Tuesday, February 23, 2010

The Lovers of Teruel....

Ok ok....so I went to the beautiful city of Teruel this weekend with my friend Sonia (She is from Teruel) and there happened to be a medieval festival going on. (Don't worry, we planned it, it wasn't dumb luck or anything.) and you can bet your buttons that there will be a blog entry about it....but first I want you all to study the story; the background of the festival....(This way you're not lost later on! See, I'm a good teacher!!) hehe...

(Thanks to wikipedia.....)

The Lovers of Teruel
Teruel, Aragon - 1217

In the city there were two important and wealthy families, Marcilla and Segura. Juan Martinez (also known as Diego) was a Marcilla and Isabel a Segura. The two were in love as childhood playmates but when they were both at an eligible age to wed, Diego's family had fallen on hard times. Isabel's father, being the most wealthy in all of Teruel, forbade the marriage. Diego, however, was able to make an agreement with the father in which he would leave Teruel for five years to try to build his fortune. If Diego was able to gain wealth within those five years he would be able to marry his love, Isabel.

During those five years her father pestered her to marry someone. She replied to him by saying that God wished her to remain a virgin until she turned twenty, saying that women should learn how to manage the household before getting married. Because her father loved her dearly and wished for her happiness he agreed, and for five years they waited for Diego's return.

Diego was not heard from in those five years and so on the day of the five years' close Isabel's father married her to Don Pedro de Azagra from Albarracin. Right after the wedding ceremony there was a commotion at the Zaragoza gate. The watchmen informed the village that Diego Marcilla had returned with great riches and with the intent of marrying Isabel. Diego had not counted the day in which he petitioned Isabel's father whereas the Seguras had.

That night, Diego sneaked into the bedroom of Isabel and her husband and gently awoke her. He pleaded to her, "Besame, que me muero," (Kiss me for I am dying) and she refused, saying "No quiera Dios que yo falte a mi marido," (God would not wish me to deceive my husband) "Por la pasion de Jesucristo os suplico que busques a otra, que de mi no hagais cuenta. Pues si a Dios no ha complacido, tampoco me complace a mi." (For the love of Christ, I beg you to find another, and forget about me. If our love could not please God, then neither should it please me.)

He begged her one last time, saying that he was dying and wished for a final kiss. But still she refused. Upon hearing this Diego could not bear the separation between himself and his love, and with a sigh he died on the feet of his beloved Isabel. When she realized that he died, she shivered. She woke her husband, telling him that his snoring scared her and she wished to hear a story. And he did, and in return she told him her own story. She told him of Diego and how he lay dead beside the bed.

"Oh, you wretched! Why did you not kiss him?"

"To not deceive my husband." She replied.

"Of course," he groaned. "You are a woman worthy of praise."

They agreed on secretly burying him in the local church because the husband feared that he would be blamed for his death. The next day, during the funeral for Diego Marcilla, Isabel showed up dressed in her wedding dress. She proceeded to walk to the front of the church and place a kiss on the man whom she had refused but in doing so Isabel died, falling prostrate on the body of the man whom she loved.


The lover's tombs

So I want you all to study....so when I post some pictures you can have a nice little background picture as to why I found myself in the middle of the 1200's this past weekend!! :)


1 comment:

  1. I'm still waiting to hear about your weekend in the 1200's.

    ReplyDelete