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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.
Links to the miniatures of the Códice Rico are now live on the Miniature section of this page, as well as on the MSS pages for that manuscript. Links to the miniatures of the Florence MS are currently being added.
Links to Ms T display individual pages; links to Ms F open the document viewer which displays double page spreads (users have the option to select single pages in the viewer).
For new critical texts of the poems, return to the listing page and click on the poem number, or go to the archive of texts .
For epigraphs and layout information click on the appropriate manuscript location.
For information on Latin and vernacular sources of miracle stories follow the links to Miracles and collections.
Follow the links to the appropriate pages of Todd McComb and Pierre Roberge's online discography, to the BITAGAP archive, and to linked entries in the Bibliography.
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| CSM Number : 63 | |||
| Short name: | The Knight who Missed the Battle | Alternative: | Virgin Acts as a Knight |
| Incipit: | Quen ben serv’ a Madre do que quis morrer | ||
| Refrain: | Quen ben serv’ a Madre do que quis morrer/ por nos, nunca pod’ en vergonna caer | ||
| Summary of narrative | |||
| Setting: | San Esteban de Gormaz, Soria | Protagonist(s): | a knight |
|
A valiant and skilful knight always displayed his prowess in battle against the Moors and in tournaments. King Almanzor was attacking San Esteban de Gormaz, held by Count don Garcia, lord of Castile. The knight offered to help Count don Garcia defend the place from the Moors. Before going into the battle, the knight stopped at a church to hear three masses said in honour of the Virgin. It was his custom to attend mass every day. His squire reproached him and said that he would incur great shamed if he did not do battle. The knight prayed to the Virgin to relieve him of humiliation. After mass he rode away and met Count don García returning from the battle. The Count congratulated him on his skill at arms and advised him to have his wounds tended by his own physician from Montpellier. The knight was very embarrassed, but when he looked at his weapons, he saw that they had been battered. He recognised that the Virgin had saved him from disgrace and he offered her gifts. |
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| Metrical data | |||
| Stanza: | 11 11 11 11 | Refrain: | 11 11 |
| No. of Stanzas: | 18 | ||
| Rhyme scheme: | AA | bbba | Zejel: | Yes |
| MS locations: | |||
| T63, E63, To51 | |||
| Poncelet reference | |||
| Igitur Walterus de Birbech villa oriundus exstitit, vir dives (727) | |||
| Keywords | |||
| count , doctor (medical), knight, mass, Muslims/Moors, squire, warfare | |||
| Discography | |||
| Click HERE for a list of recordings of this poem | |||
| Miracle | Collection | ||
| Virgin Acts as a Knight | Gil de Zamora (Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional, MS 9503) |
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| Virgin Acts as a Knight | Legenda Aurea (Voragine) |
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| Virgin Acts as a Knight | Bartholomew of Trent (University of Bologna, Codice 1794) |
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| Virgin Acts as a Knight | Caesarius of Heisterbach |
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| BITAGAP ID | |||
| 3780 | |||
| Bibliography | |||
| Cantigas de D. Alfonso X Anon [Morayta de Sagrario, Miguel] | |||
| Heretics and Infidels: the Cantigas de Santa María as Ideological Instrument of Cultural Codfication Bollo Panadero, María Dolores | |||
| ’Textos de persecución’: formación ideológica y hegemonía en la literatura castellana de los siglos XII-XV Bollo Panadero, María Dolores | |||
| The Cantigas, or ’Songs of Praise of St. Mary’ Burns, Robert I. | |||
| A propos du miracle de Cascajares Chalon, Louis | |||
| Composición, estilo y texto en la miniatura del Códice Rico de las CSM, Chico Picaza, Maria Victoria | |||
| Una cantiga célebre del Rey Sabio. Fuentes y desarrollo de la leyenda de Sor Beatriz, principalmente en la literatura española Cotarelo y Valledor, Armando | |||
| Another Aspect of the Virgin Mary in the Cantigas de Santa Maria Davis, Jr, William Richard | |||
| Sources of the Cantigas of Alfonso el Sabio [AC] Dexter, Elise Forsythe | |||
| Da épica na Galicia medieval: Discurso de ingreso na Real Academia Gallega e resposta de Ramón Otero Pedrayo Filgueira Valverde, José and Ramón Otero Pedrayo | |||
| Nueva ilustración a la cantiga LXIII de Alfonso el Sabio Fita, Fidel | |||
| Cincuenta leyendas por Gil de Zamora, combinadas con las Cantigas de Alfonso el Sabio Fita, Fidel | |||
| Los poetas del Guadiana a Alfonso el Sabio Gonzalez Lara, José, director de publicación | |||
| Cantigas de Santa Maria de Alfonso X el Sabio, rey de Castilla López Serrano, Matilde | |||
| Itinéraire espagnol du conte médiéval (VIIIs-XVs) Marsan, Rameline E. | |||
| La literatura caballeresca en la obra de Alfonso X Montoya Martínez, Jesús | |||
| La caballería blanca o caballería ’celeste’ en la literatura hispánica Montoya Martínez, Jesús | |||
| Versiones latinas y romances del Milagro del caballero devoto Moreno Bernal, Jesús | |||
| Cantigas de Alfonso X, el Sabio Moreno Galván, José M. | |||
| Una excursión bibliográfica: El Angel de Cascajar (leyenda soriana) Sáenz García, Clemente | |||
| Alfonso X y dos versiones del mismo suceso: su cantiga 63 y capítulo 729 de la ’Primera Crónica General (Estoria d’Espanna)’ Snow, Joseph T. | |||