Sail d’Escola, “Gran esfortz fai qui chanta ni·s deporta” (BdT 430.1)

The only extant poem by Sail d’Escola, “Gran esfortz fai qui chanta ni·s deporta”, must have been quite successful with the troubadours since its melody was reused several times. Without a doubt its interest also lies in the fact that it mentions another (or others?) poem in which the troubadour has recourse to the ‘mala canso’, believing, quite rightly, that he may offend the lady who proved to be a bad ‘amigua’. The text is ambiguous: it appears to be a love song asking for forgiveness to a lady who had previously been treated badly, but it also contains hidden threats of abuse, should the lady not show herself to be once more well-disposed towards her lover. This paper will propose a new interpretation of the simile in ll. 5-7, as well as some corrections to the previous edition (Chabaneau).