Cantiga da Ribeirinha

Cantiga da Ribeirinha (also known as Cantiga da Garvaia or Cantiga da Guarvaia) is one of the first known pieces of literature in Galician-Portuguese. The poem's date of composition is debated, with some experts placing it in 1189 or 1198, and others claiming it could not have been written before 1200. It was composed by Paio Soares de Taveirós and received its name because it was dedicated to Maria Pais Ribeira, the mistress of Sancho I of Portugal, known as "Ribeirinha."

Using the male I-lyric, the text tells of a platonic love between a poet of low station and a noble and unattainable woman. Although considered a love tune, it is sometimes interpreted instead as a song of derision or slander. Some experts believe that the poem is incomplete, and originally comprised three stanzas, with one having been lost. A recent hypothesis contests the poem's authorship, attributing it instead to Martim Soares de Baguim.