Abstract: The poems of the troubadour Raimbaut d’Aurenga have long been appreciated for their intricate form and enigmatic meaning. Less studied is the troubadour’s interest in a secondary pattern created by listing, a feature often at odds with the demands of the end-rhyme. The two practices vie within the poems, one regular, geometric, and abstract, the other fluid, detailed, practical, and precise, and together both mark unresolved conflicts that pervade Raimbaut’s work. Moreover, Raimbaut’s interest in listing, especially with repeated conjunctions and nearly synonymous terms, may find its source in Arabic magical incantations, adding credence to the possibility that at least one aspect of Raimbaut’s poetics can be traced back to Hispano-Arabic practice.
Sarah Spence (Thu,) studied this question.