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Carmina Burana 34: a protest song.
The Carmina Burana contains quite a lot of poems critical of the Church. Though the Reformation was still some centuries away, there were already voices protesting against the opulence and the lascivious way of life of many of the clergy, Often these songs make fun of the clergy and depict them as eating, drinking and gambling all the time, but this poem is more serious and is reminiscent of the protest of Old Testament prophets against injustice. It could therefore well be that the author is indeed Philippus Cancellarius (ca. 1170 – 1236), a French theologian and chancellor of Notre Dame de Paris, as the internet edition of the Carmina Burana at the Bibliotheca Augustana states, though in my paper edition it is anonymous.
Could it be that Pope Francis has this song in mind, now he is reforming the Vatican and tackling corruption?
nam qui pro tuis patribus
deduco deduxi deductum: to draw out
uberrimas lacrimas: very abundant tears
pro tuis patribus: as a replacement for the founders (patres) of your Church
turbato rerum ordine: the order of things being disturbed
abutor abusus sum (+ abl.): to abuse
nec est qui salvum faciat
vel qui iustum eripiat
Infirmitas capitis: the weakness of the head refers to the corruption of the higher clergy which is penetrating the whole body of the Church.
singulos artus: each limb
apprehende –hendi -hensum: to seize
refrigesco: to become cold
ad amorem proximi: cf. Math 22.39 ` Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.’
opprimo oppressi oppressum: press down, overwhelm
qui salvum faciat: who rescues him (the orphan)
eripio eripui ereptum: to snatch, take away
ab impio premente: from the impious oppressor
quod in templum Salomonis
et excelsum sibi thronum
ultio ultionis (f.) revenge
vispillo –onis (m.): (nocturnal ) robber (from classical vespillo: a corpse-bearer who carried out the bodies of the poor at night.)
princeps Babylonis: the Devil
arrepto gladio: with drawn sword
scelus sceleris (n.): shameful deed
ulciscor  ultus sum: take vengeance on, punish
cathedras vendentium columbas evertere! Turn over the seats of the pigeon sellers! (it refers to Matth 22.12: And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, Doves were sacrificial animals for the poor.)
This video contains a (sort of) translation in the description:
And here is a rendition with Timna Brauer and the Isreali-Palestinian choir Voices for Peace:
Posted by Leo Tepper at 10:25 No comments:
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