This great feast of the Annunciation seemed like an auspicious date on which to begin sharing some beautiful Marian poetry! I have long wanted to reflect more on my academic work from a devotional perspective, having been attracted to the subject of Marian poetry because of my love for Mary, and hope to use this space to do so.
Much of the praise of Mary written by the Medieval French and German poets I work on could be adopted as prayers by us today. Today I would like to share a short rondeau by Jean Bertrand, which was composed in 1511, and exists only in a single manuscript, Douce 379 in the Bodleian library. Here is my translation of the poem, and if you scroll down, you can see how I got from the manuscript to my own text.
Clear clarity who illuminates the heavens
Luminous lily full of divine grace
Conceived in purity with great dignity
Pure in all without any impurity
Purely exempt from iniquity
And sinful ruin was your conception
For otherwise you would not have been worthy
To receive the Son of God most worthy
Who took on humanity in you
Clear clarity...
For our good, He truly wanted
To guard your body from all indignity
Reason demanded that which was determined in you
Pure in all...
Lady, you are of grace and the healing waters
For you give the sweet medicine
To good lovers who need it
Their true recourse in all adversity
All devout hearts must be well exhorted
To implore your benevolent grace
Clear clarity...
The poem addresses Mary directly, praising her purity with floral and light imagery which made her worthy of bearing the Son of God. The question of the Immaculate Conception was still debated during this period, which is why the third strophe may read almost like an argument or defence, asserting that reason demanded Mary's absolute purity, as well as God's desire. Finally, we are exhorted to ask Mary's help in healing. The word I have translated as 'healing waters' is in fact 'piscine' in the original, which is a reference to the Pool of Bethesda, but the link drawn between Mary, water, and healing immediately drew my mind to Lourdes, where the baths are referred to as 'piscines'. Even though this poem was written half a century ago, its praise of Our Lady can still speak to us today!
Sadly, my literal translation of the poem cannot capture the effects of the medieval French, where the richness of the rhymes and the use of alliteration and sound patterns underline the purity and dignity of Mary that is foregrounded so strongly in the poem. But I will reproduce my transcription here for those who can speak French: being of the early 16th century, it isn't too difficult to understand.
The above image, from The Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, Douce 379 f75v, shows the first six lines of the rondeau. It took me a while to get used to script in this manuscript! But it wasn't too bad once I had the hang of it. Here I've transcribed the text of the whole poem. I've expanded the abbreviations and added in some apostrophes to make it a little easier to read.
Clere clarte qui les cielz enlumyne
Lyl lumyneux plain de grace divine
Tres dignement conceue en purite
Pure du tout sans quelque impurite
Purement fust exempt d'iniquite
V[ost]re concept et d'infecte ruyne
Car aultrement eussiez este indigne
Pour recevoir le filz de dieu tresdigne
Lequel a prinz en vous humanite
Clere clarte
Bien a voullu pour n[ost]re utilite
Vostre sainct corps garder de vilite
Raison veult donc que l'en vous determine
Pure du tout
Dame estes vous grace et la piscine
Car vous donnez souefue medicine
A boz amans quy ont necessite
Leur vray recours en toute adversite
Tout devot cueur doit bien estre incite
A implorer v[ost]re grace benigne
Clere clarte
When I started my DPhil, I was excited to work on Marian poetry, but as work built up and life became busy, I never engaged with my material devotionally in the way that I had hoped. But as I get ready to go to Mass for the Annunciation, I will take this poem with me to help me think and pray about the great mystery of the Incarnation that we celebrate today: that God became Man, and did so in the body of a woman, taking on all aspects of humanity, making us, too 'tresdigne'.
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