Cantiga means song in ancient Galician-Portuguese language, and there were several types of them. Only a few of the non-religious cantigas have survived with their musical notations, found in ancient manuscripts. The following is one of the so-called cantigas de amigo (literally "songs about a boyfriend"), those in which a female voice expresses a woman's feelings. It was composed by MartÃn Codax, a Galician minstrel from the 13th century. A lady is lonely in Vigo (a town in north-west Spain), feeling sorry for the absence of her beloved:
♫ ♪ "
Oh God, if my friend only knew
how lonely I am in Vigo!
And i am so in love...
Oh God, if my beloved only knew
how lonely it is for me in Vigo!
And I am so in love...
How lonely I am in Vigo,
and no one to keep me company!
And I am so in love...
How lonely it is for me in Vigo,
and no one to keep watch over me!
And I am so in love...
And I have no one to keep me company,
except my eyes that weep with longing!
And I am so in love...
And no one to keep watch over me,
except my eyes that both weep!
And I am so in love..." ♪ ♫
The Love eight centuries ago. Some things never change.