Pæan in honour of Mary's heroic valour

Beatæ Mariæ Virginis Reginæ 

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020)

Today is the Feast of the Queenship of Mary and I have just completed draft 1.0 of a verse translation into English of a poem written by Fr François Poiré in his magnificent work The Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition). 

I had not planned the timing and I am once more indebted to Our gentle Queen and Mother for her solicitude in making this occur. I offer the translation to her as a gift on her feast day, thanking her for everything as well as asking her to intercede for my family, keeping them safe from all harm.*

*[EEKPTEE & EA]

The translation of The Triple Crown has been posted daily (D.V.) since the 1st of May 2024 on the blog of our sister-site: the Rosarium Aureum.

Introduction

The context of the poem is the author's discussion of Mary as a victorious warrior Queen. I decided to attempt an English verse translation using the metre and rhyming scheme of the French original as well as mirroring as far as possible the author’s language and imagery.

Here is Fr. Poiré’s brief introduction to the poem:

"There we have some of the triumphs of our warrior Princess and there too we see her enemies trampled beneath her feet. I feel moved by this to construct a trophy[1] for her and to sing a Pæan[2] in honour of her heroic valour – even though it comes nowhere close to her sublime merits."

Footnotes

[1] A sign of victory, monument or memorial commemorating a victory; Latin tropaeum, from Greek tropaion "monument of an enemy's defeat," noun use of neuter of adjective tropaios "of defeat, causing a rout," from tropē "a rout," originally "a turning" (of the enemy).

[2] "hymn of praise, song of triumph;" in general use, "a loud and joyous song," Originally the physician of the gods (in Homer); literally "one who touches" (i.e. "one who heals by a touch"), probably taken from a phrase or word at the beginning of the hymn, from paio "to touch, strike." 

The Poem

Pæan in honour of Mary's heroic valour

Version. 1.0. by P.B. 2025

If living trumpet can’t be found

To laud this Virgin so renowned,

Or praise her in the highest height,

How may my humble, lifeless quill

All heaven and earth with praises fill

And boldly of her greatness write?

I have no wish, most dear Princess,

To use as proof of thy prowess

Mere earthly things that all are mortal;

To sing of thy divine conquest

Please grant my words be truly blessed

By all that’s heav’nly and immortal.

The Muses’ lyres and voices sound

Too soft to make our prayer resound;

Apollo’s lute doth sound too low:

Our need is for Angelic phrases

Describing in celestial praises

How gloriously her triumphs grow.

To mark within the fields of glory

Her double victory’s splendid story,

Let’s gather flowers, bright and tender;

On Hymettus, they are too jaded

And those on Pindus are too faded

To crown her with sufficient Splendour.

The best of Parian quarry stone,

Which after dressing men do hone

And fix upon triumphal arches,

Cannot provide a proper base

On which to carve with fitting grace

The stories of her victory marches.

Not gleaming pearls spawned by the sea,

Nor gold in all its majesty,

Suffice her feats to celebrate;

They lack the qualities supernal

To match her triumphs sempiternal:

Full timeless and esteeméd great.

The beaches like a golden plain

Surrounded by the azure main

Must bear her arms and eke her name;

The Moon in darkness of the night,

The Morning Star that heralds light

Must spread abroad the Virgin’s fame.

Some things which absent seem to me

When God is here are plain to see;

Since He hath kept a sign of signs

Beneath His throne: the evil features

Of all these wicked, hideous creatures

Arranged below in ranks and lines.

Above, I see this vaulted ceiling,

In crystal sparks the stars revealing:

They form within the firmament

A broad and lengthy astral band

That for her victories may stand

An everlasting monument.

A thousand twinkling starry burgeons

Transparently do shape two Virgins

Who in the centre take their stand;

The one is wondrous for her beauty,

The other wields a sword for duty

To mete out justice her command.

An Astræ she, in courage grounded,

By monsters four hath been surrounded: 

But Crab and Lion are no match;

The battle cometh to a close

With cut and thrust; in deadly throes

She Snake and Scorpion doth despatch.

These monsters, Princess, in their rage

A furious war against thee wage

Until thou dost them overpower;

Their stubborn pride must now surrender

Acknowledging thy triumph’s splendour,

Thy victory’s most glorious hour!

No substance in the Crab is found,

He wanders aimlessly around,

His guide the fickle lights of night;

This stubborn heretic and proud

Bewails the fate wherein he’s cowed

And crushed; how he doth hate his plight.

The Lion is the Demon furious

Who roared with hatreds (all injurious)

And planned to seize the heavenly heights;

But now he’s vanquished, hear him groan

As pow’rless neath the Virgin’s throne,

He harms no more her children’s rights.

The Master of all occult things

Is like a Scorpion when he stings;

And festering with poison vile

He wars against the God of might;

Thy vengeance putteth him to flight

By serving him with his own bile.

Blasphemer: one who plays his part

By poisoning his evil dart

With venom from the blood of Snakes;

He’s powerless, with no recourse,

The Queen of Heaven doth him force

To spew his bile for his mistakes.

Thy victory, O Queen of glory,

O’er evil is a wondrous story –

An evil dark and bestial.

Thy triumphs are for aye preserved,

Their memory in souls observed

And in the realm celestial.

These deadly hammer-blows of thine

Will to their final fate consign

The rest of all thy mortal foes.

The blessed souls who honour thee

Will in thy love dwell peacefully

Til earthly life doth reach its close.

 

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen. 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

© Peter Bloor 2025 

First Anniversary : The Triple Crown

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020)

Today is the first anniversary of a project which started on the 1st of May 2024 to produce an English translation of the monumental work by Fr François Poiré: La Triple Couronne de la Sainte Vierge. Here is a link to the first post.

Below are some powerful and moving words written by St Bernard which are quoted by Fr Poiré and feature in the most recent post:

“Whoever you may be, make this belief truly your own, namely: when amidst the turbulence of this world you find yourself borne away by the storms of the raging sea or when you no longer find yourself on solid ground, be sure that you do not take your eyes off the beautiful Star above if you do not wish to be swallowed up by the waves. When the winds of temptation blow strongly, when you are being forced onto the reefs of tribulation, look up to the Star and call on Mary. When you come up against the swollen flood of pride, or the surging waters of ambition, detraction and envy, look up at the Star and call on Mary. If you are being swamped by a rising tide of anger and avarice, or by the torments of carnal desire, keep your gaze fixed upon Mary. If it seems that the very excess of your sins, the weight of your conscience and the dread of final judgement are making you sink into the depths of sadness and engulfing you in an abyss of despair, remember Mary. Have recourse to Mary every time you encounter danger, distress and tribulation; she should ever be in your heart just as her name should always be on your lips. To be more confident of receiving the help of her intercession, take great care to imitate the good examples that she gives you. By following her, you will never go astray; by imploring her aid, you will never fall into despair; by thinking on her, you will not fall into error; when she holds you safely, you will never fall; when she is protecting you, you need have no fear; when you follow her as your guide, you will not weary; and for as long as Mary offers you her help and support, you will achieve any worthy goals you set yourself.”

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen. 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

© Peter Bloor 2025 

Dear, beloved mother

For Mothering Sunday, I am reposting two poems I wrote :  the first (in 1977) was to honour my earthly mother and the second (in 2025) in honour of our Heavenly Mother. I was astonished to note the presence of the willow image in both, despite a gap of forty-eight years!

Alone sate she

Kirsty. PB c1984

Alone sate she in soft and muted shade,
A fairy child of woodland ferns and flowers,
A slender sylph from Spring's most sacred glade,
A smiling sprite of silent, scented bowers.

Her careless hair was gold as sun-gold corn,
In breeze-blessed streams and tresses lightly flowing;
Her eyes were the smiling blue of a sky-blue morn,
Her cheeks with cheerest roses ever-glowing.

Withal a shape so supple, slim and svelte
As like a willow-sapling's lithely grace;
A light and happy spirit therein dwelt,
Whose dancing smiles did play upon her face.

Upon her lap an open book she lay,
Whose lines she scanned with fond and eager gaze;
Then 'loud the alien words she 'gan to say,
In heart to grave for all her mortal days.

Alone sate she, this darling Highland child,
In woods, in fields, by many a mountain stream;
But now in time long-lived to old age mild,
Of these her girlhood joys she doth but dream.

Envoi

Learn friends, this fairest she, she is no other
Than my own dearest, sweet beloved mother.
 © PB 1977

Seeking Colloquy with Marie

The Virgin of Tenderness >12th century.

To thee Marie, divine Marie:

I fain would pen a verse to thee!

But where or whence or whither be

The theme or thought to sing of thee?

Perhaps a shelt’ring willow tree

That weeps yet gives us graces free?

Or else a lily’s purity

Whose scent is sweet sublimity?

But no, ‘tis in thine eyes I see,

As through a window wondrously,

Thy gentle soul which tenderly

Pours forth a Mother’s love for me.

Envoi

Crave of thy Son His clemency

That I a son of thine may be!

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

 © PB 2025

To be bonere and buxum in bedde and at borde : an Anglo-French Interlewd

The following post contains a recent  exchange of emails with my learned French friend GH who has featured previously on this blog when we were considering Knoxonian Pentelopes. 

PB to GH

Marriage ceremony from BL Royal 10 E IX, f. 195. Picryl.com.

Without extending this email unduly, I would like to share with you a beguiling example of the sorts of discoveries that can be made when seeking a solution to a challenging text. Consider the following (and have a crack at translating into French the highlighted words):

"Quatre choses font un traité de mariage : la recherche des parties, les promesses de l’avenir, la donation des corps, et l’accord des articles proposés."

I was reasonably happy with the first two things – but how are we to translate la donation des corps in concise and "appropriate" language?

I thought I might draw inspiration from the wording used in the traditional Catholic (mediaeval) ceremony. I was fascinated to read the following :

The following is extracted from William Robert Brownlow, ‘Notes on a Ms. Copy of the Sarum Missal’, The Downside Review XIII (July 1894): 137-138:
 

‘The “Ordo ad faciendum sponsalia” differs in some respects from that given by Mr. Maskell in “ Monumenta Ritualia.” The rubric says:

“Let the man and woman stand at the door of the church or in front of the Church, before God, the priest and the people. Let the man stand at the right hand of the woman, and the woman at the left of the man. The reason is because Eve was formed from a rib out of the left side of Adam.” The questions concerning impediments are asked in the mother tongue. If no impediments be alleged, the priest shall inquire concerning the dowry of the woman, but not until the bans have been published three times. The rest is much the same as that quoted above. The bride says:

“I N. take thee N. to my weddede hosebande, for better for wors, for richer, for pourer, in sekenesse and in helthe to be bonere and buxum in bedde and at borde, tyl dethe us departe. And thereto I plyth thee my treuthe.”

(Footnote: The words to be said by the Bride and Bridegroom in this Service are the only words in English throughout the MS.)

Mr. Maskell says :“Explained in the margin of the Sarum manual, printed at Douay in 1604, 'bonair and buxom’—'meeke,' 'obedient.’ Compare in the Golden Litany, ‘By thy infinite buxomness, have mercy on us’ (Mon. Rit., Vol. i, 57).” The reason is given for the ring being placed on the bride’s fourth finger, “because in the middle of it is a vein proceeding straight to the heart.” The wedded pair are prostrate at the altar step while the prayers are said. At the Mass which follows they go into the sanctuary, between the choir and the altar, at the south side of the church, and the woman is now placed at the right of the man, between him and the altar. The Mass of the Holy Trinity is said. And a note says : “ Note, that the odour of blessed incense is never given in the Church to the bridegroom and bride. Hence it is that after the blessed incense is offered on the Altar, if the thurifer goes down to the clergy or laity, other incense is put down and offered to the clergy or laity.” After the Sanctus, the bridegroom and bride prostrate themselves at the step of the altar, and a veil is stretched over them, and held by four clerics in surplices at the four corners, unless either of them have been married before, in which case they do not have the veil nor the nuptial blessing, here called the “sacramental benediction.” This is given after the “ Pater noster” and before the “ Pax Domini.” After the Mass, bread and wine or some other drink are blessed in a little vessel, and they taste it “in the name of the Lord.”

“The following night, when the bridegroom and bride go to bed, let the priest come and bless the chamber, then the bed only, and then the bridegroom and bride in bed,” with three appropriate prayers. He then sprinkles them with holy water, and leaves them in peace. This last ceremony indicates great simplicity of manners.’

Contrary to what modern, depraved fancy might imagine, bonair and buxom did indeed have the innocent meanings that are given: see Post Scriptum below

What a perspective this provides on how marriage was once viewed...
 
I shall conclude with this, wondering whether the French included such words in the mother tongue for their traditional marriage ceremony. 
 
Very best wishes and prayers to you G., and your family.
 
Kindest regards,
 
P
 
 
Post Scriptum : Extracts from Complete OED on bonair and buxom
 

bonair: Well-bred, gentle, courteous, kind, complaisant. Cf. Older meanings of debonair : c1430

Pacient wyfes debonayre,

Whiche to her husbondes be nat contrayre.

 

buxom: the modern and popular association is only with "well-endowed" ladies; the OED gives the earlier meaning as: gracious, indulgent, favourable; obliging, amiable, courteous, affable, kindly. Amongst other citations it includes: c1380 Oure Ladi Marye..was..buxumer to his bidding þan ony hond-mayde.

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GH to PB

I have not found any references to the medieval rituals of marriage in France, but there is no reason to think that they would have been different, since they still are the same.

For "la donation des corps" I would simply suggest "the gift of the bodies".

As for "bonere and buxum in bedde and at board", I would suggest "aimable et accueillante", in order to render the b alliteration by an a assonance. Why "accueillante" ? Because the idea behind the ritual phrase is that the woman must always offer an amiable behaviour and be ready to accept her husband's desires. And for the rest of the phrase, "au lit et dans le ménage". "Ménage" has a semantic field wide enough and vague enough to cover all aspects of married life. It implies "bed and breakfast" as well as the other aspects of married life.

Your text made me think of a medieval song about marriage, giving advice about the success of a "ménage", which says :

Nigaud, nigaud, nigaud, (Dummy, dummy, dummy)

Garde que tu feras (Watch out what you do !)

Garde-toi d'une femme (Beware a woman)

Qui te rechigneras (That will look sour and refuse your advances...).

Here I am expanding the translation because of the implicit in "rechigner", a verb that has entirely gone out of use, but which refers both to a facial expression and to snubbing.

I hope this helps. Please receive all my warmest wishes for you and your family.

All the best,

G.

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen. 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

In Annuntiatione Beate Mariæ Virgine

The Annunciation.

On today's Feast of the Annunciation, we reach the end of our preparation for renewing personal and familial consecration to Jesus Christ, Wisdom Incarnate, through the Blessed Virgin Mary. The inspiration for these consecrations, starting in 2019, has been the writings of Saint Louis-Marie Grignon de Montfort (1673-1716), in particular, his Traité de la vraie dévotion à la Sainte Vierge). The text he wrote for consecration may be found below.

👈The image is from the Llangattock Hours and is by Willem Vrelant (Flemish, died 1481, active 1454 - 1481). reproduced by courtesy of the Getty Centre (Los Angeles, USA).

As a gift to Our Blessed Mother on this great Feast, we offer our compilation of commentaries on the Psalms of the Little Office:

Psalm 8        Psalm 18        Psalm 23        Psalm 44

Psalm 45      Psalm 53        Psalm 62        Psalm 84

Psalm 86      Psalm 92        Psalm 94        Psalm 95        

Psalm 96      Psalm 97        Psalm 99        Psalm 109

Psalm 112    Psalm 116      Psalm 119       Psalm 120

Psalm 121    Psalm 122     Psalm 123       Psalm 124

Psalm 125    Psalm 126     Psalm 127       Psalm 128

Psalm 129    Psalm 130     Psalm 147       Psalm 148

Text for renewal of Consecration (including family members)

 Completed this day after Holy Mass in St James's Church

Spanish Place, 22 George Street, London, W1U3QY

 Laudetur Jesus Christus et Maria Immaculata!

The Golden Lady and her divine Son. St James's church.

Ô Sagesse éternelle et incarnée! Ô très aimable et adorable Jésus, vrai Dieu et vrai homme, Fils unique du Père Éternel et de Marie, toujours Vierge! Je vous adore profondément dans le sein et les splendeurs de votre Père, pendant l’éternité, et dans le sein virginal de Marie, votre digne Mère, dans le temps de votre incarnation.

O Eternal and incarnate Wisdom! O sweetest and most adorable Jesus! True God and true man, only Son of the Eternal Father, and of Mary, always virgin! I adore Thee profoundly in the bosom and splendours of Thy Father during eternity; and I adore Thee also in the virginal bosom of Mary, Thy most worthy Mother, in the time of Thine incarnation.

Je vous rends grâce de ce que vous vous êtes anéanti vous-même, en prenant la forme d’un esclave, pour me tirer du cruel esclavage du démon. Je vous loue et glorifie de ce que vous avez bien voulu vous soumettre à Marie votre sainte Mère, en toutes choses, afin de me rendre, par Elle, votre fidèle esclave.

I give Thee thanks for that Thou hast annihilated Thyself, taking the form of a slave in order to rescue me from the cruel slavery of the devil. I praise and glorify Thee for that Thou hast been pleased to submit Thyself to Mary, Thy holy Mother, in all things, in order to make me Thy faithful slave through her. 

Mais hélas! Ingrat et infidèle que je suis, je ne vous ai pas gardé les vœux et les promesses que je vous ai solennellement faits dans mon Baptême ; Je n’ai point rempli mes obligations ; Je ne mérite pas d’être appelé votre enfant ni votre esclave ; et comme il n’y a rien en moi qui ne mérite vos rebuts et votre colère, je n’ose plus par moi-même approcher de votre très sainte et auguste Majesté.

But, alas! Ungrateful and faithless as I have been, I have not kept the promises which I made so solemnly to Thee in my Baptism; I have not fulfilled my obligations; I do not deserve to be called Thy child, nor yet Thy slave; and as there is nothing in me which does not merit Thine anger and Thy repulse, I dare not come by myself before Thy most holy and august Majesty. 

C’est pourquoi j’ai recours à l’intercession [et à la miséricorde] de votre sainte Mère, que vous m’avez donnée pour Médiatrice auprès de vous ; et c’est par son moyen que j’espère obtenir de vous la contrition et le pardon de mes péchés, l’acquisition et la conservation de la Sagesse.

It is on this account that I have recourse to the intercession of Thy most holy Mother, whom Thou hast given me for a mediatrix with Thee. It is through her that I hope to obtain of Thee contrition, pardon for my sins, and the acquisition and preservation of wisdom.

Je vous salue donc, ô Marie immaculée, tabernacle vivant de la divinité, où la Sagesse éternelle cachée veut être adorée des Anges et des hommes.

Je vous salue, ô Reine du ciel et de la terre, à l’empire de qui tout est soumis : tout ce qui est au-dessous de Dieu.

Je vous salue, ô Refuge assuré des pécheurs, dont la miséricorde n’a manqué à personne ; exaucez les désirs que j’ai de la divine Sagesse, et recevez pour cela les vœux et les offres que ma bassesse vous présente.

Hail, then, O immaculate Mary, living tabernacle of the Divinity, where the Eternal Wisdom willed to be hidden and to be adored by angels and by men! 

Hail, O Queen of Heaven and earth, to whose empire everything is subject which is under God. 

Hail, O sure refuge of sinners, whose mercy fails no one. Hear the desires which I have of the Divine Wisdom; and for that end receive the vows and offerings which in my lowliness I present to thee. 

Moi, N….............................., pécheur infidèle, je renouvelle et ratifie aujourd’hui entre vos mains les vœux de mon Baptême : ainsi que ceux de ma famille, ce que je fais pour eux: E, Em, K, P, T, Ed, & Es; El & Al; V & An.

Je renonce pour jamais à Satan, à ses pompes et à ses œuvres, et je me donne tout entier à Jésus-Christ, la Sagesse incarnée, pour porter ma croix à sa suite tous les jours de ma vie, et afin que je lui sois plus fidèle que je n’ai été jusqu’ici.

Je vous choisis aujourd’hui, en présence de toute la cour céleste, pour ma Mère et Maîtresse; je vous livre et consacre, en qualité d’esclave, mon corps et mon âme, mes biens intérieurs et extérieurs, et la valeur même de mes bonnes actions passées, présentes et futures, vous laissant un entier et plein droit de disposer de moi et de tout ce qui m’appartient, sans exception, selon votre bon plaisir, à la plus grande gloire de Dieu, dans le temps et l’éternité.

I, N_____, a faithless sinner, renew and ratify today in thy hands the vows of my Baptism; and I do this for those of my family, (E, Em, K, P, T, Ed, & Es; El & Al; V & An).  

I renounce forever Satan, his pomps and works; and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, to carry my cross after Him all the days of my life, and to be more faithful to Him than I have ever been before. 

In the presence of all the heavenly court I choose thee this day for my Mother and Mistress. I deliver and consecrate to thee, as thy slave, my body and soul, my goods, both interior and exterior, and even the value of all my good actions, past, present and future; leaving to thee the entire and full right of disposing of me, and all that belongs to me, without exception, according to thy good pleasure, for the greater glory of God in time and in eternity. 

Recevez, ô Vierge bénigne, cette petite offrande de mon esclavage, en l’honneur et union de la soumission que la Sagesse éternelle a bien voulu avoir de votre maternité, en hommage de la puissance que vous avez tous deux sur ce petit vermisseau et ce misérable pécheur ; en action de grâces des privilèges dont la sainte Trinité vous a favorisée.

Receive, O benignant Virgin, this little offering of my slavery, in honour of, and in union with, that subjection which the Eternal Wisdom deigned to have to thy maternity; in homage to the power which both of you have over this poor sinner, and in thanksgiving for the privileges with which the Holy Trinity has favoured thee.

Je proteste que je veux désormais, comme votre véritable esclave, chercher votre honneur et vous obéir en toutes choses.

I declare that I wish henceforth, as thy true slave, to seek thy honor and to obey thee in all things.

Ô Mère admirable, présentez-moi à votre cher Fils, en qualité d’esclave éternel, afin que, m’ayant racheté par vous, il me reçoive par vous.

Ô Mère de miséricorde, faites-moi la grâce d’obtenir la vraie Sagesse de Dieu, et de me mettre pour cela au nombre de ceux que vous aimez, que vous enseignez, que vous nourrissez et protégez comme vos enfants et vos esclaves. [Veuillez mettre à ce nombre les membres de ma famille: E, Em, K, P, T, Ed, & Es; El & Al; V & An]

Ô Vierge fidèle, rendez-moi en toutes choses un si parfait disciple, imitateur et esclave de la Sagesse incarnée, Jésus-Christ votre Fils, que j’arrive, par votre intercession, et à votre exemple, à la plénitude de son âge sur la terre et de sa gloire dans les cieux.

Ainsi soit-il !

O admirable Mother, present me to thy dear Son as His eternal slave, so that as He has redeemed me by thee, by thee He may receive me! 

O Mother of mercy, grant me the grace to obtain the true Wisdom of God; and for that end receive me among those whom thou lovest and teachest, whom thou leadest, nourishest and protectest as thy children and thy slaves.[Please accept in this number the members of my family: EMT, ET, K, P, T, Ed, & Es; El & AHPF; V & An] 

O faithful Virgin, make me in all things so perfect a disciple, imitator and slave of the Incarnate Wisdom, Jesus Christ thy Son, that I may attain, by thine intercession and by thine example, to the fullness of His age on earth and of His glory in Heaven. 

Amen.

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Sancta Maria...

Ainsi soit-il, à tout ce que vous avez fait sur la terre, lorsque vous y viviez; 

Ainsi soit-il, à tout ce que vous faites à présent dans le ciel; 

Ainsi soit-il, à tout ce que vous faites en mon âme, afin qu’il n’y ait que vous à glorifier pleinement Jésus en moi pendant le temps et l’éternité.

Ainsi soit-il.

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

Ad Jesum per te, Maria : 33/33

The Psalms of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary

By way of preparation for the great Feast of the Annunciation, I have been posting a daily commentary on each of the Psalms of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin. The commentary includes text published by Father Ethelred L. Taunton in 1903.

 

 King David, author of the Psalms, by
Willem Vrelant, Bruges, Belgium.

Here are links to each of the Psalms we have posted :

Psalm 8 : Psalm 18 : Psalm 23 : Psalm 44 : Psalm 45 

Psalm 53 : Psalm 62 :Psalm 84 : Psalm 86 : Psalm 92 

Psalm 94 : Psalm 95 : Psalm 96 : Psalm 97 : Psalm 99

Psalm 109 : Psalm 112 : Psalm 116 : Psalm 119 : Psalm 120

Psalm 121 : Psalm 122 : Psalm 123 : Psalm 124 : Psalm 125

Psalm 126 : Psalm 127 : Psalm 128 : Psalm 129 : Psalm 130

Psalm 147 : Psalm 148

 

Prayers 

The following prayers follow the model written by St Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort and are recited in preparation for the renewal of consecration* to Lord Jesus Christ our King, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, on the Feast of the Annunciation. *PEEKPTEE&A[E]

Litany of the Holy Ghost 
Litaniæ Sanctissimi Nominis Iesu 
Ave Maris Stella 

Rosarium Aureum 

Prayer to Mary by St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort (see below) 

Je me donne tout à vous o Marie… je vous prends pour tout mon bien.

I give all myself to you, O Mary... I take you for all that is good for me.

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Oraison à Jésus (de Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort)

St. Louis De Montfort's Prayer to Jesus

Mon aimable Jésus, permettez-moi de m’adresser à vous pour vous témoigner la reconnaissance où je suis de la grâce que vous m’avez faite, en me donnant à votre sainte Mère par la dévotion de l’esclavage, pour être mon avocate auprès de votre Majesté, et mon supplément universel dans ma très grande misère.

O most loving Jesus, deign to let me pour forth my gratitude before Thee, for the grace Thou hast bestowed upon me in giving me to Thy holy Mother through the devotion of Holy Bondage, that she may be my advocate in the presence of Thy majesty and my support in my extreme misery. 

Hélas! Seigneur, je suis si misérable que, sans cette bonne Mère, je serais infailliblement perdu. Oui, Marie m’est nécessaire auprès de vous, partout:

⮚ nécessaire pour vous calmer dans votre juste colère, puisque je vous ai tant offensé tous les jours;

⮚ nécessaire pour arrêter les châtiments éternels de votre justice que je mérite;

⮚ nécessaire pour vous regarder, pour vous parler, vous prier, vous approcher et vous plaire;

⮚ nécessaire pour sauver mon âme et celle des autres;

⮚ nécessaire, en un mot, pour faire toujours votre sainte volonté et procurer en tout votre plus grande gloire.

Alas, O Lord! I am so wretched that without this dear Mother I should be certainly lost. Yes, Mary is necessary for me at Thy side and everywhere: that she may appease Thy just wrath, because I have so often offended Thee; that she may save me from the eternal punishment of Thy justice, which I deserve; that she may contemplate Thee, speak to Thee, pray to Thee, approach Thee and please Thee; that she may help me to save my soul and the souls of others; in short, Mary is necessary for me that I may always do Thy holy will and seek Thy greater glory in all things.

 

Ah! que ne puis-je publier par tout l’univers cette miséricorde que vous avez eue envers moi! Que tout le monde ne connaît-il que, sans Marie, je serais déjà damné! Que ne puis-je rendre de dignes actions de grâces d’un si grand bienfait! Marie est en moi, haec facta es mihi. Oh! quel trésor! Oh! quelle consolation! Et je ne serais pas, après cela, tout à elle! Oh! quelle ingratitude, mon cher Sauveur! Envoyez-moi plutôt la mort que ce malheur m’arrive: car j’aime mieux mourir que de vivre sans être tout à Marie.

Ah, would that I could proclaim throughout the whole world the mercy that Thou hast shown to me! Would that everyone might know I should be already damned, were it not for Mary! Would that I might offer worthy thanksgiving for so great a blessing! Mary is in me. Oh, what a treasure! Oh, what a consolation! And shall I not be entirely hers'? Oh, what ingratitude! My dear Saviour, send me death rather than such a calamity, for I would rather die than live without belonging entirely to Mary. 

Je l’ai mille et mille fois prise pour tout mon bien avec saint Jean l’Evangéliste, au pied de la croix et je me suis autant de fois donné à elle; mais, si je ne l’ai pas encore bien fait selon vos désirs, mon cher Jésus, je le fais maintenant comme vous le voulez que je le fasse; et si vous voyez en mon âme et mon corps quelque chose qui n’appartienne pas à cette auguste Princesse, je vous prie de me l’arracher et de le jeter loin de moi, puisque, n’étant pas à Marie, il est indigne de vous.

With St. John the Evangelist at the foot of the Cross, I have taken her a thousand times for my own and as many times have given myself to her; but if I have not yet done it as Thou, dear Jesus, dost wish, I now renew this offering as Thou dost desire me to renew it. And if Thou seest in my soul or my body anything that does not belong to this august princess, I pray Thee to take it and cast it far from me, for whatever in me does not belong to Mary is unworthy of Thee. 

Ô Saint-Esprit! Accordez-moi toutes ces grâces et plantez, arrosez et cultivez en mon âme l’aimable Marie, qui est l’Arbre de vie véritable, afin qu’il croisse, qu’il fleurisse et apporte du fruit de vie avec abondance.

O Holy Spirit, grant me all these graces. Plant in my soul the Tree of true Life, which is Mary; cultivate it and tend it so that it may grow and blossom and bring forth the fruit of life in abundance.

Ô Saint-Esprit! Donnez-moi une grande dévotion et un grand penchant vers votre divine Epouse, un grand appui sur son sein maternel et un recours continuel à sa miséricorde, afin qu’en elle vous formiez en moi Jésus-Christ au naturel, grand et puissant, jusqu’à la plénitude de son âge parfait. Ainsi soit-il.

O Holy Spirit, give me great devotion to Mary, Thy faithful spouse; give me great confidence in her maternal heart and an abiding refuge in her mercy, so that by her Thou mayest truly form in me Jesus Christ, great and mighty, unto the fullness of His perfect age. Amen.

Ô Jésus vivant en Marie,

venez et vivez en nous,

en votre esprit de sainteté,

en la plénitude de vos dons,

en la perfection de vos voies,

en la vérité de vos vertus,

en la communion de vos mystères.

Dominez en nous sur toutes les puissances ennemies,

le monde, le démon et la chair,

en la vertu de votre Esprit et pour la gloire de votre Père. Amen.

O Jesus living in Mary,

Come and live in Thy servants,
In the spirit of Thy holiness,
In the fullness of Thy might,
In the perfection of Thy ways,
In the truth of Thy virtues,
In the communion of Thy mysteries;
Subdue within us every hostile power,
The world, the Devil and the flesh,
In power of Thy spirit, for the glory of thy Father. Amen.

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Je me donne tout à vous o Marie… je vous prends pour tout mon bien.

I give all myself to you, O Mary... I take you for all that is good for me.

La seule grâce que je vous demande, par pure miséricorde, c’est que, tous les jours et moments de ma vie, je dise trois fois Amen / Ainsi soit-il:

The only grace I beg thee to obtain for me is that every day and every moment of my life I may say:

⮚ Ainsi soit-il, à tout ce que vous avez fait sur la terre, lorsque vous y viviez; 

⮚ Ainsi soit-il, à tout ce que vous faites à présent dans le ciel; 

⮚ Ainsi soit-il, à tout ce que vous faites en mon âme, afin qu’il n’y ait que vous à glorifier pleinement Jésus en moi pendant le temps et l’éternité. 

Ainsi soit-il.

Amen, to all that thou hast done while on earth; Amen, to all that thou art now doing in Heaven; Amen, to all that thou art doing in my soul, so that thou alone mayest fully glorify Jesus in me for time and eternity. Amen.

The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.