Mediæval Poetry in Praise of the Blessed Virgin (Part Ten)

Though it may seem illogical to have as the last poem in this collection of mediæval Marian poetry a lyric that is part dialogue, part lullaby, it needs to be pointed out that, according to Woolf (1968:147), there was a space of at least a hundred years between the beginning of devotion to the Christ Child and the appearance of this devotion in vernacular poetry. The lullaby which concludes this selection of mediæval lyrics is contained in what Brown (1924: xvi - xvii) describes as

     one of the most important collections of religious lyrics . . .,
     that preserved in Joyn Grimestone's Commponplace Book
     (Advocates MS.18.7.21)

The only thing known about Grimestone is that he was a Franciscan friar. The poem in question is a summary of events from Christ's Life and a prediction of His Agony on the Cross and His Resurrection. Though it appears to have little intrinsic poetic merit, being written in simple, unadorned language, it betrays a deep compassion and tenderness on the part of the poet for the Holy Child and His Mother.

      DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE BLESSED VIRGIN AND HER CHILD
      Lullay, lullay, la lully, Mid dere moder, lully

      Als I lay vp-on a nith                                                                      As; upon; night
      Alone in my longging                                                                      yearning
      Me þoughte i sau a wonder sith                                                     thought/ saw/ sight
      a maiden rokking                                                                             rocking

      þe maiden wolde with-outen song                                                   intended without
      Hire child o slepe bringge                                                               to coax her; to sleep
      þe child þoughte sce d(id)e him                                                      wronged
             wrong
      & bad his moder sengge                                                                  bade; sing
     
      'Sing nov, moder,' said þat child                                                      now
      'Wat me sal be-falle                                              10                       will happen to me
      Here after wan i cum to eld                                                             I grow older
      So don modres alle                                                                          as all mothers do

      Ich a moder truele                                                                           every true mother
      þat kan hire credel kepe                                                                 guard her cradle
      is wone to lullen louely                                                                    is wont to lull sweetly
     & singgen hire child (to)o slepe                                                       croon to sleep

     Swete moder, fair & fre                                                                    noble
     Siþen þat it is so.                                                                              since that is the case
     I preye þe þat þu lulle me                                                                I  beg that thou lull me
     & sing sum-wat þer-to.'                                            20                    something about it.

    'Suete sone,' seyde sche,                                                                   sweet son, said she,
    'Wer-offe suld i singge?                                                                     about what should
     Wist i neuere ʒet of þe;                                                                    never knew more of thee
     Beren þu salt Messye".                                                                   the Messiah; shalt bear

     I wondrede michil in my þouth                                                          wondered much; mind
     for man wold i rith none.                                            30                    I knew no
    "Marie", he seide, "drede þe nouth                                                 fear thou nothing
     Lat god of heuene alone.                                                                   leave it to Heaven's God

     þe holi gost sal don al þis."                                                               Holy Spirit; accomplish
     He seyde with-outen wone                                                                 contrary to custom
     þat i sulde beren mannis blis                                                              should bear mankind's joy
     þe my suete sone.

     He seide, "þu salt beren a king
     In king dauit-is see,                                                                             in King David's seat
     In all Iacobs woniing                                                                           dwelling
     þer king suld he be".                                                   40                    there He will be King.'

     He seyde pat elizabetz
     Pat baraine was be-fore                                                                       barren
     A child conceyued hatʒ -                                                                      had conceived
    "To me leue þu þe more."                                                                    better to believe

     I ansuerede bleþely                                                                              joyfully
     for his word me paizede:                                                                       pleased me
    "Lo! godis seruant her am i!"                                                               God's; here
     Be et as þu me seyde."                                                                         Be it done

     þer, als he seide, i  þe bare                                                                   there; bore
     On midwenter nith,                                                        50                     midwinter night
     In maydened with-outen care,                                                               virginity; labour pangs
     Be grace of god almith.                                                                          by

      þe sepperdis þat wakkeden in þe wolde                                              shepherds; down
      Herden a wonder mirthe                                                                        heard; wonderful sound
      Of angles þer, as þei tolde,                                                                   angels there
      In time of þi birthe.                                                                                at the time

      Suete sone, sikirly                                                                                 certainly
      no more kan i say:                                                                                 I can say no more
      & if i koude fawen wold i,                                                                      I could, I gladly would
      to don al at þi pay.'                                                        60                    to do all to thy liking.

      'Moder,' seid þat suete þing                                                                 that sweet creature
      'To singen I sal þe lere                                                                          teach
       Wat me fallet to suffring,                                                                      suffering will befall me
       & don wil i am here                                                                               what I have to do here

       Wanne þe seuene daizes ben don                                                        when seven days are up
       Rith as habraham wasce,                                                                      like Abraham
       Kot sal i ben with a ston                                                                       circumcised
       In a wol trende place 

       Wanne þe tuelue dayzes ben do,                                                          when twelve days are up
       Be leding of a stere                                                       70                    led by a star
       þe kingges me sul seke po                                                                   three kings shall seek me
       with gold, ensens, & mirre.                                                                   frankincense and myrrh

       þe fourti day, to fille þe lawe                                                                fortieth; fulfil
      We solen to temple i-fere;                                                                     shall go
       þer simeon sal þe sey a sawe                                                               where; will say something
       þat changen sal þi chere                                                                       change thy colour

       Wan i am tuelue ʒer of elde,                                                                 When; twelve years old
       Ioseph & þu, murningge,                                                                       weeping
       Solen me finden, moder milde                                                               shall find me
       In þe temple techingge.                                                  80                   teaching.

       Til i be þretti at þe leste                                                                        thirty at least
       I shall neuere fro pe suerue,                                                                  leave
       But ay, ben at þin heste                                                                         always be at thy behest
       Ioseph & þe to serue                                                                              to serve Joseph and thee

       Wan þe þretti ʒer ben spent
       I mot be-ginne to fille
       Wer-fore i am hidre sent,
       þoru my fadres wille.

       Ion baptist of merite most                                                                       John; most deserving
       Sal baptize me be name;                                                  90                   shall baptise Me by Name
       þan my fader & þe holi gost                                                                   then Father; Holy Spirit
       Solen witnessen wat i ame.                                                                     shall bear witness

       I shall be tempted of satan                                                                      by
       þat fawen is to fonde,                                                                              who is eagerly prepared
       þe same wise þat was Adam,                                                                  the way he did with Adam
       but i sal betre with-stonde.                                                                      better withstand

       Disciples i sal gadere                                                                               gather
       & senden hem for to preche,                                                                   send them forth; preach,
       þe lawes of my fader                                                                                the laws of my Father
       In all þis werld to teche.                                                    100                 teach

       I sal ben so simple                                                                                    unassuming
       & to men so conning                                                                                 wise to mankind
       þat most partize of þe puple                                                                     that most people
       Sal wiln maken me king.'                                                                          will desire to make

      'Suete sone,' þan seyde sche,                                                                    she
      'No sorwe sulde me dere,                                                                           no sorrow would hurt me
       Miht i ʒet þat day se                                                                                 if I could but see
       A king þat þu were.'                                                                                  that thou wert king

       'Dowey, moder,' seide þat suete                                                               leave it; sweet one
       'Perfor kam i nouth,                                                             110                I did not come for that
        But for to ben pore & bales bete                                                             be poor/ break the bonds
        þat man was inne brouth                                                                          brought into

        þerfore wan to & pretti ʒer ben don                                                        therefore; thirty-two
       & a litel more,                                                                                            and a little more,
        Moder, þu salt maken michil mon                                                           lament greatly
        & seen me deyʒe sore.                                                                             watch Me die in agony

        Pe sarpe swerde of simeon                                                                       sharp sword of Simeon
        Perse sal þin herte                                                                                    shall pierce thy heart
        For my care of michil one                                                                        for my care of many a one
        Sore þe sal smerte.                                                              120               sorely shalt thou suffer

        Samfuly for i sal deyʒe                                                                             shamefully
        Hangende on þe rode,                                                                               hanging; cross
        For mannis ransoun sal i payʒe                                                                to ransom mankind; pay
        My owen herte blode.'                                                                               my own heart's blood

        'Allas! sone,' seyde þat may,                                                                     alas; maiden
        'Siþen þat it is so,                                                                                       since this is
        Worto sal i biden þat day                                                                           why must I live till then
        To beren þe to þis wo?'                                                                              to bring; woe

        'Moder,' he saide, 'tak et lithe                                                                   be at ease
        For liuen i sal a-ʒeyne,                                                             130             I shall live again
        & in þi kinde þoru my mith,                                                                        in thy nature; power
        for elles i wrouthte in weyne.                                                                      else; have striven; vain

        To my fader I sal wende                                                                              go
        In myn manhed to heuene;                                                                          in My Human Nature
        þe holi gost sal þe sende                                                                             the Holy Spirit
        With hise sondes seuene.                                                                            seven gifts.

        I sal þe taken wan time is                                                                            fetch; in due course
        To me at þe laste,                                                                                         to Me in the end
        to ben with me moder in blis-
        Al þis þan haue i caste.                                                             140             predicted

        Al þis werld demen i sal                                                                               world; judge
        at þe dom risingge,                                                                                       resurrection
        Suete moder, here is al
        þat i wile nou singge.' 

        Sertynly, þis sithe i say                                                                                 certainly; sight I saw
        þis song i herde singge,                                                                                 I heard being sung
        Als i lay þis zolis-day                                                                                    Christmas Day.
        Alone in my longingge.                                                                                  yearning.

The poet's repetition of his being alone in (his) longingge (2;148) emphasises the pangs of loneliness experienced by himself particularly at Christmas, the family feast, since the poem is the fruit of a Christmas meditation. The tenderness of the relationship between Jesus and Mary is emphasised by the repetitive use of the word suete (17;20) in their address to one another. The poem is a lengthy one, which may have been written as part of a Christmas production.

Perhaps Grimestone, being a Franciscan friar, was attempting to enkindle devotion to the Christ Child, as it is St Francis of Assisi who is believed to have introduced the Christmas crib into the Catholic Church, and who in the Franciscan Order which he founded introduced a spirituality which, while it preached spiritual and material poverty and asceticism as ideals for which to strive, is unsparing in warmth, kindness and spontaneity.

Dr Luky Whittle

Image by Catherine Nicolette



      

Mediæval Poetry in Praise of the Blessed Virgin (Part Nine)

A similar confidence may be discerned in the poems purporting to be discussions between Christ on the cross and the Blessed Virgin at its foot, some of which are direct translations from the Latin.
For instance, the introduction to The Blessed Virgin to her Son on the Cross reads:

     Crisostomus et ymaginatur de planctu virginis quod beata 
     virgo stat sub cruce dicens filio suo sic O fili agnosce 
     matrem, &c.

     [Chrysostom imagines the plaint of the Virgin when the 
       Blessed Virgin stands under the cross, saying to her Son: 
       'O Son, acknowledge the mother . . .' etc.]

Brown (1924:285) writes;
       I have not been able to find the Latin original of these lines among the works of Crysostom, but it is to be recognised in (a) passage from the Sermon on the Passion attributed (doubtfully) to St Bernard.

THE BLESSED VIRGIN TO HER SON ON THE CROSS

A Sone! tak hede to me whas sone þou was                            remember whose
and set me with þe opon þi crosse.
Me, here to leue, & þe, hennys þus go,                                   hence
hit is to me gret care & endeles wo                                          woe
stynt now, sone, to be hard to þi moder,                                   cease
þu þat were euer godliche to al oþir                                         kind; others 

Et sicut idem doctor ymaginatur ibidem filius matri conquerenti sic respondet 

[and likewise the same doctor imagines the Son to persuade His mother, as He responde thus:]

'Stynt now, modir, & wep no more                              cease; weep
þi sorrow & þi disseise greuyþ me ful sore;              misery; grieve
þou knowyst þat in þe i tok mannys kynde,               assumed humanity
in þis for mani(s) synne to be þus pynde.                   sins; tormented
Be now glad, moder, & haue in þi þough(t)e,             remember
þat manys hele is founde, þat i haue souʒ t.           healing; sought
þou shalt noʒt now care what þow schalt done           do
lo! Iohan, þi cosyn, shall be þi sone'                            cousin/nephew
                                         (1-12)

From the word cosyn in the last line of the second verse it seems that the poet was under the illusion that John the Baptist was standing beside the cross. This could be a mistake because the Gospel according to Mark (VI:16-28) tells us that he had been imprisoned and beheaded by King Herod at the request of the daughter of Herodias, the king's brother's wife with whom he was living. On the other hand, cosyn could be a term of endearment for a friend, in the same way as the Bible loosely speaks of Jesus's brethren, or as in Afrikaans, even today, a man may address a neighbour or friend who is not a blood relation as: "ou neef" (old cousin).

Whatever the explanation, the poet displays a warmth and easy familiarity in this imagined speech between Christ and His Mother while He suffers on the cross as there might well have been in real life. Mother and Son do not pretend with one another; without subterfuge they achieve the crux of what they wish to say and return natural, unequivocal replies. This indicates that to the poet of mediæval times Christ was a reality and the Blessed Virgin likewise. It shows, moreover, that the mediæval interpretations of poems based on the Latin "Stabat Mater dolorosa iuxta crucem" [the sorrowful Mother stood beside the cross] were considerably less formidable, stark and stilted than the Latin original, reflecting, despite the ever-present sense of pain, the lack of formality between Mother and Son, while simultaneously striking a blow for Christianity by spelling out the reasons for Christ's need to suffer thus.

Dr Luky Whittle

Mediæval Poetry in praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Part Eight)

As we have seen, the Blessed Virgin's five joys have given rise to a number of mediæval Marian poems. Chistians who, even today, recite what is known as the five joyful mysteries of the Rosary meditate respectively on the Angel Gabriels' annunciation, Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth, the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple and the finding of Jesus in the Temple.

In the mediæval Five Joys poems, however, we find several different "joys" described.
The main joys generally include events such as the Annunciation, the birth of Christ, His Resurrection from the dead and the Blessed Virgin's own assumption into heaven, interspersed with other noteworthy events in the lives of Jesus and Mary.
So, for example, in A Song of the Five Joys (Ase y me rod þis ender day), the five joys are described as comprising the Annunciation, the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Epiphany, the Resurrection and the Blessed Virgin's Assumption into heaven. 
In Oracio de sancta Maria: Heyle be þou, ladye so bryʒt, instead of the Epiphany, the poet names Christ's Ascension into heaven; wan þou (Mary) seie [saw] ihesu crist, flour of all mankinne/steye vp [ascend] to heuene (34-35).
Likewise in Oracio de sancta Maria (Heyle be þou, ladye so bryʒt) the poet describes the holy þursdaye (27) [Ascension Thursday] when Mary saw her Son vp-styʒe/hoom in-to heuen so hyʒe (28-29) [ascend home into heaven so high].
In the example given here, likewise titled A Song of the Five Joys, the poet names for his second joy the fact that the Blessed Virgin was left wemles [spotless] and ai sal be [will remain so forever] (23-24).

A SONG OF THE FIVE JOYS

Haile be þu, mari maiden bright!                                                Hail to thee
þu teche me pe wais right:                                                          teach; right ways
I am a sorful dreri wight                                                             sad, dreary creature
als þu mai se
Quer i sal in þe hard pine of hel be                                             when; grievous pain

(M)i sinful saule sighes sare;                                                        soul; sorely
Liued i haue in sin and care                                                         I have lived
Leve i wil and do na mare                                                           believe; more
mi leud(i) fre
Saul and bodi, lijf and dede,                                                        soul; life; death
        bi-teche i þe                                         10                           I commit to thee

þar þu lay in þi bright boure                                                         when; bower
Leuedi, quite als leli floure                                                            white; lily flower
An angel com fra heue (ne toure)                                                  from heaven's tower
sant gabriel
And said, 'leuedi, ful of blis                                                           blissful lady,                                                         ai worth þe wel!'                                                              stay well forever!

Stil þu stod, ne stint þu noght                                                        stood; not refuse
þu said til him þe bodword brough(t)                                            messenger
'Al his wil it sal be wroght                                                             done
in his ancele'.                                                                                to his handmaid.
Leuedi, bi-for þi suete sun                                                            to thy sweet Son
            mak vs lele.                                         20                         faithful

(þ)e toþer ioy i wate it was                                                           other joy; know
Als sun schines thoru þe glas                                                         as; through
Sua ert þu, leued(i) welmes                                                           so art; spotless
and ai sal be.                                                                                forever will be.
Leued(i), for þat suete ioy                                                             for that sweet joy
          þu reu on me.                                                                     pity thou me

(þ)e third ioy i vnderstand                                                              third
Thre kinges com of thrin land                                                         came; three
To fal þi suete sun til hand                                                              to fall before; son
and gaf him gift                                                                              gave; gifts
Mir, reclis and gold red, als                                                            myrrh; frankincense
        it was right.                                              30                          was fitting.

þe kin was riche-þe gold was rede
þe reclis rel til his goddhed
Mir to man þat sal be ded                                                               myrrh; about to die
for vr sake
Leuedi to þi suete sun at ane                                                            unite us
        vs make

þe feird, it is al thoru his grace                                                          fourth; through
Quen he fra ded to lijf ras                                                                when; dead; rose 
Quen he sua hard suongen was                                                        swung so cruelly
on rode tre
Leuedi, of vr sinnes al þu                                                                  from all our sins
        make us fre                                               40

þe fijft, þu was til heuen broght                                                         fifth; brought to
þe iuus þe soght and fand þe noght                                                   Jews sought; found;
Als þi suete sun it wroght                                                                  as; wrought
almighti king
Leuedi mari, be vr helpe at
        vr ending

Leuedi, for þi ioies fiue                                                                      thy five joys
þu kid þi might and help vs suith                                                        show; swiftly
Leuedi mari, moder o liue, wid flur                                                     mother; the living
wid flur and fruit                                                                                with flower
Rose and leli þu sprede ay wide                                                         lily; spread out
         and helpe þi suite                                        50                          followers

Leuedi mari, wele þu wast                                                                  well thou knowest
þe feindes fraistes me ful fast                                                              assail me sorely
wele i hope i sal þaim cast                                                                  sincerely; cast out                              
thoru might of þe;                                                                               through thy power
Quen i neuen þi suete name i                                                              When; call on; I
         ger þaim fle                                                                               cause them to flee                                                                                      
þir iois er said als i can sai                                                                   these joys
Mi site, mi soru, i cast away                                                                position; sorrow
Nu help me leuedi, wele þu may                                                          now; well
and be mi spere                                                                                  my spear
Fra þe har pain of hell þu me                                 60                          protect me
        were

Al þat singes þis sang                                                                          All who sing; song
And all þat ligges in paines strang                                                         lie; severe pains
pu lede þaim right þar þai ga wrang                                                      where they err
and haue merci
On all þat trous þat good was                                                              believe
        born of þe, fait leuedi.

Here, as seen in other mediæval poeme cited in this study such as Marye, Mayde mylde and fre, the devil is often described as the fiend [Middle English: feind, plural: feindes] (52) with the same connotation of hostility as the Dutch word vijand (enemy).
To the mediæval poet, the devil was the enemy because he could only harm, not benefit, his victims.
Bodword [message] (17) is reminiscent of the Dutch boodschap or bode's woord, the word of the messenger; viz Gabriel.
In Dutch, were(n) (6) means avert, defend, rather than the translation !"protect" as given.
A closer translation, therefore, might be: "from the terrible pain of hell, defend thou me".

A sense of deep confidence is clear when the poet begs Mary: þu sprede ay wide (5) [ever spread (thine arms out) wide], manifesting a total sense of easse.
He wants to hide in her arms, to shelter at her breast from þe feindes (52), so that when God in His Divine Justice seeks to punish him on account of his sinful saule (6), Mary will keep him from his just deserts, since he clearly believes that Christ, Mary's suete sun (28) (and) almighti king (44) is powerless to withstand his mother's pleadings.

Mother of Sorrows

Image by Catherine Nicolette

Mother and Child

Image by Catherine Nicolette