Medieval Catalan and Mallorcan Poetry: A Comparative Analysis

Cerverí de Girona's "Malcasada"

This 13th-century Catalan poem, "Malcasada," by the troubadour Cerverí de Girona, reflects a popular lyrical style reminiscent of the Cantigas de Amigo. Cerverí's innovative use of rhyme and meter (7/7/4 syllables with AAB/CCB rhyme scheme) distinguishes his work. The title, added later, doesn't originally belong to the poem. The poem's speaker, a woman, advises against marriage, expressing a preference for her lover. The poem unfolds in three parts:

1. Verses 1-2: Expresses the speaker's lack of love for her husband (senyor).
2. Verses 3-14: Offers advice against marriage.
3. Verses 15-20: The speaker recounts a past encounter with her lover and criticizes her husband.

The poem's parallel structure and simple language reflect its origins in an oral tradition.

Ramon Llull's Poem to the Virgin

This poem, found in Chapter LXXVI, Book III of Ramon Llull's Blanquerna, is a devotional piece dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Written during the Middle Ages, it adapts the themes and techniques of courtly love to express religious devotion. Llull exalts the Virgin's beauty and virtues, imploring her to intercede and convert infidels in Syria to Christianity.

The poem's structure consists of three stanzas with varying line lengths (10, 8, and 4 syllables) and a consistent rhyme scheme (ABABaaCC). The title directly references the poem's subject, the Virgin Mary. The poem showcases Llull's evangelical zeal and his desire to promote Christian piety.