Listen to the AudioBook: Four Plays of Gil Vicente by Gil Vicente

FOUR PLAYS OF GIL VICENTE

Edited from the editio princeps (1562), with Translation and Notes, by

AUBREY F. G. BELL

Θαρρε̂ιν χρ̀η τ̀ον κὰι σμικρόν τι δυνάμεηοη ἐις τ̀ο πρόσθεν ̓αὲι προϊέναι.

PLATO, Sophistes.

CAMBRIDGE AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS 1920

KRAUS REPRINT CO. New York 1969

TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE LABOURED IN THE VICENTIAN VINEYARD

PREFACE

Gil Vicente, that sovereign genius, is too popular and indigenous for translation and this may account for the fact that he has not been presented to English readers. It is hoped, however, that a fairly accurate version, with the text in view, may give some idea of his genius. The religious, the patriotic-imperial, the satirical and the pastoral sides of his drama are represented respectively by the Auto da Alma, the Exhortação, the Almocreves and the Serra da Estrella, while his lyrical vein is seen in the Auto da Alma and in two delightful songs: the serranilha of the Almocreves and the cossante of the Serra da Estrella. Many of his plays, including some of the most charming of his lyrics, were written in Spanish and this limited the choice from the point of view of Portuguese literature, but there are others of the Portuguese plays fully as well worth reading as the four here given.

The text is that of the exceedingly rare first edition (1562). Apart from accents and punctuation, it is reproduced without alteration, unless a passage is marked by an asterisk, when the text of the editio princeps will be found in the foot-notes, in which variants of other editions are also given.

In these notes A represents the editio princeps (1562): Copilaçam de todalas obras de Gil Vicente, a qual se reparte em cinco livros. O primeyro he de todas suas cousas de deuaçam. O segundo as comedias. O terceyro as tragicomedias. No quarto as farsas. No quinto as obras meudas. Empremiose em a muy nobre & sempre leal cidade de Lixboa em casa de Ioam Aluarez impressor del Rey nosso senhor. Anno de MDLXII. The second (1856) edition (B) is the Copilaçam de todalas obras de Gil Vicente... Lixboa, por Andres Lobato, Anno de MDLXXXVJ. A third edition in three volumes appeared in 1834 (C): Obras de Gil Vicente, correctas e emendadas pelo cuidado e diligencia de J. V. Barreto Feio e J. G. Monteiro. Hamburgo, 1834. This was based, although not always with scrupulous accuracy, on the editio princeps, and subsequent editions have faithfully adhered to that of 1834: Obras, 3 vol. Lisboa, 1852 (D), and Obras, ed. Mendes dos Remedios, 3 vol. Coimbra, 1907, 12, 14 (E). Although there has been a tendency of late to multiply editions of Gil Vicente, no attempt has been made to produce a critical edition. It is generally felt that that must be left to the master hand of Dona Carolina Michaëlis de Vasconcellos. Since the plays of Vicente number over forty the present volume is only a tentative step in this direction, but it may serve to show the need of referring to, and occasionally emending, the editio princeps in any future edition of the most national poet of Portugal.

AUBREY F. G. BELL.

8 April 1920.

INTRODUCTION

Gil Vicente, the prince of Portuguese playwrights, was born in 1617 and died in 1536. His father was physician to King Manuel the Fortunate, and he himself held the post of mestre deানন্দalca, or master of the revels, under Kings Manuel and John III. He was also a musician and a poet, and his works, which were written in Portuguese and Spanish, include autos (religious plays), comedias, tragicomedias, farsas, and eclogues. His earliest play was probably the Auto da Alma in 1504, and his latest, the Templo de Apolo in 1536. The Copilaçam de todalas obras de Gil Vicente was published in 1562. The facsimile of the title-page of this edition is reproduced here by the courtesy of Senhor Anselmo Braamcamp Freire.

The four plays in the present volume have been chosen as representative of the different sides of Gil Vicente's genius. The Auto da Alma is a religious play, dealing with the journey of the soul after death. The Exhortação da Guerra is a patriotic exhortation to the Portuguese to take part in the war against the Moors. The Farsa dos Almocreves is a satirical comedy, depicting the adventures of a band of muleteers. The Tragicomedia Pastoril da Serra da Estrella is a pastoral play, set in the mountains of Estrella.

The text is that of the editio princeps (1562), and has been reproduced with the utmost care. Notes have been added to explain any difficulties in the text, and a translation has been provided.

It is hoped that this edition will make Gil Vicente's works more accessible to English readers, and that it will serve to introduce them to one of the greatest playwrights of the Renaissance.

AUTO DA ALMA (THE SOUL'S JOURNEY)

PERSONS REPRESENTED

• A Alma (The Soul)
• O Diabo (The Devil)
• Um Anjo (An Angel)
• Dois Pecadores (Two Sinners)
• Um Tentador (A Tempter)

SCENE

A lonely place, with a path leading upwards.

(The Soul enters, looking lost and frightened.)

A ALMA Where am I? What is this place? I feel a darkness closing in, A chill that seeps into my bones. I lived my life in ignorance, And now I face the consequence.

(The Devil enters, with a sinister smile.)

O DIABO Welcome, lost soul, to this domain! You thought you'd escaped my clutches, But death is only the beginning. Here, your sins will be your master, And your regrets, your eternal feast.

A ALMA No! This cannot be! I prayed, I confessed, I repented! Surely, my soul is pure, Ready for heaven's embrace.

O DIABO Pure? Ha! Your soul is stained, With the lusts and greed of a lifetime. You flattered the powerful, And scorned the weak. You sought riches, not righteousness, And now you'll pay the price.

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