Metra quaedam Archipoetae

Abstract

The paper focuses on one of the most eminent poets of the twelfth century. He is called Arch-poet (vates vatum) because we do not know his real name. Only nine poems have been preserved to date, and they can be found in the codes of Götingen and Brussels. The Corpus Archipoetae contains poems addressed to the poet’s patron Reinald of Dassel, arch-chancellor of Frederick I Barbarossa and archbishop of Cologne. One may assume that the poems that have been preserved make up only a part of the poet’s writing. They have been selected and preserved with respect to the person of the Chancellor of the Empire. They can be included within the genre of occasional poetry, almost each of them contains some kind of request of support. This fact, however, does not deprive them of any poetic value or overshadow the great talent, erudition, and individuality of the poet. The preserved poems contain personal hints, so that we can re-construct five years from the life of Arch-poet, his relationship with the patron and protector, his education, and also his unusually interesting personality and individuality.