A Poem For Seville

"The Rhyming Verses About Julia Romula"

As it is my birthday, I thought I would post a translation I did some time ago of a curious medieval Latin poem about the renowned Spanish city of Seville. The poem was composed in 1250 by the Benedictine monk Guillermo Pérez de la Calzada, who served as abbot of Saint Facundus (Sahagún, in northern Spain). The poem, dedicated to Alfonso X (the son and heir of King Ferdinand III of Castile and León), was intended to celebrate the Christian reconquest of the city in 1248: probably the most significant city to fall back into Christian hands following Ferdinand’s reconquest of Cordoba in 1236. The poem itself is both a panegyric to the city of Seville and also tells of its history in summarised form, beginning with its purported founding by Julius Caesar as the settlement of Julia Romula, and then moving on to the city’s status during the era of Visigothic rule of Spain (including commemoration of the two renowned Christian bishops of Seville: Leander and his brother Isidore), and then the Muslim invasion and its eventual reconquest by Ferdinand III, while paying tribute to Alfonso X and concluding with a brief lamentation about the author’s own senile state.

The poem itself is based on rhymes in the original Latin, with the poem divided into sets of four rhyming lines. The the metre based on a each verse being divided into 13 syllables, with the first half composed of seven syllables and the second half of six syllables.

As an example illustration, consider the opening four verses, where I have inserted commas to mark the two halves of each verse and highlighted the rhymes in bold type.

glorior in gloria, urbis Ispalensis
quam natura diligens, opibus immensis
ditavit ut fieret, ensis in ofensis
et lustrari debeat, cereis accensis.

In addition, as the author tells us in the preface, the capital letters that mark the beginning of various verses in the original Latin spell out something, namely: “Guillermo Pérez, once the abbot of Saint Facundus, produced this poem and sends it to you, oh king Alfonso, you who reign per the law of the fatherland. May you be ever mindful of him. G {Guillermo}.”

Below is the poem with its preface and conclusion. I have included some annotations with the translation.

To his very serene Lord Alfonso, who by the grace of God is the king as the first-born and heir of the illustrious King Ferdinand of Spain, the faithful Guillelmus, once abbot of Saint Facundus, sends his regards with the kiss of the hands. The growth in your kingdom’s administration is very much desired. To your highness I offer these rhyming verses about the city of Seville, produced by me, and through the sections of these rhyming verses, your royal prudence will be able to notice evidently in which of these verses’ capital letters are the following words clearly contained: Guillelmus, Petri, Olim, Abbas, Facundinus, Edidit, Tibi, Rex, Alfonse, Mittit, Qui, Regnas, Iure, Patrie, Et, Tu, Esto, Semper, Memor, Illius, G.

So if it is pleasing, may your royal highness order that these rhyming verses be noted in the chronicles with this letter, in order to provide a basis for perpetual commemoration. This letter was given at Saint Zoylus in Carrion, in the month of May in the year 1250 AD, which is era 1288. Here ends the letter.

Here begin the rhyming verses about Julia Romula or the city of Seville, from the time when it was founded by Julius Caesar, the emperor of the Romans, until the time when it was recovered by Ferdinand, the illustrious king of Spain.

I glory in the glory of Seville,
Which diligent nature endowed with immense wealth,
So that she should become a sword against the odious ones
And should be illuminated when the wax-candles have been lit.
The name of the city of the cities of the world is changed:
While she is called Julia Romula by name,
And is thus illuminated by this distinguished name,
Her renowned name is lauded everywhere.
Let the distinguished city be proclaimed through heralds,
Let it be declared how fertile and beneficial she is,
And, filled with merchandise, how rich she is,
So that from these things and others, it may be proven how great she is.
She extends far and wide, greatly spread out with spaces,
And firmly strengthened with the enclosure of walls,
Fortified on all sides by sea-like swamps,
Wondrously decorated with towers and thrones.
I have read why this Julia is called Seville:
Since she is in the swamps, she is propped on stakes
And established on stakes to prevent her from being submerged,
And so as Seville is positioned this way, she is given this name.
Thus does the royal city have two names.
The metropolis of Baetica,[i] the bishop’s city,
The general school for the study of literature,
Singularly renowned for its arts and laws.
Bishop Leander, the splendour of monks,
And his brother Isidore, the doctor of the Spaniards,
Illuminate this city and recall the Gothic people
From the error of heresy to the faith of the just.[ii]
Through the benefit of the sea, she is unaware of winter.
She blossoms in spring with golden flowers, renowned for her fruits,
And always bears forth various kinds of precious fruits:
All things are sweet there, while anything bitter is absent.
The bundles of grapes are sufficient, as are the fig and olive.
The enormous size of the fruits, the successive fruits,
The fish and vegetables are in the rich city.
The festive city smells of Paradise.
But who can fully bring forth everything about it?
The city’s companionship, the very pleasant location,
The three golden fruits of her citadel, so serene,
Or the rushing of the peoples, flowing to her like hay.
The Basques of the Pyrenees mountain
Hurry with the Navarrans, smiling upon her.
They fight each other by pulling the hair, and play like criminals.
May my hair be safe from their fighting!
And the Catalans are present, bearing abundant promises!
The rich people of Zaragoza hurry,
As do the peoples of Cantabria, Celtiberia[iii] and Calahorra.[iv]
They are met by Portugal and all the Spaniards.
Toro, Coca, Alcocer, Medina del Campo,[v]
Olmetum and Auria offer their wines to drink.
The land of Palencia comes with her breads,
And our town of Facundina comes with her fruits.
The outstanding royal city of Burgos,
Presiding over the Castilians, and Burgus of Esilia
Illuminated the assembly of Julia Romula after bringing enormous materials.
Julia continually delights in the continual festivity;
The rich city is frequented by groups of Spaniards.
While she is revered by all, adorned by all:
The sweet land is sweetly loved like a mother.
Many orthodox bishops were in charge,
Forty-three in number were stationed here,
All were watchful pastors of the city.
Leander and Isidore were the outstanding ones among them.
Read the councils of the old forefathers,
And their successive synods and their acts:
You will see so many signed names of all of them,
And marked by the hands of the bishops themselves.
Through the Gothic laws and the forefathers’ statutes,
Julia was guided under the rod of virtue.
As long as she was rightly managed with astute sense,
She directed her steps on the path of salvation.
Wondrous things could be said, but it would be a digression
To go into each matter in detail and narrate events,
And the prosperous fortunes of the kings and bishops.
Now let us return to the foreign peoples.
Asians, Libyans, Thracians and Sabians,
Medians and Assyrians, Indians and Chaldeans,
Perians and Armenians, Lydians, Etheans,
Damascene Arabs, Cretans, Idumeans,
Brahmins and Scythians, Rhodians, Hyrcanians,
Syrians, Egyptians and Samaritans,
Massagetians,[vi] Danaeans,[vii] Achaeans, Trojans,
Tuscans and Italians, Apulians, Sicanians.
The brutes called the Britons, emitting brutish noises,
The cunning Africans, the quick Basques,
And the strong Germans, fierce in their customs,
The perspicacious Galicians, fierce by nature.
The thundering renowned Augustan Romans
Embrace Julia, venerating her.
They recall Julius and Romulus in their heart,
They hurry in triremes, crying out Julia.
Scotland with England, Gallia Togata,[viii]
And Colubraria, the poisoned land,
And also Sardinia, poisoned by none:
They bring gold and pleasing spices.
Flourishing Jerusalem, the blessed city,
The Great King’s renowned city marked with the Cross,
Where Christ became renowned after overcoming death,
Has come as the last place to be mentioned, as the prelate of the cities.
By these entities and by others is Julia helped.
She is enriched with all the wealth flowing to her.
Spain reveres her, and glories in her,
And is illuminated by her teachings and customs.
While the city flourished with prosperous outcome,
And obtained fame throughout the world’s regions,
And remained famous, renowned and secure,
And made herself welcoming to foreigners and her inhabitants,
The unexpected anger came upon her.
The very powerful Julian[ix] opposed the king.
Worse than another Judas, he contrived evil,
Through him the ruin of this country was prepared.
It had not been necessary to say, but let it be said anyway:
The Hagarenes[x] sailed over. Seville was ravaged.
Every place in the province of Baetica was devastated.
Evil was dispersed over all the Spanish lands.
They demolished churches, destroyed the sacred places,
And disgracefully converted them to their impious rite.[xi]
While their sordid priests destroyed the consecrated places,
They did not realise how much they offended God by these actions.
In the meantime the Toledan primate[xii] was oppressed,
The bishops of Braga, Tarraco and Mérida were robbed.
The prophane one prevailed,
Boys, young men and old were struck.
The nobles had been summoned by Roderic,[xiii] who was king at the time,
Reigning in the Spanish lands. But as an unjust man
Who became a friend of God in name only,
He succumbed and the Moorish enemy prevailed.
The Goths’ strength was broken.[xiv]The Goths were suppressed,
Their barons and renowned ones were slaughtered with swords.
The sharper their resistance, the harder they were pounded,
For thus were these things arranged by God’s judgement.
The land of the Spaniards was dumbstruck and grew languid,
While the Lord let the sinners’ rod
Cruelly rage against the lot of the just,
So that the glory and kingdom of the Goths would perish.
Those of them who had survived retreated
To the safe places of Asturias. They dwelled in the mountains,
And chose a king from the royal line.
They decided to rebel, which is what they did.
The good leader Pelagius[xv] wondrously rebelled,
And often triumphed victoriously over the enemy,
And reclaimed many areas of land.
Girded with power, he strengthened his kingdom.
Now from that time kings followed in succession,
Who gradually expanded this kingdom,
And routed the Moors in frequent battle:
They sharpened their swords on the Moors’ bones.
Eventually the very serene Alfonso arose,
Who, capturing Toledo, brought back the spoils.
Bringing calamities on the Moors, he waged wondrous wars,
And directed his forces against these people who opposed the Cross.
Amid these men was Alfonso was a very strong warrior,
Another rather brave David, a great doer of battle
Who opposed all the men of Ishmael by all means possible,
A devouring rock, the devourer of the Moors.
He crossed the puertos, hurried to the certain struggle,
Approaching the Amīr al-Muʾminīn.[xvi] Certainly in the end however
The sacred inspiration made the king energetic,
Providing a way through the impassable places as well as sweet consolation.
They did battle at Las Navas de Tolosa,[xvii]
The Moorish leaders and commoners collapsed.
The Moorish king and a few of his soldiers managed to flee.
Thus all who bruised us were bruised.
Such did the Catholic king thwart the Moors,
He powerfully laid low the perfidious Amīr al-Muʾminīn,
He butchered their petty rulers and leaders with the sword.
Since that time these impious people have not raised their head.
We touch on these matters briefly. They have been sufficiently noted,
They have been written in chronicles, not one iota of them
Ever deserves to perish. May the entire series
Be rolled up in a rolled-up codex.
Let us mention the greater riches among these matters,
And let us place at the end the very best things that remain,
So that, passing over sad events, we may resume joys.
Now let us turn the pen to the city of Seville.
King Ferdinand[xviii] was the son of the king of León,
The very honest Alfonso,[xix] who, renowned for giving gifts,
Was distinguished by so many good deeds as long as he held the sceptres
That he should placed alongside the thrones of the heavens.
This king Ferdinand was the son of such a distinguish father
And Berengaria, his fortunate other,
Who obtained the realm when her brother was killed.
She donated it to her son, while evil men were driven away.
The king waged Christ’s battle from his youth,
Liberating the sacred places with God’s power.
He astutely revived the clergy and people:
To each of them he safely entrusted things suitable for them.
The good and brave king increased the kingdom’s glory,
He expanded the empire of his distinguished lot
Up to the sea of Seville, and Xaret after the gates were captured.
He attacked Seville while taking up his position in its gardens.
He had acquired a laurel crown from the famous city,
Patrician Cordoba that is always bellicose,[xx]
A refuge for its own people, bringing loss upon outsiders.
The king had captured this city in a glorious battle.
And the king had done to other cities what he had done to this city:
Capturing Baecia, subduing Ubeda.[xxi]
From Jaén he manfully cast out its leaders.
He expelled the petty rulers and chieftains from their realms.
Africa was dumbstruck, Cadiz was fearful,
Tunisia became very afraid. Tingitania[xxii] was frightened.
All of Andalucía abandoned the suburban areas:
Captured with the maritime areas, it fell throughout the plains.
It is not the purpose of this work to mention in detail
Everything the very serene king accomplished so brilliantly.
Let it please the historians to labour on these matters;
Now it is pleasing to recall the pen to Seville.
An army was raised, a grand conflict arose.
The king approached nearer. His blow pierced the Moors.
The enemy was beaten through continuous war.
Their people were shut in, their supplies grew thin.
This was the refuge for God’s enemies:
A bridge lay hidden from the city, through which
The vile Amorites would get food supplies of utmost importance.
Hence the king and those supporting him were afflicted.
The king ordered a prudent man, the loyal Raymond,
To completely destroy this bridge from its foundation.
There was no shipmaster in the world better than this man.
Raymond, with a bashful face, agreed to this request.
This Raymond of Burgos, the son of Boniface,
With his armed ships and extended sails.
Destroyed this bridge as a sword destroys wood.
Thus was Seville deprived of food and supplies.
The people within, exhausted, wasted away,
Lacking in riches, lacking life because of hunger.
They were shining with their gold and jewels, and anointed with ointments,
But as they were not fed by these things, their health fell into oblivion.
Nonetheless, amid their anxiety, they fought for a long time,
Until hunger wiped out part of the citizens,
And the group of its leaders demanded a truce,
And had a discussion with the king about handing over Seville.
They offered Seville and her people to serve the Christians for free,
With their own people being spared,
And, after giving the city’s fortifications to the king,
They would become tributaries, with collection of taxes.[xxiii]
The king prudently talked about these matters with the leaders,
And discussed what should be rightly done regarding individual issues.
With a set plan, he acted with confidence.
He said plainly to the representative leaders:
“I have sought counsel, but it does not seem right
That the key of Spain should be given to the Hagarenes.
But rather it is pleasing that the city should be completely purged
And completely given back to the Christian religion.
The prudent king forbade anyone from speaking
Against this plan with the intention of revoking it.
But rather he ordered for the exit to be completely blocked off to the inhabitants,
Until the city should be handed over as he had discussed.
Those who survived sent ambassadors:
Licking the king’s footsteps, they begged to be spared.
They handed over their arms and riches to the king,
And with weeping they abandoned opulent Seville.
The king, as he had promised, permitted them to depart.
He allowed them to cross to Africa by sea.
But he saw that many perished throughout the arid land,
As food could no longer help them.
Behold, this is the good day we waited for;
For this we endured heat and struggles.
While we consumed our bodily strength as a price,
We certainly remained joyful because of this confidence we had.
Glory be to the Lord, who soothes our pains
And considers the labours of his people.
He makes those who struggle faithfully become more exalted,
And brings them honours through hard struggles.
This glory should not be rendered to us, but rather to you,
Oh Christ the Most-High King, and it should be attributed to you.
May the three-fold scheme of things be laid low to you.
May you be faithfully served by us.
It still remains to speak of things sweeter than honey.
The king entered Seville with the accompaniment of the harmonious trumpet.
He headed for the royal home, and took rather precious things.
There he established his throne, in a befitting home.
His companions of the struggle subsequently entered.
Each of them boldly entered, as was fitting.
The king rightly donated the wealth and palace as gifts.
The king confidently remained in the royal city.
Many illustrious bishops were in attendance:
Fighting boldly for the country, they had born the burden.
But those who had remained provided aid:
They sent gifts to the treasury.
The king’s first-born crowned son, the skilled Alfonso,
Entered with strength and glory.
The upright father of the fatherland, erudite in all matters,
Modest in customs, preserved like salt.
This son of the king subjugated Murcia,
And bravely smashed the very well-fortified places.
He drove the Moors’ armies far away.
As a prudent man, he behaved in a useful way in all matters.
His renowned brothers are sagacious Frederic,
Magnanimous Enrique, a friend to friends.
May Seville, the town and village, applaud these brothers:
Through them is the rich man cared for, and the mendicant fed.
He has many brothers who are younger:
Manuel and others, and he also had sisters.
When they come of age and become discreet in their manners,
Writers will write of the good things that they will do.
Gutterius, the Toledan primate, was present,
A Nestor in counsel,[xxiv] a Spaniard in arms.
John, the outstanding man of Compostela,
An upright bishop, bestower of bounty, inhumane to the Moors.
The city of Toledo, the capital of other cities, has come.
As has Galicia, the teacher of assemblies,
Aa has fearsome Castile
And the very pleasant land of Asturias, the giver of feasts.
León the realm’s capital, sweet and pleasant,
Giving sumptuous good with her serene face,
An elegant pleader of cases, mild and full of justice,
She frees the innocent, and duly punishes the guilty.
Amid these people come the very keen people of the Sierra,
Lions in mind, mountain-dwellers in their manner of speaking,
Strong in fighting just like the Castilians.
The Sierra’s name indicates that they are inhumane.
There was the pre-eminent one in power, the truthful and faithful one:
The very mild Alfonso, whose heart is in the heavens.
The king’s brother waging war with siege-engines and weapons,
Whom it is right to praise with the melodies of angels.
Going forth from Biscay: Diaz de Faro,
Surrounded by his armies, he came with his shining face.
He resides among the kings. I prepare praise for him.
You will hardly find a man like him, or never or rarely so.
Diaz’s sad brother, the virtuous Nunno,
Came with enthusiasm to fight King Muḥammad.
Roderic’s gracious son Simon,
One of the senior men, was gloriously present.
Through such men and many more does Seville shine,
The Virgin Mother of God glows with her signs.
In her basilica the sacred order grows.
The doctrine of illustrious men rises.
The city’s lap is flourishing, the flowers are expanded.
Leander and Isidore, the doctors of the country,
And their sisters Justa (just in reality and name) and Rufina
And many others are the guardians of the city.
Behold, they asked Phillip[xxv] to rule Seville.
Innocent IV[xxvi] did not deny this to them.
Therefore let the king’s son choose the sacred law,
So as to protect the clergy and people with its wings of protection.
In addition to these things we have said, if we had space,
The discourse would say more things about the leaders.
If anyone were to explain the merits of each of them
The pen would fill a pile of books.
So many are those people in Galicia, and so many in Castile.
Compostela is far away from Logroño.[xxvii]
And Xarez, the king’s storeroom, is far from the Gallic sea.[xxviii]
If you were to enumerate the upright men, it would be a novel matter.
The door of clemency of God who takes pity
Was opened to us on the feast day of Clement.
On that day was the city given to the people of the Christian religion
Arranging everything with the power of God.
In era 1286,[xxix] full of faith,
Glory was rendered through a sweet song
To Christ the Lord King, who granted these benefits.
Behold, we expected the face of the splendid city,
But with our feet covered, we did not know the end.
Let us raise our hands to the greatest Alpha and Omega,[xxx]
So that what he has given may endure, and we may remain safe.
It is less of a thing to acquire something well-fortified than to protect it.
It is more disgraceful to lose what you normally have
Than not acquiring it or being unable to acquire it.
With grief, you lose today what you had yesterday.
For this reason, make amends, be vigilant.
Beware, oh people, of the traps of the Moors.
Remember what Cordoba once did,
And know also the chronicle of Damietta.[xxxi]
So, when Julia is shut, let watchmen be put in place,
And let the horns be sounded at dusk;
Evils are contrived in the dead of night,
Mindful of Ish-Bosheth,[xxxii] let the bars of the gate be fortified.
With the returning title, and the gates then opened,
When the nobles of the king’s cohort arise,
Having first explored the valleys and the gardens.
Let each one then return to the work of his own lot.
Let the great bishop of this city remember these things,
And make sure that what is counselled here is preserved,
Until Tingitania is given to our king,
Belonging as it does to this realm as characterised in writing.
And to lord Alfonso I sincerely suggest
That he should be keen to keep this Seville in a state of peace.
As long as he holds the key, it will be truly prudent to do so:
Then he can take possession of what is shut inside.
Let him judge the great one just as he should judge the weak one.
Let him bring forth the great one so as to preserve the small one.
The high tower contains a rock and a little stone.
He who created the eager creates the grasshopper.
Let him mightily oppress the oppressors of the poor.
May he mercifully provide relief to the orphans and widows.
May he protect the sacred places, and honour them decently.
May he always fear God and ardently love Him.
In ambiguous matters, may the king, the minister of justice,
Debate the particulars, and adhere to the scriptures.
May the pronouncement be clear, and may he do nothing in darkness
Such that he should feel regret, occupied with concerns.
In these matters and others that are suitable for a leader,
Let him who initiated the process bring it to completion. May he increase honour.
Let Alfonso first consider this person governor,
And, after the debt of death, the collator of life.
It is now pleasing to conclude, and put an end to these words.
I am troubled by griefs, and bitter blows.
I do not make use of delights, but mountain herbs:
In my old age I serve myself like a beardless boy.
May the Most High who thus ordained matters be praised.
Behold, this vexation has amplified my sense.
With temporal things utterly despised, my spirit has flown away,
Rising with my mind, it has longed for the abodes above.
Already it is being taken away from me. When you were the abbot of Facundus,
You would enter the assemblies with decorum.
You would gladly grant your expression with gifts.
But there is no one who can even offer you beans now.
These things are true, I say, but joyful poverty
Is pre-eminent over riches like a filled chest.
Till the end, I will always enjoy abundance without fear.
Thus has such derision of my lot been rejected by me.
Receive me, oh Lord, remove me from this life.
Invite me, the exile, to the eternal feasts;
Enrich very poor Guillelmus by bringing him across
To where praise and glory are, where hope has been placed.
Glory forever to the Father who is the creator
And also to his Son, our Redeemer,
And also to the Paraclete, the giver of gifts,
To the One God, the powerful protector of Seville.
Note carefully the capital letters,
Oh reader, express openly what those letters contain.
May you boldly suggest to the king’s first-born son
To deal mercifully with the author Guillelmus.

Here end the verses about Julia Romula or the city of Seville, from the time when the city was founded by Julius Caesar, the emperor of the Romans, until the time when it was recovered by King Ferdinand of Spain and restored to the Christian religion.

---

[i] The Roman name for the region of southern Iberia.

[ii] Referring to the Visigoths’ conversion from Arianism to Catholicism.

[iii] A historic region of north-eastern Spain, named for the Celts who inhabited the land prior to the Roman conquest. My house is located in this region.

[iv] A locality in what is now northern Spain.

[v] Corresponding to Valladolid.

[vi] An Iranian people.

[vii] A term for the Greeks, used in Homer’s Iliad.

[viii] Cisalpine Gaul, now in northwest Italy.

[ix] Referring to Count Julian, a reputed lord of a Visigothic holding in North Africa or southern Spain who helped bring the Muslims into Iberia.

[x] The Arabs/Muslims, referring to their reputed descent from Hagar.

[xi] Referring to conversion of churches into mosques.

[xii] Referring to the fact that in Visigothic times, the bishop of Toledo reputedly held the leading status in the church hierarchy in Iberia.

[xiii] The king of the Visigoths in Spain. His accession was contested and internal division likely played a factor in how rapidly the Visigoths succumbed to the Muslim invaders.

[xiv] The loss of the Visigoths’ strength was a theme of Iberian historical literature at the time. It is prominent idea in e.g. the Gothic History by Rodrigo Ximénez de Rada.

[xv] A reputed Visigothic nobleman who established the Christian kingdom of Asturias in the far northwest of Spain. His ‘rebellion’ is seen as marking the

[xvi] “Commander of the believers”- a title used by the Berber Almohad rulers who were ruling in southern Iberia and the Maghrib at the time.

[xvii] A battle in 1212, traditionally seen as decisive in breaking Almohad power in the Iberian peninsula.

[xviii] King Ferdinand III.

[xix] King Alfonso IX of León.

[xx] As noted, this city was conquered in 1236. Its conquest marked the high point of the three major Latin Iberian chronicles that emerged in this period: the Gothic History, the Chronicle of the World and the Latin Chronicle of the Kings of Castile. The designation of Cordoba as a “patrician” city is ancient.

[xxi] A locality in southern Spain.

[xxii] A region in the northern Maghrib.

[xxiii] Basically a reverse dhimmi arrangement in which the Muslims would now be paying tribute to the Christians while being allowed to retain the right to their lives, property and religion.

[xxiv] Nestor is a figure in the Iliad who is renowned for the wise advice he imparts to the Greeks.

[xxv] A son of Ferdinand III.

[xxvi] Pope in the period 1243-1254.

[xxvii] A locality in northern Spain.

[xxviii] Referring to the Bay of Biscay.

[xxix] 1248.

[xxx] i.e. Christ, referring to a designation for him in the Book of Revelation.

[xxxi] A port in Egypt. It came under Crusader control.

[xxxii] A king of Israel who fought with David.