Cantiga da Garvaia

Cantiga da Ribeirinha or Cantiga de Guarvaia is one of the first known piece of literature in Galician-Portuguese. This poem was probably composed in 1198 by Paio Soares de Taveirós and received this name because it was dedicated to Maria Pais Ribeiro, lover of Sancho I of Portugal and called of Ribeirinha. Using male I-lyric, the text tells about a platonic love between the poet, plebeian, and a noble and inaccessible woman.

Lyrics

No mundo non me sei parelha,
mentre me for' como me vai,
ca ja moiro por vós - e ai!
mia senhor branca e vermelha,
Queredes que vos retraia
quando vos eu vi em saia!
Mao dia me levantei,
que vos enton non vi fea!

E, mia senhor, des aquel di', ai!
me foi a mi muin mal,
e vós, filha de don Paai
Moniz, e ben vos semelha
d'haver eu por vós guarvaia,
pois eu, mia senhor, d'alfaia
Nunca de vós ouve nem ei
valía d'ũa correa.

Modern Portuguese

No mundo ninguém se assemelha a mim (parelha: semelhante)
enquanto a vida continuar como vai,
porque morro por vós, e ai
minha senhora de pele alva e faces rosadas,
quereis que vos descreva (retrate)
quando vos eu vi sem manto (saia: roupa íntima)
Maldito dia! me levantei
que não vos vi feia (ou seja, a viu mais bela)

E, mia senhora, desde aquele dia, ai!
tudo me foi muito mal
e vós, filha de don Pai
Moniz, e bem vos parece
de ter eu por vós guarvaia (guarvaia: roupa luxuosa)
pois eu, minha senhora, como mimo (ou prova de amor)
de vós nunca recebi
algo, mesmo que sem valor. (correa: coisa sem valor)

Note: an alternative to guarvaia is manto or túnica (it is a kind of reddish luxurious mantle common in aristocracy.

Translation

In world nobody is similar to myself,
while my life keep going as things go,
because I die for you, and ow
my lady of white skin and reddish face,
you desire that I describe you
when I saw you without mantle
Cursed day! I got up
and no more saw you ugly!

And, my lady, since that day, ow
everything goes very badly for me
and you, daughter of don Pai
Moniz, and it really seems for you
that I received from you a tunic
but I, my lady, as a gift,
have never received
something, even a worthless one.

Note: tunic was used instead of the Portuguese word, guarvaia, which is an archaic definition to a luxurious mantle, probably red, worn by nobles.

External links

Portuguese Wikisource has original text related to this article:

References

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