[Kevin Greene]

I didn't know where else this question might belong. I hope people will find my question and comment!

I rediscovered this hymn this morning and I am wondering if its interesting mix of two languages is unique to the church. Do you know of other examples? (I think I'd like to give something like this a try, but it's such an oddity.)

Of one that is so fair and bright
Velut maris stella,
Brighter than the day is light,
Parens et puella:
I cry to thee, thou see to me,
Lady, pray thy Son for me
Tam pia,
That I may come to thee.
Maria!

All this world was forlorn
Eva peccatrice,
Till our Lord was born
De te genetrice.
With ave it went away
Darkest night, and comes the day
Salutis
The well springeth out of thee.
Virtutis.


Lady, flow'r of ev'rything,
Rosa sine spina,
Thou bare Jesu, Heaven's King,
Gratia divina:
Of all thou bear'st the prize,
Lady, queen of paradise
Electa:
Maid mild, mother es Effecta.
Effecta.

The above is one version of the hymn.

[Maryann Corbett]

This mixture is called macaronic verse, and it's fairly common in Middle English lyrics and the other medieval European vernacular languages. All the examples I can think of are religious in some sense (Timor mortis conturbat me comes to mine), but so much of medieval poetry is that. The Wiki page will probably introduce me to some new ones!

[Jerome Betts]

Shouldn't have thought so, Kevin. Here's a seasonal example, a version of the 'Boar's Head Carol',.

The boar’s head in hand bring I,
Bedeck'd with bays and rosemary.
I pray you, my masters, be merry
Quot estis in convivio

Caput apri defero
Reddens laudes Domino

The boar's head, as I understand,
Is the rarest dish in all this land,
Which thus bedeck'd with a gay garland
Let us servire cantico.

Caput apri defero
Reddens laudes Domino

Our steward hath provided this
In honor of the King of Bliss;
Which, on this day to be served is
In Reginensi atrio.

Caput apri defero
Reddens laudes Domino

[Kevin Greene]

And I know that one! (One reaches a certain age...)

Thank you, Jerome!

Kevin

[Kevin Greene]

Maryann, thank you, also! (Make room for me on wiki!)

Kevin

[John Whitworth]

The same hymn may be found (with two more verses) on page 53 of Medieval English Lyrics Edited by R.T. Davies (Faber Paper covered Editions).

[Kevin Greene]

Thanks, John. (I found another version in my breviary, but used the one posted because it was on the Web. And I just can't bear typing from a page as I am a mediocre, two-fingered typist.) I don't have the Davies but I do have Noah Greenberg's An English Song Book. Beautiful stuff in that!

Kevin

[Tim Murphy]

Edith

Non, je ne regrette rien?
Moi, je regrette mon bout!
I fell into love just like you.
They knew, both the women and men,
the boy hadn’t really a clue
what drugs and his hormones would do.
I age, and the tremors were then,
mais moi, j'ai regretter le tout.

If I write about Piaf, I have to make recourse to my primitive French.

[Roy Hamilton]

Hey Tim,

Why don't you comment on the state of our chuch?

Roysie

[Tim Murphy]

Roy, I think our Church is ok, except for contraception and gays. I redid this poem after hearing from Catharine Brosman, whose French is anything but primitive, and after straightening out my head on Piaf, who by the time she was my age had been dead ten years:

Édith

Non, je ne regrette rien?
I fell into love just like you.
They knew, both the women and men,
the boy really hadn’t a clue.

I forget this is now, that was then,
and tears can obscure any view.
So much that I did, I’d undo,
je regrette de près le tout.