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For the purposes of the new edition, every poem has been assigned a unique short title. The original short titles, taken eclectically from a number of sources, are retained as alternative short titles.
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CSM Number : 355 | |||
Short name: | The Youth who Spurned a Girl’s Advances | Alternative: | Youth refuses to be seduced |
Incipit: | O que a Santa Maria/ serviço fezer de grado | ||
Refrain: | O que a Santa Maria/ serviço fezer de grado/ na mui gran coita que aja/ seer ll’ á galardõado. | ||
Summary of narrative | |||
Setting: | Vilasirga, and Mansilla | Protagonist(s): | a young man |
A young man from Mansilla was being pursued by a girl whom he did not love or like. He decided to go on a pilgrimage to Vilasirga and set off on his way. When the girl heard the news, she followed him because she wanted to seduce him. When she asked if she could accompany him, the young man refused. He explained that he didn’t want to cause trouble with her relatives and was committed to going on pilgrimage. Nevertheless, she would not leave him be, despite his pleas and threats. When they reached a wood, she begged him to have sex with her. He grew very angry and chided her for tempting him to sin against the Virgin while he was on the way to her house. He said that she should be ashamed of herself and this cowed her until they reached Vilasirga. They entered the church and the young man prayed and lit candles. The next day, he spent his money on a block of stone for the construction of the church. On their return to Mansilla, the girl constantly pestered him to marry her. He adamantly refused. Spurned, the girl plotted to kill him. When they arrived at his town, she scratched herself so it would look like he had raped her. Her relatives complained to the officials and they arrested the man at once. Without determing the truth, they led him to the gallows. He prayed to the Virgin of Vilasirga, reminding her that he had donated a stone for the building of her church. He asked her to perform a miracle. They tied his hands behind his back and hanged him, to the great sorrow of his relatives. But the Virgin brought the very stone that he had given her and placed it under his feet. The next day, when the people came to take him down, they saw the stone under his feet. Still hanging from the gallows, he told them that the Virgin of Vilasirga had saved his life. They cut the rope from his neck and released him. He explained everything that had happened and they praised the Virgin. |
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Metrical data | |||
Stanza: | 15' 15' 15' 15' | Refrain: | 15' 15' |
No. of Stanzas: | 26 | ||
Rhyme scheme: | AA | bbba | Zejel: | Yes |
MS locations: | |||
E355 | |||
Poncelet reference | |||
None | |||
Keywords | |||
church (construction of) , false accusation, gallows, hanging, marriage, murder, offerings, pilgrimage, rape, rope, seduction, stone (blocks of) | |||
Discography | |||
Click HERE for a list of recordings of this poem | |||
BITAGAP ID | |||
4108 | |||
Bibliography | |||
More on the Rivalry Between Santa María and Santiago de Compostela Keller, John Esten | |||
Itinéraire espagnol du conte médiéval (VIIIs-XVs) Marsan, Rameline E. |