Austorc d'Aorlhac

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Austorc d'Aorlhac or Aurilhac (fl. 1250) was an Auvergnat troubadour with only one surviving sirventes. He was from Aurillac.

Austorc's only piece was composed after the defeat in 1250 of the Seventh Crusade under Louis IX of France. Austorc was surprised that God would allow this to happen, but not surprised that Christians would therefore convert to Islam. An excerpt goes like this:

Crestiantat vey del tot a mal meza, tan gran perda no cug qu'anc mais fezes; per qu'es razos qu'om huey mais Dieu descreza e qu'azorem Bafomet, lai on es.

[edit] Sources

• Lewent, Kurt. "Old Provençal Lai, Lai on, and on." Modern Language Notes, Vol. 79, No. 3, French Issue. (May, 1964), pp. 296–308.
• Lyric allusions to the crusades and the Holy Land