This feature is dedicated to the memory of Harry Hilgrove Lucas  (1913 – 1991) who first taught me Old Occitan at Nottingham University and introduced me to the poetry of the troubadours (Ed.)

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The poems featured below have been translated from Old Occitan, also commonly known as Old Provencal, by Rennie Parker.  The work of the troubadours and their female equivalents, the trobairitz, appeared in the South of France in the eleventh century and, from there, their influence spread across much of Europe and lasted for centuries. You can find more information here. As lyric poetry, these poems were intended to be sung and many musical settings are available on platforms such as YouTube and Spotify.

If you already enjoy,  or would like to find out more about medieval music, a good place to start would be this version of  ‘Farai un…