Guiraut de Bornelh

Giraut de Bornelh (Occitan: [ɡiˈɾawd de βuɾˈneʎ]; c. 1138 – 1215), whose first name is also spelled Guiraut and whose toponym is de Borneil or de Borneyll, was a troubadour connected to the castle of the viscount of Limoges. He is credited with the formalisation, if not the invention, of the "light" style, or trobar leu. Giraut was born to a lower-class family in the Limousin, probably in Bourney, near Excideuil in modern-day France. Giraut's poems were first published in various collections, including Millot's Histoire litteraire des troubadours (Paris, 1774) and Raynouard's Choix des poésies originales des troubadours (Paris, 1816). Several of his poems were publosher in Alan R. Press' Anthology of Troubadour Lyric Poetry (1971). An English edition by Ruth V. Sharma has been published in 1989. One of the most popular troubadours of his day, Giraut's reputation endured throughout the 13th century, when he was known as the Master of the Troubadours. Dante placed him in Paradise as a poeta rectitudinis, but implied that he thought Arnaut Daniel a better poet. Petrarch called him "master of the troubadours". Though rebarbative to modern taste when they adopt the high moral tone that recommended them to Dante, Giraut's songs are not devoid of lyricism or humour.