A Love Song By Galician Troubadour Martin Codax. Thirteenth Century

A young girl sings a “cantar de amigo,“ (Lover’s Song) a kind of love song to be sung by a girl lying in wait for her lover to appear. The word “amigo“ can be used poetically in the Hispanic languages to mean “lover.“ The song is very pretty, and a fortunate survival from an ancient period. The Galician title is “Mia Yrmana Fremosa,“ “My Beautiful Sister.“ While “Yrmana“ clearly is “Sister,“ I am not sure, without researching it, the this would make a good translation of the word as used here, any more than “amigo“ would literally mean “friend.“ Many words have exclusively poetic meanings when used in ancient songs, owing to the extreme propriety required by the subject matter in that world and at that time. The song is from the album “Devotio: Medieval Spanish Music For The Virgin and St. James.“ The group is Ensemble Martin Codax.