The Partimen of Rhodri ap Hywel and Colyne Stewart

By Master Rhodri ap Hywel of Calontir and THLaird Colyne Stewart of Ealdormere, March AS 50 (2016)

Introduction

As part of my goal (this is Colyne speaking) of writing fifty poems during Anno Societatis 50, I decided I wanted to write a partimen. The partimen was a genre of Occitan and Old French lyric poetry composed between two troubadours. It is a subgenre of the tenso or cobla (a poetic debate). I reached out to see if anyone else was interested in taking part in the partimen and Master Rhodri of Calontir eagerly accepted.

The first speaker in the partimen presents a problem with two solutions and leaves his opponent to choose which solution to defend and then takes up the second option themselves. Therefore the debate is not based on conviction but simply for the sake of discussion. However, this distinction does not appear to have been seen in period, with troubadours and trouvères using both interchangeably. One of the most common themes in partimen was courtly love. Each speaker (sometimes the same poet, sometimes two different poets) contribute three stanzas and an envoi in which he appeals to someone to be his judge. In some poems the two participants appeal to the same person, but more often each participant chose their own judge.

Since Rhodri is from Calontir, and I am from Ealdormere, and both of our kingdoms share strong bonds of friendship, I decided to pose a dilemma in which I felt sure we’d both have opinions. Namely,which animal is more noble, the falcon or the wolf? (The falcon being the totemic beast of Calontir, while the wolf serves Ealdormere as the same).

The form of the poem was set as tercets (groups of three lines rhyming aab) written in trochaic trimeter (lines of three metrical feet switching between stressed and unstressed syllables). I chose this form as I do not usually write in trochaic meter so felt it would be more of a challenge.

The Partimen

Colyne

There the strong beasts abound

Round the woods they fierce found

But which most noble be?

Wolf of fang and claw red

From whom all foes have fled

King of forest’s great tree?

Or be it the bold bird

Falcon feathery furred

God of blue sky made free?

This our dilemma be

Answer this is our plea

So ask I friend Rhodri.

Rhodri

Like days of winter’s end

Come words from Colyne friend.

Wisdom he seeks from me.

Joyfully I reply

My answer not denied

So this I now decree:

The wolf is strong indeed

Shall none say I mislead,

But in this he lesser be.

He watches falcons fly

Above his howling cry;

His wish to be so free.

But, like all falcon’s prey

Must watch until the day

When suffers falcon’s glee,

And the storm-cleaver strikes

With claws like soldier’s pikes

Then even wolf must flee.

So this claim I is true

But to friend Bryce I sue

Judge these words I do plea

Colyne

Reply I must and will

Through paper ink and quill

To words by friend Rhodri.

Falcon lord, Wolfen king,

Which is best, Which takes ring?

Answer is lupine, thee

Must if are honest men

Take his side, only then

Will all of us agree:

For soaring bird on wing

Target is, for bow string,

Plummets down into tree,

While the grey wolf will stalk

Those who slew purple hawk

And with teeth sharp and free

Tear out the hunter’s throat

Rend his maille and surcoat

Pay no heed to his plea.

I claim this to be true

Frederick, master, you

Judge our words, blessed be.

The Judgment

As our judges Rhodri chose Master Bryce de Byram of Atlantia and I choose Master Fridrikr Tomassen of AEthlemearc (though he is referred to by an Anglicization of his name in the poem). Both judges elected to render their verdicts in verse. Master Fridrikr was the first to reply:

You call on me to stand and speaking true

an answer to your pleadings give to you

And now I say, good fellows never fear

for Rhodri stands and calls forth bravest hawk

Whilst Colyne enters with lupine friend to talk

and neither makes the answer sky-blue clear

Come gentle foes, who friends at end must be

and hear this Master, for whom the words direct

are hard, who speaks in kennings using their effect

to form the verse to make the hearer see.

My love for Ealdor Crown must hold and sway

And thus I claim that Colyne takes the day.

We still await Master Bryce’s verdict, and I will post it once it is received.

The Muses

By THLaird Colyne Stewart, April AS 50 (2016)

Urania is to me a mystery,

As is Terpsichore her sister fair,

Polyhymenia does not to me

Deign speak, but Clio has me in her snare.

Both Calliope and Thalia share

My love, as does Erato and her harp,

In Euterpe’s embrace I find some care,

While Melpomene’s teeth are long and sharp.

Written as a  huitain (pronounced wit-tain) which ws a 15^th century 8-line strophe with 8-syllable lines (French) or 10-syllable lines (English), using three rhymes with one of these appearing four times and with the same rhyme for the fourth and fifth lines. The rhyme scheme was usually ababbcbc, and sometimes abbaacac. The huitain could be a stand alone poem, or used as a unit in longer poems. Sometimes multiple poets would each supply hutains to make a longer piece. It was most popular in the 15^th – 16^th centuries; in the 18^th it was used for epigrams. There are those who think this French form is based on an older Spanish one[1].

---

[1] Travis Lyons: 219.

The dog is intent

By THLaird Colyne Stewart, April AS 50 (2016)

The dog is intent

In the window sitting

Barks at those who trespass

As is only fitting

Our lives she protects

From our peaceful neighbours

Who daily go about

Toiling at labours

At the dog shouting

Never who will waver

In her mind a hero

The dog intent, savior.

This poem is written in breccbairdne which were Old Irish quatrains consisting of one 5-syllable line followed by three 6-syllable lines. They rhymed xaxa xbxb (and so on, where the x lines did not rhyme). All end words had two syllables. Poems written in breccbairdne concluded with dúnadh (when a poem began and ended on the same letter, word or syllable).

Sing the song

By THLaird Colyne Stewart, April AS 50 (2016)

Sing the song,

Walk along,

In the throng,

In your hyrd.

Drink the mead,

Shout your deed,

State the creed,

Feel heart stirred.

Swing the sword,

Hit the board,

Earn reward,

Kill foe  king.

Swing the axe,

Pay blood tax,

Use thy saex,

Earn your ring.

Carl and Scop

By THLaird Colyne Stewart, April AS 50 (2016)

At fire a scop was speaking

While around him all were drinking

He spoke of his deeds

The giving of beads

And the seeds of thinking.

At back of the flaming fire

A carl calls scop a liar

Calls out tale teller

Calls him lie seller

Pit dweller, insult dire.

The carl, no beard on his chin,

In front of his family and kin,

With head full of mead,

And eyes full of greed,

Pays no heed to his sin.

The scop silent looks at the churl,

Then asks him when he became earl?

What deeds has he done?

What tales has he spun?

Low-born son of swine-pearl.

In what realms the halls he has raised?

In whose heart of hearts is he praised?

What monsters he’s slain,

To whom is he bane,

In the rain what towns razed?

Rebuffed, the carl pulls back his seat,

‘Til all that is seen are his feet,

Consumed by the dark,

Struck now with a mark,

Far from spark and fire’s heat.

Written in Clogyrnach (pronounced clog-ir’-nach) which is n awdl stanza form. It consisted of two 8-syllable lines, followed by two 5 syllable lines and two 3-syllable lines. The last two lines or four lines could also be collapsed into one line. I have chosen to collapse the last two.

Espinela 1

By THLaird Colyne Stewart, April AS 50 (2016)

I went to Crown to see his Grace,

Accoutered well with sword and mace,

Upon the field of honour bright,

To God give praise and set to fight,

A man resolved and stern of face.

A clash of steel begins the chase

As armour dents and weapons fly

Beneath the banners blowing high—

The foe defeated falls to ground

And kneeling Duke averts his eye.

This poem was written as an espinela which is a late 16^th century Spanish octosyllabic 10-line stanza rhyming aabba/accdc. This was sometimes augmented by two more lines rhyming ed. This form evolved from the décima and is also known as décima espanela.