The Collected Prose

by Zbigniew Herbert

  10Wren: Sir Christopher Wren (1632–1723) 17th century English designer, astronomer, geometer, mathematician-physicist, and architect. Wren designed 55 of 87 London churches after the Great Fire of London in 1666, including St. Paul’s Cathedral in 1710.

  11Vanbrugh: Sir John Vanbrugh (1664–1726) English architect and dramatist, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two Restoration comedies, The Relapse (1696) and The Provoked Wife (1697).

  12Pierre de Montreuil: or Pierre de Montereau (c. 1200–1266/1267) French Gothic architect, author of the Sainte-Chappelle in Paris as well as a contributor to a number of other architectural works, including the Cathedrals of St. Denis and Notre Dame.

  13Villard de Honnecourt: Villard, active in the 13th century, may have been an itinerant master-builder of Picardy in northern France. His fame rests entirely on his surviving portfolio of 33 sheets of parchment containing about 250 drawings from about the 1230s.

  14Jean Mignot: French architect, active in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. Consulted on the Milan cathedral (c. 1399) he argued that the building would collapse if completed as planned.

  15Alexander Neckam: also Neckham or Nequam (1157–1217) English scholar, Augustinian canon and author of many theological works as well as De naturis rerum, a manual of scientific knowledge, which contains the earliest European notices of the magnet as a guide at sea.

  16Roger Bacon: (c. 1214–1294), also known as Doctor Mirabilis, English philosopher and Franciscan friar, sometimes credited as one of the earliest European advocates of the modern scientific method inspired by the works of Plato via early Islamic scientists.

  17Il se peut que le roy nous enchante: The king may be playing us a trick./First he made twenty of sixty./ Then four of twenty and ten of thirty…/ Gold and silver are all gone./ We’ll never get any of it back.

  1Montségur: fort in the Ariège department in southwestern France, perched at a precarious 3000-foot altitude; one of the last strongholds of the Cathars. The present fortress, though described as one of the Cathar castles, is actually of a later period.

  2Mazdeic: Zoroastrian; from “Ahura Mazda,” the supreme deity of Zoroastrianism.

  3Contra Faustam: full title, Contra Faustum Manichaeum (Against Faustus the Manichean), written ca. 400 A.D. Augustine mentions his acquaintance with Faustus in his Confessions.

  4Basil I: called the Macedonian (circa 811–886) Byzantine emperor from 867 to 886. Born a peasant in Thrace of Armenian origins, he rose in the imperial court, and usurped the imperial throne from Michael III. He led a revival of imperial power and a renaissance of Byzantine art.

  5Giovanni di Lugo: also known as John de Lugio, member of a Cathar group called Albanenses.

  6Pierre de Castelnau: (died 1208), French ecclesiastic. In 1199 he was archdeacon of Maguelonne, and was appointed by Pope Innocent III as one of the legates for the suppression of the Cathars. He was assassinated on January 15, 1208 and beatified in the year of his death.

  7Arnaud Amaury: or Arnaud Amalric (d. 1225), Cistercian monk, abbot of Cîteaux. In 1204 he was named a papal legate and inquisitor and sent by Innocent III to convert the Albigensians.

  8St. Bernard of Verfeil: Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-August 20, 1153), Cistercian monk, preached against heresy at Verfeil in 1145. Sent away without a proper hearing, he is said to have cursed the town with the words Viridefolium, desiccet te Deus! (“Verfeil, may God dry you up!”).

  9Esclarmonde: Esclarmonde de Foix (c. 1151–1215), also called Esclarmonde the Great, a prominent figure in Catharism. Widowed in 1200, she turned to the Cathar Church and received the consolamentum. She was likely involved in an initiative to rebuild the fortress of Montségur.

  10Simon de Montfort: Simon IV de Montfort, Seigneur de Montfort-l’ Amaury, 5th Earl of Leicester (1160–25 June 1218), French nobleman who took part in the Fourth Crusade (1202–1204), a prominent leader of the Albigensian Crusade.

  11Guy de Levis: (1180–1233), lord of Mirepoix and “maréchal de la foi”, marshall of the faith, lieutenant to his overlord Simon IV de Montfort. Participated in the sieges of Termes, Castelnaudary, Beaucaire, and Toulouse, where Montfort died.

  12Master Gervaise: perhaps Gervase of Tilbury (c. 1150–c. 1228), a 13th century canon lawyer, statesman, and writer.

  13Viollet-le-Duc: Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (1814–1879) was a French architect and theorist, famous for his “restorations” of medieval buildings.

  14Guillaume de Tudèle: William of Tudela (fl. 1199–1214), author of the first part of the Chanson de la Croisade Albigeoise or Song of the Albigensian Crusade, an epic poem in Occitan.

  15Guillaume de Puylaurens: (c. 1200–after 1274) 13th century Latin chronicler, author of a history of Catharism and of the Albigensian Crusade; from 1244, chaplain to Raymond VII of Toulouse and present at Raymond’s death in 1249.

  16Dom Vaissette: Dom Joseph Vaissette (1685–1756) French scholar and ecclesiastic, author of historical and geographical works. Born in Gaillac, near Albi.

  17Las Navas de Tolosa: Battle of July 16, 1212, turning point in Spanish medieval history. Alfonso VIII of Castile’s army was joined by those of Sancho VII of Navarre, Pedro II of Aragon, and Afonso II of Portugal to defeat the Muslim Almohad rulers of the lower Iberian Peninsula.

  18Montfort/es mort…: Monfort/is dead/…long live Toulouse/glorious and mighty city/Paratge and honor return!

  19Sicard de Marvejols: or Bernart Sicart de Marvejols, 13th century poet; the quote is from his poem “Ab greu cossire.”

  20Andrea da Firenze: (d. 1415) Italian composer and organist of the late medieval era.

  21Chronicon: Guillaume Pelhisson’s Chronicle covers the period 1229–1244; it was (re-)published by Ouesset, Toulouse, in 1958.

  22Qui atal fara, atal pendra: who so does the like, will suffer a like fate.

  23Queribus: Château de Quéribus, one of five castles strategically placed to defend the new (1659) French border against the Spanish; sometimes regarded as the last Cathar stronghold after the fall of Montségur in 1244. In 1255 the Cathars remaining there slipped away from the French army.

  24Bertran d’Alamanon: or de Lamanon (fl. 1229–1266); Provençal knight and troubadour, an official, diplomat, and ambassador at the court of the Count of Provence.

  25Matfre Ermengau: or Ermengaud (d. 1322); Franciscan friar, legist, and troubadour from Béziers. Author of an Occitan grammar in 35,600 octosyllables called the Breviari d’amor, aimed at the reconciliation of love for God with the erotic amours of the troubadour lyric.

  26Guiraut Riquier: (c. 1230–1292—not 1280, as Herbert writes) one of the last Provençal troubadours; he served under the Viscount of Narbonne and Alfonso, King of Castile.

  27Sordel: Sordello da Goito or Sordel de Goit, 13th-century Lombard troubadour; around 1220 he was in a tavern brawl in Florence; and in 1226, while at the court of Verona, he abducted his master’s wife, Cunizza, at the instigation of her brother, and later fled to Provence.

  28Arnaut Daniel: Arnaut Daniel de Riberac, Occitan troubadour of the 12th century, praised by Dante as “il miglior fabbro” (the best craftsman).

  29Ramon d’Alfaro: or Raymond d’Alfaro, brother-in-law of Raymond VII.

  30Raymond de Pereille: (b.1190–1244?) the original “seigneur” of Montségur Castle.

  31Pierre Roger de Mirepoix: (b.1194/1202–d.1244/62?) married Raymond de Pereille’s daughter Philippa, becoming the co-seigneur of Montsegur, and effectively its commander.

  1Jacques de Molay: (est. 1244–5/1249–50—1314) was the 23rd and last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, leading the Order from approximately 1292 until the Order was dissolved by order of the Pope in 1312.

  2Geoffroi de Charney: or Geoffroy de Charnay, was Preceptor of Normandy for the Knights Templar, burned alive along with Jacques de Molay in 1314.

  3Foucher de Chartres: c. 1055/1060–after 1127) medieval chronicler. Author of Historia Hierosolymitana (c. 1127),

 
; 4Hugues de Payns: (c. 1070–1136) a French knight from the Champagne region, co-founder and first Grand Master of the Knights Templar. With Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, he created the Latin Rule, the code of behavior for the Order.

  5Frederick Barbarossa: Frederick I (1122–1190), crowned King of Germany in 1152, King of Italy in 1154, and Holy Roman Emperor in 1155; crowned King of Burgundy in 1178. The name Barbarossa, “red beard” came from the northern Italian cities he attempted to rule.

  6Richard the Lion-Heart: Richard I (1157–1199) King of England from July 6, 1189 until his death in 1199; known as Cœur de Lion or the Lionheart even before his accession because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior.

  7Philip Augustus: Philip II Augustus (1165–1223) King of France from 1180 until his death.

  8John Lackland: (1166–1216), King of England from 1199 until his death; nicknamed “Lackland” because, as his father King Henry II’s youngest son, he did not inherit land out of his family’s holdings, and because as king he lost English territories to France.

  9Frederick II: Frederick II of Hohenstaufen (1194–1250) Holy Roman Emperor from his papal coronation in 1220 until his death.

  10Isabella: (1212–1228), also known as Yolande of Brienne.

  11Jean de Brienne: John of Brienne (c. 1170–1237), French nobleman who became John I King of Jerusalem by marriage, and was later invited to become John I, Latin Emperor of Constantinople.

  12Mamelukes: or mamluk (Arabic for “owned”), converted slave soldiers in the service of the Muslim Arab caliphs from the 9th to the 16th centuries; they became a powerful military caste often defeating the Crusaders, and on more than one occasion seizing power for themselves.

  13Guillaume de Beaujeu: the 21st Grand Master of the Knights Templar, from 1273 until his death in the siege of Acre in 1291. He dropped his sword and walked away from the walls. His knights remonstrated. Beaujeu replied: “I’m not running away; I’m dead. Here’s the wound.”

  14Philip the Fair: Philip IV (1268–1314), son and successor of Philip III, reigned as King of France from 1285 until his death. He was the husband of Joan I of Navarre, by virtue of which he was King of Navarre (as Philip I) and Count of Champagne from 1284 to 1305.

  15King Henry the Pious: Henryk II (c. 1196–1241), Piast Duke of Silesia-Wrocław, Krakow, and Southern Greater Poland from 1238 until his death.

  16Battle of Legnica: battle near Legnica in Silesia on April 9, 1241 during the Mongol invasion of Europe. The army of Henry II, supported by the feudal nobility, and including Poles, Bavarian miners, and military orders, was roundly defeated by the Mongols.

  17Hospitallers: or “Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta” Christian organization that began as an Amalfitan hospital founded in Jerusalem in approximately 1080 to provide care for pilgrims to the Holy Land. During the First Crusade it became a religious/military order charged with the care and defense of the Holy Land. After the Holy Land was retaken by Islamic forces, the Order operated from Rhodes and later from Malta.

  18Guillaume de Paris: William of Paris, confessor of Philip IV of France; made inquisitor of France in 1305, he began a campaign against the Templars in 1307. Pope Clement V suspended William’s powers after a complaint from Edward II of England, but he then reinstated him.

  19Astarte: Greek form of the name of a goddess known from Northwestern Semitic regions, cognate with the goddess Ishtar in Mesopotamian texts.

  1Baldovinetti: Alesso Baldovinetti (1427–1499), early Renaissance painter.

  2Wer der Dichter…: Whoever wishes to understand the poet must go to the poet’s country.

  3Aretino: Pietro Aretino (1492–1556), Italian author, playwright, poet, satirist, and pornographer who wielded immense influence on contemporary art and politics.

  4Giovanni Pisano: (c. 1250–c. 1315), Italian sculptor, painter, and architect. Son of the famous sculptor Nicola Pisano, he received his training in the workshop of his father.

  5Jacobus de Voragine: or Blessed Jacobus de Varagine (c. 1230–1298), Italian chronicler and archbishop of Genoa. Author of the Golden Legend, a collection of the legendary lives of the greater saints of the church, one of the most popular religious works of the Middle Ages.

  6Chosroes: also Khusro, Khosrau; name of a mythical Persian leader, in the Avesta of the Zoroastrians known as Kavi Haosravah, meaning “of good reputation.” A number of rulers of Persia, Armenia, and the Middle East are known by this name.

  7Emperor Heraclius: Flavius Heraclius (c. 575–February 11, 641), Byzantine Emperor of Armenian origin, who ruled the Eastern Roman Empire for over thirty years, from 610 to 641.

  8Bernardo Rossellini: Bernardo di Matteo Gamberelli (1409–1464), better known as Bernardo Rossellino, Italian sculptor and architect, the elder brother of the painter Antonio Rossellino.

  9Joos van Gent: or Joos van Wassenhove, or Giusto da Guanto (c. 1410–c. 1480), early Netherlandish painter who worked in Italy.

  10Melozzo da Forli: (c. 1438–1494), Italian painter, the first who practiced foreshortening successfully, one of the most outstanding fresco painters of the 15th century.

  11Angelo Poliziano: (1454–1494), classical scholar and poet, a reviver of Latin letters.

  12Oddantonio da Montefeltro: (1428–1444), Duke of Urbino, killed in July 1444 by conspirators in the Ducal Palace with two of his counselors.

  13Cillenio: Alessi Cillenio, pseudonym of Giuseppe Paolucci (1661–1730), poet and member of the Accademia degli Arcadi, an Italian literary academy founded in Rome in 1690.

  1Adieu Paris,…: Farewell Paris. We seek love, happiness, innocence. We will never be far enough away from you. From Gerard de Nerval, Sylvie.

  2Clovis: (c. 466–511) the first King of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one king. He also introduced Christianity.

  3Anne de Montmorency: (1493–1567) French soldier, statesman, and diplomat. He became Marshal of France and Constable of France.

  4Ravaillac: François Ravaillac (1578–1610) was a French factotum in the courts of Angoulême. A sometime tutor and Catholic zealot, he murdered King Henry IV of France in 1610.

  5Corneille de Lyon: (early 1500s–1575), Netherlandish painter of portraits active from 1533 until his death in Lyon, France. In France and the Netherlands he is still known as Corneille de La Haye after his birthplace, The Hague.

  6Jean and François Clouet: Jean (or Janet) Clouet (1480–1541), miniaturist and painter born in Brussels who worked in France during the Renaissance. He was the father of François Clouet (c. 1510–1572), a painter best known for detailed portraits of the French ruling family.

  7Jean Fouquet: (1420–1481), French painter of the 15th century, a master of both panel painting and manuscript illumination, and the apparent inventor of the portrait miniature.

  8Bourdaloue: Louis Bourdaloue (1632–1704), French Jesuit and preacher, born in Bourges. He preached often at the court of Versailles. On the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes he was sent to Languedoc to confirm new converts in the Catholic faith.

  9Julian Przybo: (1901–1970) Polish poet, essayist, and translator, one of the most important poets of the Kraków Avantgarde.

  10Sylvie: novella by Romantic poet Gerard de Nerval (1808–1855) in which a paragraph in a newspaper plunges the narrator into memories of village festivals close to Senlis. He leaves Paris and is reminded of his former love, Sylvie.

  11“J.J. sans argent…”: Jean-Jacques, without money, without shelter, in Lyon and yet without care of the future, often spends the night under the stars.