Hugh Primas

Hugo Primas (* ~ 1086 in Orleans, † 17 September ~ 1160 ), also called Hugh of Orléans, was an itinerant scholar, literary scholar, poet in 12th century France. He is considered one of the most important representatives of the so-called Vagantendichtung.

Life

What is known of the life of Hugo Primas, comes almost exclusively from his poems, but is not quite clear whether Hugo has not even caricatured as a literary person.

Born in Orléans to 1085, Hugo embarks already in his early years on the move, to study at the various schools in the country literature and poetry. To 1109 Hugo has his education been perfected to the extent that it now makes its appearance in Orléans as a teacher at the cathedral school. His knowledge in the secular sciences, especially in ancient literature, soon gives him the honorary title of Primate. Especially in the works of Homer and Ovid's Hugo Primas shows very well versed. A short time later it gets Hilary of Orléans, later Vagantendichter and Abelard student, also a lecturer at the cathedral school, but parted ways again a short time later.

Hugo's lifestyle does not seem to have been calculated to give himself a permanent position at the cathedral. He probably fell soon as cynics and Schandmaul into disrepute. Therefore, he went on tour and led until shortly before his death, a life as a " traveling " teacher and poet.

Goliards called themselves then those gifted but penniless scholar ( scholares vagantes ) or hiking clerics ( clerics vagi ), which refused to support a sedentary life in a sort of guild the vagabondage with plenty of wine, women, and dice game - these are the three W's of goliards - indulged. Among the most famous goliards of that time included a certain primate of Cologne, the Hugo is sometimes confused, and the famous Archipoeta.

Reims by one he examined the cities of Le Mans and Tours, then for a short time and subsequently at Amiens, goes last to Paris, Beauvais and Sens, but can not assign a fixed time periods: From Hugo's poems is the following itinerary can be reconstructed.

Only his work in Paris, where primate is well received by the high clergy, is dated by the Chronicle of Richard of Poitiers:

Thus, Hugo seems to have been a small, unassuming man, who therefore calls himself in one of his poems Zacchaeus.

To cover his livelihood Hugo offers his poetry in the Episcopal palaces, monasteries and aristocratic residences and does commissioned work. It is anything but a regular income: In Amiens Hugo loses the game possessions, but gets the money for the journey to return to Reims from clergy paid. In Sens he must pledge his coat and other utensils before he is paid plenty of bishop and archdeacon. With the Bishop of Beauvais, he throws himself, he grabs him sharp in one of his poems to.

Hugo also appears at the invitation of a certain Richard, whom he had met at Sens to have spent some time in England, where he did not like the beer than wine lovers. It is possible that at this Englishman none other than Richard, the brother of John of Salisbury.

In old age it is Hugo Primas probably no longer good, he seems not to have amassed a fortune. His portrayal of stay in a hospital for the poor speaks volumes about the life of the lower classes in the cities. Well after the middle of the 12th century dies Hugo, at an unknown location and unknown circumstances.

Work

It is in the Oxford manuscript to a homogeneous corpus of 23, according to thematic equalization rather 27 poems. That all come from the pen of the Primate, is not in doubt, as the poet has left his name in no less than eight poems. There are also numerous anonymous fragments, epigrams, Memorial verses and short poems that may also come from the pen of Hugo's, but this can not be safely attributed for lack of attribution. Other fragments of poems that could have come from Hugo, can be found in other manuscripts.

The lyric works of the Oxford manuscript, epigrams and Vagantenlieder are part, organized according to their content or grouped because of similar content. Two rows standing Oden from the Trojan myth cycle could also excerpts from a larger epic of the Odyssey be, which was preserved only fragmentary either or was not performed by the Primate reasons unknown to an end. The same applies to three poems a lightweight girl named Flora. Some contain associated stanzas are distributed for reasons unclear in the collection at various points, so the poems over coat and fur.

After the thematic order by Langosch arise five groups, the poems personal contents initiate the collection:

The first poem is a commissioned work from Reims. Three more fall into Hugo's old age: a poem against a nobleman, who has thrown down him up the stairs, a rhymed attack on the Bishop of Beauvais, an episode from a chapter house and hospital for the poor, in which he defended a poor old man against an arrogant Kaplan and therefore is thrown out, and finally the Imarus Congratulations as the smallest and lightest piece.

The second group includes about half of the poems, with the largest part consists only of pairs occurring hexameters.

A trilogy deals with the prostitute flora.

Among the topics of wine and dice also find three works. In a poem of 19 couplets Primate accuses a man who made him drunk in order to elicit his money.

Three larger but fragmentary poems, each with 51, 59 and 101 hexameters deal with ancient themes and differ from the others primarily by the fact that they do not respond to current events: Orpheus and Eurydice, Troy after the conquest, Odysseus and Tiresias.

Style

The language of Hugo Primas is a medieval Latin, which will be carried forward peppy and lively, but very different from the golden Latinity and is therefore not always easy to translate.

Four more poems from 90 to 180 verses contain only medieval rhythms: falling Achtsilbler, rising Sechssilbler and Alexandrians, or Stabat Mater stanzas.

In most cases, Hugo Primas is strictly based on his previously broad approach, sometimes it exceeds this consciously and original, for example, by the variance of the versification or prosaic Bays.

To promote the lively lecture he sets the mode of expression of the people's mouth one, a monologue or in dialogue often provides rhetorical Bays, anaphora, alliteration and antithesis.

Content

As to the content, so take the obvious deeply religious Hugo not mince his mouth. He tells enthusiastic and unadorned, tends sometimes to grotesque exaggerations and sometimes even insults and obscene words. His numerous interjections in Old French and his emotional tirades rhyme have him associated as one of the vernacular, passionate writer from, who not only knows how to bring his original thoughts and ideas, but also his innermost feelings to match the expression. He sketched himself as a battered by life, but by the mental acuity and agility only as sprays, is characterized by honest religiosity and is capable of humorous self- relativization.

All in all exude the Vagantenlieder in its nuanced presentation and their burlesque scene such spontaneity and liveliness that one must assess its author readily as gifted literary world. The high level of awareness of the poems - even after his death - and their extraordinary quality pave a new, more rhythmic poetry the way and make Hugo Primas of Orléans equivalent in a line of development which starts from ancient authors such as Virgil or Cassiodorus and towards late medieval or modern poets as Villon or Verlaine leads.

Hugh Primas

Life

Work

Style

Content

Further Reading