Invisible input - inspiration

Background

The lyrics on this are by Folquet de Marselha, alternatively Folquet de Marseille, Foulques de Toulouse, Fulk of Toulouse (c. 1150 – 25 December 1231) who  came from a Genoese merchant family who lived in Marseille.

Initially famed as a troubadour, he began composing songs in the 1170s.  He is known primarily for his love songs, which were lauded by Dante; there are 14 surviving cansos, one tenson, one lament, and one invective,

Like many other troubadours, he was later credited by the Biographies des Troubadours to have conducted love affairs with the various noblewomen about whom he sang (allegedly causing William VIII to divorce his wife, Eudocia Comnena),

It then all went terribly wrong.

Folquet's life and career abruptly changed around 1195 when he experienced a 'profound religious conversion' - which usually means he had an hallucination as a result of food poisoning or some other bacterial, viral or fungal cause [I apologise for the cynicism].  Unfortunately those who had hallucinations in those days, particularly unpleasant ones assumed it was a punishment for their former life.  They were often encouraged in this by the clergy who were happy to have as many recruits as they could muster.

He decided to renounce his former life. He joined the strict Cistercian Order, entered the monastery of Thoronet (Var, France), and appears to have placed his wife and two sons in monastic institutions as well.

Overall he became a rather nasty man, and a fanatical persecutor of anyone with even the slightest mystic tendencies, he was particularly unpleasant towards the Cathars.

This poem/song was written when LOVE as opposed to HATE was his driving force and is set to music by Efren Lopez.  It is a little slow in getting going but is excellent once it does get going

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