Gui, Ussel, Ussèl, Uisel

Gui d' Uisel.

I.

Anc no cugey que m desplagues amors,

Ni m tornes tan ad enuech ni a fays,

Quar manthas vetz ab me mezeis m' irays

Quar anc un jorn dezirei sas dolors;

Mas ieu cum folhs cujava fos honors,

Quar amava leyalmen ses bauzia;

Mas ara vey qu' en amar no m valria

Re menhs d' amor, per qu' ieu d' amar mi lays.

De totz mestiers es dessemblad' amors,

Quar menhs hi a de pro selh qu' en sap mays,

Qu' ab pauc de be fay los folhs ricx e guays,

E 'l profiegz es totz dels gualiadors,

Per que m sembla qu' amar sia folhors;

Doncx be mi suy entendutz en folia,

Qu' anc ses amor no saubi viur' un dia,

Ni anc ses ben tan de mal hom non trays.

Pero, si fos aitals cum sol amors,

Non dic ieu ges que la valgues nulhs jays,

Qu' ilh lonhava de cossirs e d' esmays

Silh qu' eron sieu, e 'ls teni' en doussors;

Pueys era pretz e largueza et honors,

Essenhamens, sabers e cortezia;

Que baisset tot quan falset drudaria,

E sinon tot, al menhs areire s trays.

Mas era es aitals tornad' amors

Qu' ans que sapchan quals es pros ni savays,

Volon amar las dompnas ab essays,

Per que camjon plus soven amadors;

Et esta piegz us usatges qu' es sors,

Que ses amor pot hom aver amia;

Non dirai plus, per que quar mielhs chastia,

Quant o ditz gen amicx, que quan s' irays.

Mas empero sitot m' a mort amors,

Si m dey tener qu' en trop dir no m' eslays,

Que ben leu er alcun amans verays

Cui seria mos castiars languors;

Et a fin drut deu hom faire socors,

E non blasmar tan cum sec dreita via,

Quar tot son dig e son afar perdria,

Entro s' amors per si mezeissa s bays.

E s' amors val, ylh val per Na Maria,

On es beutatz e cortezi' e jays.

II.

Ges de chantar no m falh cor ni razos,

Ni m falh sabers, si chans m' era grazitz;

Mas ieu era vas amor tan falhitz,

Per qu' ai estat marritz e cossiros;

E pus fagz m' es del falhimen perdos,

Deserenan mi coven a chantar,

Pus en mi dons puesc a totz jorns trobar

Novelh sen, novelha valor,

E beutat plus fina e maior.

Tan son plazens e bellas sas faissos

De lieis qu' ieu am, e bel parlars chauzitz,

Que quan la vei me cug far yssernitz;

Et ieu m' espert on plus m' a belh respos,

E de paor vau fenhen ochaizos,

Com s' ieu era vengutz per autre afar,

E tot aisso ven me per sobramar;

Que ja no m feira tal paor,

Si no m vengues de fin' amor.

Totz temps serai de preyar temeros;

Sabetz per que? quar sui d' amar arditz:

Quar miels quier hom un don quant es petitz,

No fai un gran don tug son enveyos;

E per aisso quar es tan rics lo dos,

Sitot lo m vuelh, ieu non l' aus demandar;

Pero be sai, s' elha lo m volgues dar,

Qu' ieu agra del mon la melhor,

Et elha 'l pus fin amador.

Ab meynhs de be me pogra far joyos,

Mas no m' en es tan de joy escaritz,

Ni non lo 'lh quier que non seri' auzitz,

Mas parli m' en quar en sui cobeytos;

Q' uzatges es d' ome qu' es amoros,

Quan plus non pot, se deleyt en parlar;

Et ieu sivals, pus al re non puesc far,

Ten mi lo parlar ad honor,

Mas paor mi fan parlador.

Sivals aitan dirai en mas chansos

Totz sos fins pretz es de fin joy guarnitz,

Se i fos merces qu' es de totz bes razitz;

Mas en lieys falh, et ieu volgra que y fos,

Quar trop hi ai gran dan manthas sazos;

Et enquer m' es plus greu a sufertar

Qu' om en mi dons puesca ren esmendar:

Mas ja no 'lh calgra esmendador,

S' agues merce de ma dolor.

Don' Alazaitz, d' aitan vos faitz lauzar

A tot lo mon, c' a mi non cal parlar;

Mas ja dieus no m don ben d' amor,

S' ieu non am pus bell' e melhor.

III.

L' autre jorn, cost' una via,

Auzi cantar un pastor

Una chanson que dizia:

“Mort m' an semblan traydor!” 

E quant el vi que venia,

Salh en pes per far m' onor,

E ditz: “Dieus sal mo senhor,

Qu' er ai trobat ses bauzia

Leyal amic celador,

A cui m' aus clamar d' amor.” 

E quant ieu vi qu' el volia

Far de s' amia clamor,

Ieu li dis, ans que plus dia,

Que sofr' en patz sa dolor,

Q' ieu l' am, e ges no volria

Fezes de son mal peior

Per dig de lauzenjador:

Qui ben ama ben castia,

E qui conorta folhor

Vol qu' om la fassa maior.

El pastre, qu' el mal sentia,

Tornet son cantar en plor,

E ditz: “Mout ai gran feunia,

Quar vos aug castiador,

Vos que dig avetz manh dia

Mal de donas e d' amor,

Per qu' ieu sui en gran error:

Ar sai que ver ditz Maria,

Quant ie 'l dis que cantador

Son leugier e camjador.” 

“Er auiatz tan gran feunia,

Fi m' ieu, d' aquest parlador,

Que quant ieu 'lh mostri la via

D' esser franc e sofridor,

M' apelhet de leujairia;

Mas ieu say sufrir aor

Tan que, quan prenc deshonor,

Dic que servit o avia;

Et apella m peccador,

Quan totz lo peccatz es lor.” 

Ab tan vi venir s' amia,

Lo pastor de culhir flor,

E viratz li tota via

Camjar paraula e color.

“Bella, si anc jorn fos mia

Ses par d' autre preyador,

Er no us quier autra ricor,

Mas del tort qu' ieu vos avia

Par vencuda e d' amor,

Tro que la m fassatz maior.” 

Elha respon al pastor

Que 'lh es sa leyals amia,

E feira 'lh semblan d' amor,

Si no li fos per paor.

Et ieu qu' era sols ab lor, 

Quan vi qu' enuey lor fazia, 

Laissiey lieys a l' amador, 

Parti m d' elhs, e tinc alhor.

//

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gui_d%27Ussel

Gui d'Ussel, d'Ussèl, or d'Uisel (fl. 1195–1209) was a troubadour from the Limousin. Twenty of his poems survive: eight cansos, two pastorelas, two coblas, and eight tensos, several with his relatives and including a partimen with Maria de Ventadorn. Four of his cansos melodies remain.

According to his vida, Gui was the youngest of three sons of a wealthy noble family of the castle Ussel-sur-Sarzonne, northeast of Ventadorn. He and his brothers Ebles and Peire, as well as his cousin Elias, are all reputed troubadours and castellans of Ussel according to the author of the vida, who makes Gui himself a canon of Montferrand and Brioude in the diocese of Clermont. Among his relatives Gui was known for his cansos. The only confirmation of Gui's family from outside his vida is a reference to the brothers Guido and Eblo Usseli donating land to the abbey of Bonaigue. Gui's biographer believed him to have been in love with Malgarita, wife of Rainaut VI, viscount of Aubusson. He supposedly later fell in love with Guillemette de Comborn, wife of Dalfi d'Alvernha, and composed many songs about her. Gui spent almost his entire life in the Limousin and Auvergne, rarely travelling abroad.

Gui addresses several of his songs to Maria de Ventadorn (including the partimen) and makes reference to Peter II of Aragon in one which survives with a melody. The reference to Peter's queen in the song's razo puts the date of its composition in 1204 or later, after Peter's marriage to Marie of Montpellier. His vida records how Gui obeyed a papal injunction from Pierre de Castelnau to cease composing in 1209 and the fact that none of his poems can be reliably assigned later than that date and none mention the Albigensian Crusade, it is probable that Gui did indeed obey papal orders and cease writing.

Gui's poetry to some measure imitates that of his contemporary Cadenet, whom he mentions in one piece. His melodies have something in common with those of Gaucelm Faidit, whom he may have met in Ventadorn. His melodies all stay within a minor tenth interval and use numerous thirds and traids, but never repeating phrases in the AAB form. His music is characterised by motivic variety and he has been praised for his "subtle and creative compositional faculty". The later troubadour Daude de Pradas referred to Gui in a tenso and his melody has given some indication that it may have been influenced by those of Gui.

Gui's works were reproduced in the anthology of Ferrarino Trogni da Ferrara.