Le poesie "Maltesi" di Peire Vidal (1204-5)

Abstract

In the first years of the 13th century Malta hosted a Provencal troubadour who put the island on the cultural map of Europe almost as soon as Neo-Latin literature began to flourish. However the poems Peire Vidal composed here in 1204-5 have never been published locally. In this article Brincat presents them in their historic and literary perspective reproducing the text according to the recent critical edition of D. S. Avalle which supersedes the text and the interpretation of the previous editions. Since Avalle does not provide the poems with a literal translation, Brincat has brought up to date De Bartholomaeis' version by integrating it with Avalle's conclusions. The notes explain the historical details (political and amorous) but the reader is constantly reminded that the genre's style transcends documentary evidence. Moreover Vidal's vein is particularly tricky as he tends to exaggerate and boast in order to obtain the desired violently satiric effect. The linguistic notes aim at rendering the original text comprehensible to the reader who knows Italian.