Alma redemptoris mater (12th
c.)
(performed by Chanticleer)
Loving
mother of the redeemer,
who
remain the accessible gateway of heaven,
and
star of the sea,
give
aid to us falling people that strive to rise:
O
thou who begot,
while
all nature marveled,
thy
holy creator,
virgin
before and after,
receiving
that “Ave” from the mouth of Gabriel,
have
mercy on us sinners.
Radix Jesse virga (12th c.
France)
(performed by Ensemble Gilles
Binchois)
The
branch of Jesse has flourished,
for
the Virgin Mary has given birth to God for us.
Such
was the promise made by God to our forefathers,
and
announced with signs.
Let
an end be made to the suffering of the old law,
for
behold, All the ends of the earth have
seen,
Sing
forth: they deserved to see the Word of the Lord, the salvation of our God.
Stirps Jesse florigeram (12th c. France)
(performed by Sequentia)
Let us praise the Lord:
A
branch has come forth
from
the stock of Jesse.
And
in the flower of the Spirit
rests
the Paraclete.
The
branch bears the fruit
which
gives life unto the centuries.
The
fruit of a mystic branch
of
the stem of David.
The
dry branch has blossomed
and
put forth a flower.
The
branch is the Virgin, Mother of God,
the
flower is her Son and her Father.
To
this flower, put forth miraculously,
the
choirs of saints justly sing:
Praise
and jubilation
to
the Lord of Heaven,
without
end,
the
power and the kingdom
Hildegard
of Bingen (1098-1179)
O
viriditas digiti Dei
(performed
by Sequentia)
You
greenness of God’s finger,
in
which God established
a
plantation
that
shimmers on high
like
a pillar erected,
you
are glorious as God’s harbinger!
You
height of the mountain
that
will never be eroded
in
the judgment of God,
and
yet you stand far off,
like
an exile –
but
it is not in the power
of
the armoured one to seize you.
You
are glorious as God’s harbinger!
Glory
be to the Father and Son
and
Holy Spirit:
You
are glorious as God’s harbinger!
Gautier
de Coincy (c. 1177-1236)
Hui
matin a l’ajournee
(performed
by the New London Consort)
This
morning at the break of day, by lucky chance I rode at a gentle pace through a
meadow. I came upon a little flower of
lovely hue: to that flower which so delighted me I then turned my mind. Then I
made as many as six verses about that flower of paradise: I bid each and every
one to love and praise it.
O,
o, o, o, o, o, there is no refrain like this, in truth, all on one sound. Let
him who who hears me know for sure – he sees amiss, who abandons Mary [the
Virgin] for Marot [the shepherdess].
Whoever
may sing of Mariette, I sing of Mary.
Each year I owe her the debt of a spring song. She is the flower, the
violet, the rose in bloom, which gives out and casts around such a perfume as
entirely overcomes us. The mother of the Lord on high has an exalted perfume
above evey flower. I bid each and every one to love and praise her.
Let
Robin sing of wantons, let the fool sing of foolish women, but thou clerk than
singest of them, for sure thou dost turn to folly. Let us cast aside these
antique pastourelles, these ancient merrymakings, and let us sing new songs,
fine words, fine tunes, of that flower of whom, without respite, the angels
sing night and day. I bid each and every one to love and praise her.
Let
us cast aside all the foolish custom of love which is folly. He who gapes too
much after it pays the price for his idleness. Let us love the fair, the wise,
the sweet, the gentle one who is so true of heart that she leads none astray.
He who fails to love, honour, and serve her must needs damn himself and lose
his soul. I bid each and every one to love and praise her.
Let
us all love the fresh rose, the flower in bloom, in whom the Holy Ghost dwells.
There is no beloved like her. Him who loves and worships her she does not
forget, on the contrary she gives him at the end everlasting life. He who is smitten with love of her has taken
possession of heaven. I bid each and every one to love and praise her.
At
the end I beseech the Queen, the Lady of this world, who is the fountain and
clear stream that cleanses and purifies all, that she wash my orphaned soul, my
foul and filthy soul, so that in the end it may be entirely clean and pure and
without spot. And may she deign to lead all of us here below to the sweet
country. I bid each and every one to love and praise her.
(performed
by Ensemble Alcatraz)
Every
promise that is made to the Virgin, it is just and right that it be upheld.
Thus
a wonderful miracle was performed by Holy Mary in Chartres on a woman who had
promised not to do any work on Saturday because Holy Mary would be angry.
She
kept her promise for a long time, but the devil tricked her in so many ways,
making her cut and sew with her fine silk so her work would be renowned.
And
she did not remember her promise that she would save Saturday, but instead would
sew more on that day than others; she was so insolent on the advice of the
devil and was thus deceived.
But
so that both Jews and Christians might witness the punishment which God through
his Mother wrought, her arms and hands were paralyzed, and crippled she fell to
the ground and lay there for a long while like stone.
Many
cures were tried on her, but without any avail at all; and so then they took
her to many churches, hoping that the saints would help her.
And
when they saw that all this did not help at all, she asked to be taken to the
church at Chartres, and crying before the altar she was so repentant, that she
immediately became healthy: this was a witnessed thing.
Throughout
all the land, those who had seen her crippled and begging gave thanks to the
Virgin, she who always helps the unfortunate, and who because of this is highly
esteemed.
Veni mater gracie/Dou way,
Robin
(performed by the Dufay
Collective)
Stop
it, Robin, the child will weep.
Stop
it, Robin.
Come,
mother of grace, star of splendor,
Visit
us today, full of mercy.
Come
soon, vein of forgiveness,
to
those imprisoned.
Relief
for misery, fount of sweetness.
Remember,
mother of Christ,
how
bitterly you wept;
you
stood close to the cross,
sighing
with sad heart.
Mary,
regal flower, among them all
there
is no woman so excellent.
Singled
out by your son, forgive the sins
of
our flesh.
Oh,
how you spoke with humble heart,
when
you received the words of the messenger Gabriel:
“Behold
the handmaiden of the Lord,”
you
quickly said.
After
that, you bore the true light of joy.
Rejoice,
worthy one, so benevolent,
in
the throne of heaven:
restore
your offspring, prostrated by vice,
to
your Son.
(performed by Sequentia)
Blessed
be thou, queen of heaven,
people’s
comfort and angel’s bliss, maid
unblemished,
mother pure, such as no other
is
in the world. In thee it is very
evident that of
all
women thou hast the highest place. My
sweet
lady, hear my prayer and show pity on
me
if it is thy will.
Thou
didst rise up as dawn divides from
the
dark night. From thee sprang a new
sunbeam;
it
has lit all this world. There is no
maid of thy
complexion
– so fair, so beautiful, so ruddy,
so
bright; my sweet lady, on me show pity,
and
have mercy on thy knight.
Blossom
sprung from a single root, the
Holy
Ghost rested upon thee; that was for
mankind’s
salvation, and to free their souls in
exchange
for one. Gentle lady, soft and sweet,
I
beg forgiveness, I am thy man, both hand
and
foot, and in every way that I can be.
Thou
art soil for good seed, on thee the
heavenly
dew alighted; from thee sprang that
blessed
fruit – the Holy Ghost sowed it in thee.
Bring
us out of the misery and fear that Eve
bitterly
brewed for us; thou shalt lead us
into
heaven – very sweet to us is that same dew.
Mother
full of gracious virtues, maiden
patient
and well-instructed, I am in the bonds
of
they love and all my attraction is towards
thee. Shield thou me, yes from the fiend, as
thou
art generous and art willing and able,
and
help me to my life’s end and reconcile
me
with thy son.