This post introduces a beautiful hymn, possibly Franciscan in origin, that was brought to Britain by French friars in the 13th century. It appears in Geoffrey Chaucer's Miller's Tale, where the scholar Nicholas sings it in Latin to the accompaniment of his psaltery:
3213 And al above ther lay a gay sautrie,
And all above there lay a fine psaltery,
3214 On which he made a-nyghtes melodie
On which at night he made melody
3215 So swetely that all the chambre rong;
So sweetly that all the room rang;
3216 And Angelus ad virginem he song;
And "The Angel to the Virgin" he sang;
3217 And after that he song the Kynges Noote.
And after that he sang the King's Tune.
3218 Ful often blessed was his myrie throte.
Very often his merry throat was blessed.
[From The Miller's Prologue and Tale, An Interlinear Translation. The Middle English text is from Larry D. Benson., Gen. ed., The Riverside Chaucer, Houghton Mifflin Company; used with permission of the publisher.]
psaltery: An ancient or medieval stringed instrument with a sounding board or box, similar to the dulcimer but played by plucking the strings with the fingers or a plectrum.
Kynges Noote: King's Song or Tune; this has not survived.
The text in Latin
 |
| The Annunciation. Willem Vrelant. 1460s.Getty Museum. |
Subintrans in conclave,
Virginis formidinem
Demulcens, inquit "Ave!
Ave, regina virginum:
Coeli terraeque dominum
Concipies et paries intacta
Salutem hominum;
Tu porta coeli facta,
Medela criminum."
2.
"Quomodo conciperem,
Quae virum non cognovi?
Qualiter infringerem,
Quae firma mente vovi?"
"Spiritus sancti gratia
Perficiet haec omnia.
Ne timeas, sed gaudeas
Secura, quod castimonia
Manebit in te pura
Dei potentia."
3.
Ad haec, virgo nobilis
Respondens inquit ei,
"Ancilla sum humilis
Omnipotentis Dei.
Tibi coelesti nuntio,
Tanti secreti conscio,
Consentiens et cupiens videre
Factum quod audio,
Parata sum parere
Dei consilio."
4.
Angelus disparuit
Et statim puellaris
Uterus intumuit
Vi partus salutaris.
Qui, circumdatus utero
Novem mensium numero,
Hinc exiit et iniit conflictum,
Affigens humero
Crucem, qua dedit ictum
Hosti mortifero.
5.
Eia Mater Domini,
Quae pacem reddidisti
Angelis et homini
Cum Christum genuisti!
Tuum exora filium
Ut se nobis propitium
Exhibeat, et deleat peccata,
Praestans auxilium
Vita frui beata
Post hoc exsilium.
Listen to a sung version here. (Verses 1, 2 & 3)
Notes on Latin vocab
castīmōnĭa, ae, f. purity of morals, morality,
conclāve, is , n. clavis: a room, chamber
cōnscius adj. com- + scio, knowing in common, conscious with, participant, accessory, witnessing
dē-mulcĕo, lsi, mulctum, 2, v. a., to stroke down, to stroke caressingly (rare), to soften
frui to enjoy the proceeds of, to have the use of.
formīdō, inis, f.: dread, dismay, apprehension, terror, fear
īnfringō, frēgī, frāctus, 3, a.: to break in; break
in-tŭmesco, mŭi, 3, v. n. inch., to swell up; to rise
mĕdēla, ae, f. medeor, a healing, cure, a remedy
partus , ūs, m.: a bringing forth; birth,
sŭb-intro, āvi, ātum, 1, v. n., I to go into secretly, to enter by stealth, steal into
vīs, vīs, pl., vīrēs, vīrium: strength, force;
vŏvĕo, vōvi, vōtum, 2, v. a. and n. to vow, i. e. to promise solemnly or sacredly; to devote, dedicate, consecrate something
English translation (1) Modern
1
The angel came to the Virgin,
entering secretly into her room;
calming the Virgin's fear, he said, "Hail!
Hail, queen of virgins:
you will conceive the Lord of heaven and earth
and bear him, still a virgin,
to be the salvation of mankind;
you will be made the gate of heaven,
the cure of sins."
2
"How can I conceive,
When I have never known a man?
How can I transgress
resolutions that I have vowed with a firm mind?"
"The grace of the Holy Spirit
shall do all this.
Do not be afraid, but rejoice
without a care, since your chastity
will remain in you unspoilt
through the power of God."
3
To this, the noble Virgin,
replying, said to him,
"I am the humble maidservant
of almighty God.
To you, heavenly messenger,
and bearer of such a great secret,
I give my consent, and wishing to see
done what I hear,
I am ready to obey
the will of God."
4
The angel vanished,
and at once the girl's
womb swelled
with the force of the pregnancy of salvation.
He, protected by the womb
for nine months in number,
left it and began the struggle,
fixing to his shoulder
a cross, with which he dealt the blow
to the deadly Enemy.
5
Hail, Mother of our Lord,
who brought peace back
to angels and men
when you bore Christ!
Pray your son
that he may show favour to us
and blot out our sins,
giving us help
to enjoy a blessed life
after this exile.
English translation (2) 13th Century
This is a thirteenth-century English version; it can be sung to the same tune as the Latin, and the manuscript (BL Arundel 248) has the music, followed by the Latin, then the English text. See A Clerk of Oxford blog.
1
Gabriel, fram evene king
Sent to the maide swete,
Broute hire blisful tiding,
And faire he gan hire greten:
"Heil be thu, ful of grace arith,
For Godes Sone, this evene lith,
For mannes loven
Wile man bicomen
And taken
Fles of thee, maiden brith,
Manken fre for to maken
Of senne and devles mith."
2
Mildeliche im gan andsweren
The milde maiden thanne:
"Wichewise sold ichs beren
Child withhuten manne?"
Thangle seide, "Ne dred te nout;
Thurw tholigast sal ben iwrout
This ilche thing
Warof tiding
Ichs bringe.
Al manken wrth ibout
Thur thi swete chiltinge,
And hut of pine ibrout."
3
Wan the maiden understud
And thangles wordes herde,
Mildeliche with milde mud
To thangle hie andswerde:
"Hur Lordes theumaiden iwis
Ics am, that her aboven is.
Anenttis me
Fulfurthed be
Thi sawe,
That ics, sithen his wil is,
Maiden withhuten lawe
Of moder have the blis."
4
Thangle wente awei mid than
Al hut of hire sithte;
Hire wombe arise gan
Thurw tholigastes mithe.
In hire was Crist biloken anon:
Suth God, soth man ine fleas and bon,
And of hir fleas
Iboren was
At time,
Warthurw us kam God won.
He bout us hut of pine
And let im for us slon.
5
Maiden moder makeles,
Of milche ful ibunden,
Bid for hus im that thee ches,
At wam thu grace funde,
That he forgive hus senne and wrake,
And clene of evri gelt us make;
And evne blis
Wan hure time is
To sterven
Hus give for thine sake
Him so her for to serven
That he us to him take.
To hear a haunting version of this 13th century Middle English carol, click on:
(3) An extempore rendition of the above text (tbc)
Gabriel from heaven’s king
sent to the maiden sweet,
brought her blissful tidings
and courteously he did her greet:
Free from impairment are you, full of grace indeed.
For God’s son, this heaven’s light,
for love of man will man become, and take
flesh of thee, fair maiden,
to make mankind free
of sin and the devil’s might.
All graciously him to reply
The gentle maid began:
"How ever could it be that I
Should be with child without a man?"
The angel said: "Now fear ye nought,
Through the Holy Ghost there shall be brought
About this very thing
Of which the news to you I bring.
All mankind's safety is wrought
Through this dear child
And out of woe is brought.
When the maiden understood
And heard the angel's word,
Graciously, in gentle mood
To the angel she answered:
"Behold the handmaid of the Lord
Who over her resides;
And may it be
Fulfilled in me
This saw,
That I according to His will addressed
A virgin outside nature's law
As mother may be blessed.
The angel went away
All out of her sight
Her womb then swelled without delay
Through the Holy Ghost's might.
In her was Christ not one
But true God and true man in flesh and bone
And of her flesh
Was born
In time,
Wherefore God did for us atone
And bought us out of pain
And let Him for us be slain.
O maiden mother peerless
In whom sweet mercy abounds
Ask Him who chose thee fearless
Whom heavenly grace surrounds
That He forgive our sin and guilt
And make us clean just as He wilt;
And Heaven's bliss sublime
When arrives our time
To die
He grants to us for thine own sake
So pleasing her thereby
That He will to Himself us take.
English interpretation (4) by Gerald Manley Hopkins
The translation below is a poem by Gerald Manley Hopkins, S.J. (1844-1889), who used the Latin text as a basis for his composition.
1
Gabriel, from heaven's king
Sent to the maiden sweet,
Brought to her blissful tiding
And fair 'gan her to greet.
'Hail be thou, full of grace aright!
For so God's Son, the heaven's light,
Loves man, that He | a man will be | and take
Flesh of thee, maiden bright,
Mankind free for to make
Of sin and devil's might.'
2
Gently to him gave answer
The gentle maiden then:
'And in what wise should I bear
Child, that know not man?'
The angel said: 'O dread thee nought.
'Tis through the Holy Ghost that wrought
Shall be this thing | whereof tidings | I bring:
Lost mankind shall be bought
By thy sweet childbearing,
And back from sorrow brought.'
3
When the maiden understood
And the angel's words had heard,
Mildly, of her own mild mood,
The angel she answered:
'Our Lord His handmaiden, I wis,
I am, that here above us is:
And touching me |fulfilled be | thy saw;
That I, since His will is,
Be, out of nature's law
A maid with mother's bliss.'
4
The angel went away thereon
And parted from her sight
And straightway she conceived a Son
Through th' Holy Ghost His might.
In her was Christ contained anon,
True God, true man, in flesh and bone;
Born of her too | When time was due; | who then
Redeemed us for His own,
And bought us out of pain,
And died for us t'atone.
5
Filled full of charity,
Thou matchless maiden-mother,
Pray for us to him that He
For thy love above other,
Away our sin and guilt should take,
And clean of every stain us make
And heaven's bliss, | when our time is | to die,
Would give us for thy sake;
With grace to serve him by
Till He us to him take. Amen.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam
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