Adenis and Virsise (book)

Adenis and Virsise is a historic book written in the Barzuna language. It tells the story of Adenis and Virsise, two young lovers.

General plot
Adenis was the daughter of an Arab nobleman. Virsise was the son of a poor Catalan merchant. The two were madly in love and were very happy. But one day, Adenis' father finds out she is in love with an infidel. Virsise's father gets word of this and does not want his son marrying an Arabian. The two fathers then devise a series of plots to separate the two, but they either backfire or end up failing. The to lovers, who would rather be united in death than divided alive decide to take their lives together and forever be together, in peace.

History
Adenis and Virsise is an old story originating probably from the 12th or 13th century, when Arabs formed a large portion of the population in Brunant. The story was most likely recited orally. There are many who believe the story to be a true tale and there is some evidence to back it up, but not much more.

The earliest known copy of Adenis and Virsise date to 1370 or 1371. There is no reference to an author, but an "M. Saldes" is mentioned and he is believed to be its author. The best-known of the early editions is the 1512 book, which is one of the earliest printed books in Barzuna and was widely issued.