Cantar de Mio Cid

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El Cantar de Mio Cid is the oldest preserved Spanish cantar de gesta. Formerly, it was transmited only orally, but in 1207 it was written down by a certain Per Abbat. This copy is held as part of a 14th century codex in the Biblioteca Nacional de España (National Library) in Madrid. However, it is incomplete. The first page and two others in the middle are missing. It is written in mediaeval Castilian, the ancestor of modern Spanish.

Its current title is a modern invention by Ramón Menéndez Pidal; we do not know exactly what the original poet called it. Some call it El Poema del Cid on the grounds that it is not a cantar but a poem made up of three cantares. The title has been translated into English as The Lay of the Cid and The Song of the Cid. Some English translations include the verse translation of W.S. Merwin and prose translation of Rita Hamilton and Janet Perry.

1 The story
2 Authorship
3 Extract
4 See also
5 Reference
6 External link

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The story

Being based on a true story, it tells of a Spanish hero El Cid or El Campeador, whose true name was Rodrigo (or Ruy) Díaz de Vivar, during the Reconquista, or reconquest of Spain from the Moors. El Cid married the cousin of King Alfonso VI, Jimena Díaz, but for obscure reasons (according to the story, he made the king swear at Santa Gadea he had not ordered the fratricide of his own brother), he fell into the disfavour of the king and had to leave his home country Castile.

To regain his honour, he participated in the battles against the Moorish armies and conquered Valencia. By these heroic acts he regained the confidence of the king and his honour was restored. His two daughters then married the infantes (princes) of Navarre and Aragon.

Unlike other European medieval epics, the tone is realist<ref>El Cid del Cantar: El héroe literario y el héroe épico, Rafael Beltrán.</ref>. There is no magic, even the apparition of archangel Gabriel (verses 404-410) happens in a dream. However it also departs from historic truth: for example, there is no mention of his son, his daughters were not named Elvira and Sol and they did not become queens.

It consists of more than 3700 verses of usually 14 through 16 syllables, each with a cesure between the hemistichs. The rhyme is asonant. The entire work is conventionally divided into three parts:

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Cantar del Destierro

El Cid has to leave Castile and fights with the Moorish king of Zaragoza until he gets to Valencia

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Cantar de las Bodas

El Cid conquers Valencia. After Cid asks the king to forgive him, he agrees and Cid marries his two daughters to the infantes (a nobility title) of Carrión.

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Cantar de la Afrenta de Corpes

The infantes of Carrión offend and abandon their wives. Once more, El Cid has to gain his honour back, so he asks the court of Toledo for justice. Then he remarries his two daughters to the infantes (sons of the kings) of Navarre and Aragon.

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Authorship

The whole work is anonymous, but there was a theory to which few subscribe that it was composed by two people.

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Extract

These are the first two stanzas that we have. The format has been slightly regularised.

De los sos oios tan fuertemientre llorando,
Tornava la cabeça e estavalos catando;
Vio puertas abiertas e uços sin cañados,
alcandaras vazias, sin pielles e sin mantos
e sin falcones e sin adtores mudados.
Sospiro Mio Cid, ca mucho avie grandes cuidados.
Fablo mio Cid bien e tan mesurado:
«grado a ti, Señor, Padre que estas en alto!
»Esto me an buelto mios enemigos malos.»

Alli piensan de aguiiar, alli sueltan las rriendas;
a la exida de Bivar ovieron la corneia diestra
e entrando a Burgos ovieronla siniestra.
Meçio Mio Cid los ombros e engrameo la tiesta:
«¡Albricia, Albar Fañez, ca echados somos de tierra!
»Mas a grand ondra torneremos a Castiella.»

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