ofBéziers ).The "sirventes" cycle was prompted by the
Aragonese Crusade and the French invasion of Spain. Bernart's speaks first and his pro-French stance marks him off as one of the school ofGallicised troubadours then active at Béziers and includingJoan Esteve andRaimon Gaucelm . [He begins "Nostre reys, qu'es d'onor ses par", "Our king, who is of honour without peer". The reference toPhilip III of France as "our king" indicates Bernart's allegiance immediately.] Bernart's "sirventes" prompted a response fromPeter III of Aragon , the king defending from France's invasion, and who in turn was answered by a few "coblas" fromPeire Salvatge . Peter's vassalRoger Bernard III of Foix , a longtime enemy of the French crown, wrote a response to Salvatge, and an anonymous contributor finished the cycle.Besides his contribution to the cycle of 1285, Bernart has left three works of poetry: two "cansos" and another "sirventes". The "canso" "Be volria de la mellor" was a religious song dedicated to the
Virgin Mary and modelled on the metre and rhyme scheme of the love song "Ben volria ser d'amor" byRigaut de Berbezilh . His other "canso" deals withcourtly love . The "sirventes" "En Guillems Fabres, sap fargar" was dedicated to his friend and fellow troubadourGuillem Fabre .Notes
ources
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Riquer, Martín de . "Los trovadores: historia literaria y textos". 3 vol. Barcelona: Planeta, 1975.
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