Mediæval Poetry in Praise of the Blessed Virgin (Part Seven) - Marye, Mayde Mylde and Fre

MEDIAEVAL POETRY IN PRAISE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN (PART SEVEN) 

MARYE, MAYDE MYLDE AND FRE

Scriptural imagery abounds in Marye, mayde mylde and fre, ascribed to William Shoreham, one of the very few named authors to have written lyrics before 1350.

MARYE, MAYDE MYLDE AND FRE

Marye, mayde mylde and free            . . . gracious; noble
Chambre of þe trynyte                              Trinity

One wyle lest to me                                   A while; listen
Ase ich þe grete wyþ songe:                     As I greet thee in sons
Þaᵹ my fet on-clene be                              Though; container; dirty
My mes þou onder-fonge.                         Receive thou my portion


Þou art quene of paradys
Of heuene, of erthe, of alþat hys               that is (exists)

Þou bere þane kynge of blis                      bore the King

Wyþ-oute senne and sore               10       without sin or pain
Þou hast y-ryᵹt þat was amys                    hast set wrongs aright

Y-wonne þat was ylore.                              won; lost


Þou ert þe coluere of noe                           dove of Noah
Þat broute þe braunche of olye tre            brought; branch; olive
In tokne þat pays scholde be                      token; peace; should
By-tuexte god and manne                           between
Suete leuedy, help þou me                          sweet lady
Wanne ich schal wende hanne.                   when I shall go hence


Þou art  þe bosche of synay                       bush of Sinai
Þou art  þe rytte sarray                    20      legitimate Sarah
Þou has ybrouᵹt ous out of cry                   brought us out of range
Of calenge of Þe fende                               challenge; fiend/devil
Þou art crystes oᵹene drury                       Christ's own beloved
And of dauyes kende.                                  David's kin

Þou art þe slinge, þe sone þe ston             the sling; son; stone

Þat dauy slange golye op-on                       David slung on Goliath
Þou ert þe ᵹerd al of aaron                         all the rod of Aaron
Me dreye iseᵹ spryngynde                         blooming when dry
Wyt-nesse at ham euerechon                     take all as witness
Þat wyste of þyne chyldynge.           30      knew; childbearing

Þou ert  þe temple salomon                        Solomon's temple
In þe wondrede gedeon                              Gideon wandered
Þou hast ygladed symeon                           gladdened Simeon
Wyþ þyne swete offrynge                           sweet offering

In þe temple atte auter-ston                       at the altar stone

Wyþ ihesus heuene kynge.                         with Jesus, heaven's




Þou ert Iudith,  þat fayre wyfe                    Judith; that fair lady
Þou hast abated al þat stryf                        diminished all strife
Olofernes wyþ hys knyf                              with his knife
Hys heuede þou hym by-nome          40      head; bereft
Þou hest ysaued here lef                             saved their lives
Þat to þe wylle come.                                   who wish to come

Þou ert hester, þate swete þinge                 Esther; sweet creature
Ande asseuer þe ryche kynge                      Assuerus
Þe(y) heþ ychose to hys weddynge              thee he chose to wed
And quene he heþ a-uonge                           when he captured

For mordocheus, þy derlynge                       thy beloved Mordecai
Syre aman was y-honge.                               Lord Haman was hanged

Þe prophete ezechyel                                    The prophet Ezekiel
In hys boke hyt wytnesseþ wel          50       it is well witnessed
Þou ert þe gate so stronge so stel                as strong as steel
Ac euere y-schet fram manne                       but ever shut to man;

Þou erte þe ryᵹte uayre rachel                     the truly fair
Fayrest of all wymman.                                 women

By ryᵹte toknynge þou ert þe hel                 true symbol; the hill
Of wah spellede danyel;                                of which Daniel spoke

Þou ert  emaus,  þe ryche castel
Þar resteþ alle werye                                    where all the weary rest
Ine þe restede emanuel                                 in thee rested Emanuel
of wan y-spekeþ ysaye.                    60         of whom Isaiah spoke

In þe hys god by-come a chyld                     In thee has God become
In þe hys wreche by-come myld                    vengeance; mild
Þat vnicorn þat was so wyld                          the unicorn
Aleyd hys of a cheaste                                  was subdued by a virgin
Þou hast y-tamed and i-styld                         tamed; quietened (it)
Wyþ melke of þy breste                                with milk; breast

Ine þe apocalyps sent Iohn                           Apocalypse; St John
Iseᵹ any wymman wyᵹ sonne by-gon            saw; woman sun-clothed

Þane mone al onder hyre ton                        the moon under her feet
I-crouned wyþ tuel sterre                 70         crowned; twelve stars
Swyl a leuedy nas neuere non                       Such; as never was
Wyþ þane fend to werre                                to make war on the Fiend

Ase þe sonne takeþ hyre pas                       As the sun penetrates
Wyþ-oute breche þorᵹ-out þat glas             without breaking; glass
Þy maydenhod on-wemmed hyt was             virginity; undefiled
For bere of  þyne chylde                                by bearing; thy child

Nou, swete leuedy of solas                            sweet lady of solace
To ous senfolle be þou mylde                        us; the sinful; merciful

Haue, leuedy, þys lytel songe                       accept; this little song
Þat out of senfol herte spronge         80        sprung; sinful heart
Aᵹens þe feend þou make me stronge          against; fiend; strengthen
And ᵹyf me þy wyssynge;                              grant me thy guidance
And þaz ich habbe y-do þe wrange                though I; wronged thee
Þou graunte me amendynge.                          grant; amendment

The Scriptural imagery, varied only once by a reference to the unicorn (63), the legendary quadruped which could be quietened only by a virgin, covers mainly the Old Testament, though the reference to Emmaus (57) clearly refers to Christ's supper with the disciples at Emmaus after His Resurrection. Referring to the final couplet of the first stanza: Þaᵹ my fet on-clene be/My mes þou onder-fonge (5-6), Brown (1924:256) writes that this is "an obvious allusion to the story of 'Dainties in a foul dish' which is of frequent occurrence in the collections of Miracles of Our Lady."

The imagery conjured up is fast-moving and kaleidoscopic; in one of the more original and effective metaphors contained in the corpus of Marian poetry, the Blessed Virgin is described as David's sling and the Christ-Child as the stone which was shot from it (24-26). By equating Mary, who bore Christ, with characters such as Iudith (37), hester (43) and Rachel (53), fauna such þe coloure of noe (13) and flora such as the bosche of synay (19), William of Shoreham emphasises the belief that the Old Testament was fulfilled by the arrival of the Redeemer and that Mary's womb provided the bridge between the two eras. The unremitting production of Biblical metaphors brings the poem to a climax in which Mary is presented as the virgin who tamed the unicorn (63-64) before being depicted as the woman clothed with the sun, standing on the moon and crowned with twelve stars (68-70). The poem's conclusion culminates in prayer to the blessed Virgin to strengthen the poet against the devil; a prayerful end to a brilliantly conceived and executed panegyric. 



Dr Luky Whittle

William of Shoreham ab 1320 Vicar of Charl-Sutton  https://archive.org/details/poemswilliamsho00konrgoog

The Poems of William of Shoreham http://books.google.ie/books?id=MRNISXqCD-0C&redir_esc=y 

With thanks to Archive.org Poemswilliam and Google
 

Mediæval Poetry in Praise of the Blessed Virgin (Part Six) - An Orison to the Blessed Virgin and I sing of a Maiden

MEDIAEVAL POETRY IN PRAISE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN (PART SIX) - 

AN ORISON TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN and

I SING OF A MAIDEN

In the next poem, which falls under Woolf's heading of verse in praise of the Virgin and imploring her mercies, Mary's stature of brokenhearted mother changes to that of a queen-mother, sharing in the glory of her Son's triumPhant victory over death and sin alike. In the guileless An Orison to the Blessed Virgin, from the first half of the fourteenth century, the poet, presenting himself as an abject sinner, unable by his own powers to control the wantonness caused by his reckless termperament, casts himself on Mary's mercy. Critics of hyperdulia might be forgiven for feeling that the poet in this instance goes overboard in his plea, for rather than cast himself on Christ' mercy for love of his mother, he reverses the process. However, the abject humility of the poem confirms one's feelings that this mistake is not made from a cold, calculated desire on the poet's part to cast aspersions on God's majestic omnipotence. Rather we see the poet as a stumbling, awkward sinner who makes an involuntary slip in his contrite zeal to appease heaven.

     AN ORISON TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN

     Mayde and moder mylde    
     uro loue of þine childe                    for; thy
     þet is god an man                           who
     me þet am zuo wylde                     so wild
     uram zenne þou me ssylde            from sin do thou shield me
     ase ich  þe bydded can. Amen.      if I (may be allowed to) beg

The classic example of the spellbinding effect of "incremental repetition" (Fowler 1968:38) or "repetition with partial variations" (Davies 1978:17), a stylistic device frequently found in ballads, is seen in the following Marian lyric, which is traceable to the thirteenth century and is commonly recognised as a masterpiece of eloquent understatement:

     I SING OF A MAIDEN     

     I sing of a maiden
     That is makeles:                             incomparable
     King of alle kinges                         King of all kings
     To here sone che ches                   for her Son she chose

     He cam also stille                           He came as quietly
     Ther his moder was                        (to) where His mother was
     As dew in Aprille
     That falleth on the grass                 falls

     He cam also stille
     To his moderes bowr                       mother's bower
     As dew in Aprille
     That falleth on the flowr                  falls, flower

     He cam also stille                             as quietly
     There his moder lay,                        (to) where
     As dew in Aprille
     That falleth on the spray                  that falls

     Moder and maiden                           Mother and virgin
     Was never non but she                     no-one but she
     Well may swich a lady                      such
     Godes moder be.                              God's
                                          (1 - 20)

The poet's employment of the simple imagery of a dewy English spring meadow in April conjures up a serene freshness in relation to Christ and his mother while a sense of unpretentiousness is confirmed by the repeated use of the adverb stylle (5) [quietly] coupled with the simile of April dew, falling first on the gras (8) (his mother's environment), then on the bower (10) (her womb) and finally on the spray (16). Mary, by co-operating fully with the graces and talents bestowed on her by her Creator, has achieved a full flowering of her virtues. The tension built up by the use of incremental repetition is dispelled by the simplicity of the final quatrain which, for all its stark naïveté, effectively sets the Blessed Virgin above the remaining women in the world simply because, both mother and virgin, there was neuer non but che (18).

Dr Luky Whittle

    

Mediæval Poetry in Praise of the Blessed Virgin (Part Five) - The Blessed Virgin's Appeal

MEDIAEVAL POETRY IN PRAISE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN [PART FIVE]

THE BLESSED VIRGIN'S APPEAL

 
A fourteenth-century poem in two quatrains offers an alternative to the quiescence of the Blessed Virgin implicit in the foregoing thirteenth-century quatrain. The Blessed Virgin's Appeal is a plaintive cry from a mother who, while she expects no justice, finds her flesh and blood rebelling against the ignominious and unjust treatment meted out to her Son:

     THE BLESSED VIRGIN'S APPEAL

    Wy haue ᵹe no reuthe on my child?          pity
    Haue reuthe on me ful of murni (n) g        mourning
    Taket doun on rode my derworþi child     on/from . . . to precious
    or prek me on rode with my derling          nail . . . to the cross

    More pine ne may me ben don                 cannot be inflicted
    þan laten me liuen in sorwe & shame       to let
    as loue me bindet to my sone                    binds
    so lat vs dqyᵹen boþen i-same                 die both together 

There is an intensity of pain in the plaintive cry of the first line; the incredulous appeal from a mother so 
grief-stricken that she is unable to summon the energy for indignation. Loving her child as she does, she clearly cannot understand how others could treat him with anything less than tenderness. In the second stanza, she strikes a note of firmness; if they have no compassion on her Son and will not take him down from the cross, there is a way they can satisfy their vengefulness and lessen her heartache at the same time: they can nail her to hang beside him. In its depiction of the tender, yearning mother love of Mary for her crucified Son, this poem illustrates the Catholic belief that devotion to the Blessed Virgin is but a step in enhancing the Christian's love for God, so that hyperdulia serves to bring people closer to him, rather than separating them from the Godhead.

As is the case with Sunset on Calvary, the mainly monosyllabic text serves to emphasise the stark anguish of a mother more than any intricately-composed protest would have done. The profundity of the sorrow of the mother who sees her innocent child in torment without being able to do anything to alleviate his anguish does not permit of garrulity. It is all Mary can manage to state her case before she recalls her child and calls him by the tender mediæval term of endearment; my derling (4) ]my little dear]. The counfoundingly unadorned appeal; Or prek me on rode (4) [or nail me to the cross] suitably precedes the words  
with my derling. Whereas her child earns the dignity of so gentle an appellation of praise, Mary's own fate is disdained; being nailed to the cross herself cannot be worse than being forced to behold the child of her heart a prey to this fate. As with reuthe, so too does the Dutch word for derworþi (3) [dierbaar/dierbare: beloved/precious] have a far more heart-linked connotation in the sense of beloved or worthy of love than a simple translation such as   "dear worthy" which could be interpreted as "expensively valuable", almost literally meaning "precious" or of high prize, since the English translation, unlike the Dutch one, by being seen as reducing love to a valuable commodity, appears to attempt to quantify pricelessness.

In the second quatrain the mother contemplates the horror of a future without her Son; a future vision of sorrow and shame. As love binds her to her Son she longs to die beside him rather than remain behind all alone. The compassion of the anonymous poet could not emerge more clearly if it were his own child dying in agony on the cross and he were the parent ordained to witness the dreadful sight. Yet he is absent from the poem - the "I" is Mary - an example of the "abnegation of individuality" to which Woolf (1968:6) refers.

Dr Luky Whittle

pdf; Theology and Poetry in the Middle English Lyric; A Study 
https://ohiostatepress.org/Books/Complete%20PDFs/Weber%20Theology/08.pdf
With thanks to Ohio State Press

Mediaeval Poetry in Praise of the Blessed Virgin [Part Four] - Sunset on Calvary

MEDIAEVAL POETRY IN PRAISE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MAY [PART FOUR]

SUNSET ON CALVARY

A poem which is formally much simpler, illustrating that the mediaeval lyricist does not need to elaborate in order to get his point across, is Sunset on Calvary, a quatrain believed by Brown (1932:166) to have been written in the second half of the thirteenth century. The simplicity of this short poem contrasts with the Latin elaboration found in the macaronic poem.

     SUNSET ON CALVARY

     Nou goth sonne vnder wod                             sets behind the tree (s)
     me reweth, marie, þi faire Rode.                   I pity; thy fair face
     Nou goþ sonne vnder tre,                               sets behind the tree  
     me reweþ, marie, þi sone and þe.                  I pity; thy son and thee

Reweþ (2) calls up the Dutch words rouw [mourn] and berouw [contrition (for sins committed)], leaving scope for more than one connotation. It is a far more expressive word than the English "pity", while "rue" in English has taken on an almost threatening connotation, and "rueful" is often used in a half-humorous context. Rouw for its part has connotations of funerals and cemeteries, berouw of the Catholic confessional. The repetition of the word reweþ (2), therefore, denotes a groaning in spirit, not only for friends and loved ones lost, but also bemourning (be-rouw) the death of Christ in expiation of the sins of humankind, including those of the poet and his readership. It could also mean: "It pains me" which in Dutch would be: "het spijt mij."

The unsurpassable simplicity of this poem is counteracted by the burden of emotion it contains. Rode (2), translated by Brown as countenance, could be a pun on rode [red] and rood [cross]. Each line of this poem is described by Bennett (1982:32) as holding "in embryo seeds that will burgeon richly in devotional verse for four hundred  years and more".

Rogers   (1983:70 - 71), who states that interpreting a poem depends on setting up a reciprocal relation between mind and world, painstakingly explores the connections between the natural objects and the sorrow in Sunset on Calvary in the following detailed description:

     The lyric does not state the connections between the natural
     world and the emotion; but if the poem is to work at all,
     those connections must be made. The mental state, the
     sorrowing, is somehow triggered by the sight of the natural
     objects - sun and trees; but the natural objects themselves
     take on an objective colo(u)ring of sorrow because of the 
     mental state with which they are associated. The
     understanding of the poem hinges on the reader's ability to 
     see the mental state and the natural objects as different in
     their oneness. It is not that the two entities merge
     completely; rather, they are held apart forcibly by the
     syntax and the verse form so that their reciprocity may be 
     apprehended. The sun does not become the Son nor the tree
     the Tree, once and for all in a completed synthesis of mind
     and world. The mind of the work moves back and forth
     between the two poles of its own state and the natural 
     world: the sorrow of the imagined Crucifixion, and the
     presence of the perceived sunset.


Dr Luky Whittle

Breaking News Ireland; Mary, the Mother of Christ and Protector of Life

Breaking News Dublin Ireland
Today up to 15 000 people streamed in from all over Ireland to Protest the new abortion law. Vox Populi cheered as a speaker said, "We are not going away." 

Statue of Our Lady
Everywhere the eye looked, Pro-Life message posters and dedicated Irish citizens stood patiently undeterred by the cool and sometimes softly raining weather. They had all waited for this day as they continue to campaign to have the abortion law repealed.
And, in the middle of the crowd, a lady quietly carried a statue of Our Lady. As prolifers passed, they quietly touched the statue's hand as a mark of reverence for the Mother of God. The message was clear; Mary, the Mother of Christ and the Protector of Life, was here among all as they stood together to Protect the Unborn Child.
Vox Populi carried posters, among them pictures of mother and baby with the words 'Protect them'.
Others gave out leaflets with the posters marking the words "We will not rest until this abortion law is overturned."
The respect for the Sanctity of Life of the Unborn Child in Ireland is paramount.
Innocence continues to be protected; the right to life of the Unborn Child is sacred.

Julie Holcombe
Julie Holcombe sent a video message to the people gathered at the National Vigil for Life in Ireland, encouraging all not to give up hope until the abortion law is overturned. She recalled the tragic experience of her own termination of pregnancy, as 'horrible'. Julie further encouraged the crowds to keep on in the fight for truth, justice and keeping life.

From Kitchen to Kitchen
Wendy Grace affirmed that the people of Ireland will not rest until the abortion law is overturned. Great cheers erupted from the crowd. Caroline Simons from Prolife Campaign spoke with determination and grace, about the people in Ireland. From kitchen to kitchen, the people of Ireland are gathering in their determination to have this law repealed. 

Tradition to St Patrick
"Direct Abortion is an unmitigated evil," speaker David Manley said frankly. David spoke of Ireland's tradition going back to St Patrick, and the crowds listened, cheering from time to time. 

Perinatal Hospice Care
Jennifer Kehoe explained Perinatal Hospice Care, and many in the crowd broke down in tears as the Warner family courageously shared their story (see link below).
As the crowds cheered, waved ProLife placards and sent up balloons, Vox Populi rallied around to shake the hands of Prolife representatives.

Protecting the Innocent Unborn
The Pro Life Campaign spoke of the brave men and women of the Oireachtas who voted against abortion, and whom the crowds cheered and revere as the new icons of Ireland - those who protect the Innocent Unborn. 
Cora Sherlock spoke with inspiration that there is no need for an abortion law in Ireland. Ms Sherlock also paid tribute to Tom O'Gorman RIP who did such dedicated work for Prolife in Ireland. 

Hope for Healing
Lynn Coles of Womenhurt spoke of the devastation that the termination procedure causes in the lives of women. Lynn is a Certified Leader in the Life Impact Network Abortion Recovery Study 'Surrendering the Secret'. For those who live with the pain of a past abortion, there is tremendous hope for healing. All enquiries re this Study are strictly confidential (See link below).

Mother of God is Beacon of Strength
At the end of the day, all streamed home. The right to life of the Unborn Child is enshrined in the hearts of all who came to the Vigil today, and the numbers that came today are - as one of the speakers so aptly said - only the tip of the iceberg.
And, in the Rosaries prayed today and the Statue carried so reverently symbolised, the Mother of God continues to shine among us as a Beacon of Strength.


Pro Life Campaign http://prolifecampaign.ie/
Perinatal Hospice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY7mq1g9pGk
Women Hurt - Facing Abortion Regret, Lynn's Story http://womenhurt.ie/?p=774
Surrendering the Secret
http://www.sbchurch.co.uk/Groups/173371/Strandtown_Baptist_Church/Courses_Events/Surrendering_the_Secret/Surrendering_the_Secret.aspx
Surrendering the Secret - Healing the Abortion Heartbreak
http://www.surrenderingthesecret.com/#!prettyPhoto[sts]/0/

With thanks to Youtube, Prolifecampaign, Perinatal Hospice, Womenhurt, 
Surrendering the Secret

Mediaeval Poetry in Praise of the Blessed Virgin (Part Three)

Photograph by Lumiere Volunteer Britain, used with gracious permission

Although it was only in 1258 that King Henry III marked the emergence of English as an official language, Davies (1978:45-46) dates his collection of mediaeval lyrics from the mid-twelfth to the mid-sixteenth century; from the earliest known lyric composed after the Norman Conquest until the poetry of Wyatt, who died in 1542.
According to Davies, that very first lyric was in fact a Marian hymn, A Cry to Mary, which would fall into Woolf's category of poems praising the Virgin and imploring her mercy, written by St Godric (d 1170), a pilgrim and pedlar who became a hermit, at Finchdale near Durham.

Just as mediaeval poetry contains many words dating back to the arrival of the Saxon invaders, as indeed does modern English, so the influx of the Norman-French aristocracy following the Norman Conquest introduced Romance words into English, particularly for abstract intellectual concepts. As a result of the influence of French and of liturgical Latin, the English language became a richer source for expression of emotion in lyrical poetry, leaving largely words describing basic actions and emotions such as eating, sleeping, singing, swimming, standing, sitting, laughing, weeping and fighting to retain their Germanic strain.
In South Africa, where English and Afrikaans with its Dutch roots are two of the official languages, it is interesting to note how many links Old and Middle English share with Old Dutch, Middel-Nederlands, even modern Dutch, and indeed with Afrikaans. For this reason, some of the more conspicuous similarities in words and in a few cases in syntax will be indicated with their translations in Dutch and modern English.

There is a rather individual example of a pun on the name of St Godric in A Cry to Mary which refers to Godes Riche, God's kingdom or heaven, where Godric wants to go.

A CRY TO MARY

Sainte Marye Virgine                                    holy Virgin Mary
Moder Jesu Christes Nazarene                    mother
Onfo, schild, help thin Godric                        receive; protect; thy
Onfang, bring heyilich with thee                    receive; on high
       in Godes Riche.                                       God's Kingdom

Sainte Marye, Christes bur                           bower/chamber
Maidenes clenhad, moderes flur                   virgin of virgins; flower of motherhood
Dilie min sinne, rix in min mod                       blot out my sin; reign in my heart
Bring me to winne with the self                      to bliss with the same
       God.

For those with a knowledge of Dutch, two words in this translation are open to question, viz heyilich (4) and to winne (8), translated by Davies (1978:51) as "on high" and "to bliss" respectively, whereas it would not harm the sense of the poem if these words were translated as "holy" (Dutch; heilig) and "to be victorious" [Dutch; te winnen], in which case the translations would read: "bring him, sanctified, with thee into God's kingdom" and "bring me to be victorious over sin with the same God" respectively.

The fluid tones of St Godfric's lyric bear witness to the words of Rhys (1913:35), who wrote:

   The Latin irruption through the church door did not wholly
   drive away the old Saxon verse idiom. The Norman-French did
   not break the stubborn fibre of the old tongue. But both
   helped to supple it, and make it more pliant, more
   responsive to the lyric note.                 (1913:35)

This assertion is supported in the Godric lyric by the word flur (6) [flower] for the French fleur in the lyric which softens the Anglo-Saxon moderes (7) [motherhood's] which precedes it. The influence of the Latin delere [to destroy, do away with, strike out, erase, expunge] (Little 1968;474) may be seen in dilie min sinne (7), which Davies translates as: "blot out my sin".

The liturgical Latin heritage moreover gave rise to a number of mixed English and Latin poems called macaronic verse. A famous example, called by some A hymn to Mary follows:

A HYMN TO MARY

Of on that is so fair and bright             one
Velud maris stella                                 like the sea star
Brighter than the dayes light
Parens and puella                                  parent and girl
Ic crye to thee-thou se to me                I; look
Levedy, preye thy sone for me             Lady; pray
Tam pia                                                  so devoted
That ic mote come to thee                     may
Maria

Levedy, flowr of alle thing           10     flower of all
Rosa sine spina                                     rose without thorn
Thu bere Jesu, Hevene king                thou didst bear
Gratia divina                                         by divine grace
Of alle thu berst the pris                      you are best of all
Levedy, Quene of Parais                     queen of para(d) is (e)
Electa                                                    chosen
Maide milde, moder es                         gentle virgin is mother
Effecta                                                   (it has been) proven

All this world was forlore                      (lost)
Eva peccatrice                              20     by Eve the sinner
Till our Lord was ibore                          born
De te genitrice                                       of thee, mother
With 'Ave' it went away
Thuster night, and cometh the day       dark
Salutis                                                    of salvation
The welle springeth ut of thee              forth from
Virtutis                                                   of virtue

Wel he wot he is thy sone                      knows
Ventre quem portasti                             you carried in your womb
He will nought werne thee thy      30     not deny
        bone                                                request
Parvum quem lactasti                            the little one you fed
So hende and so god he is                     gracious; good
he haveth brought ous to blis                us
Superni                                                   of heaven
That have idut the foule put                  shut; pit
Inferni                                                     of hell

Of care, conseil thou ert best                in need; counsellor
Felix fecundata                                      fortunate and fruitful
Of all wery thou ert rest                        comfort of all the weary
Mater honorata                           40      honoured mother
Besek him with milde mod                    beseech; gracious heart
That for ous alle sad his blod                shed
In cruce                                                  on the cross
That we moten comen till him               may; to
In luce                                                     in the light

The repetition of Latin interjections gives this hymn, which may have been written partly as a cerebral exercise by clerics or by scholars with a devotion to the Blessed Virgin, a lightness of touch, while it nevertheless serves to bring the message home. It would have been no mean feat for any person not fully familiar with both languages to achieve the combination of child-like devotion and linguistic scholarship indicated by the reverberating rhyme pattern in two languages. If the macaronic poem does not represent a poet's desire to air his knowledge of epithet and other Latin constructions, the combination of English with Latin might be an attempt to elevate the poem to a higher form of praise by using a grander vocabulary. In doing so, the poet may have endeavoured to show the orthodoxy of the mediaeval religious faith, while simultaneously expressing a profound message of tenderness for the mother of God, rendering the reader vulnerable to the emotion so liberally incorporated in this poem.

There is an interesting contrast in the conclusions to the third and fourth verses; the poet first describes Jesus as a well from which all goodness comes forth, and follows it up by slating hell as a foul pit. Both well and pit are based in the earth; but whereas the well brings forth the water of life, the pit contains the remnants of death. Christ coming forth from Mary's womb brings life to the soul; the devil in hell seeks its demise.

Dr Luky Whittle

Mary and Jesus - the Ultimate Support for Life

 

Photograph by Lumiere Volunteer Britain, used with gracious permission

Mary accepted the Child into her womb
At Merrion Square in Dublin Ireland, tomorrow, supporters of Marian Praise will be showing their support for the Life of the Unborn Child. Mary accepted the Child into her womb, and bore Jesus for the world. 
Joseph chose life over death
Joseph chose life over death, by not denouncing Mary or the Child within her. 
Example of life
What an example of life. What an example of love. 
Spirit of Love of the Unborn Child
In the spirit of Love of the Unborn Child, why not join us there tomorrow?
WHERE? MERRION SQUARE DUBLIN IRELAND
WHEN? TOMORROW, SATURDAY 3 MAY 2014
WHAT TIME? 3 TO 4PM
If you are unable to join us, please pray for all at the Vigil. Prayer is powerful; it is spiritual activism. More can be accomplished by prayer than is dreamed of.
See; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_Cy4TN0dsE