At the end of the 12 century a (young?) monk at the monastery of
Santa Maria de Ripoll in Catalonia (North Spain) inserted a couple of love
poems in some blank pages of a manuscript. It is unknown where these poems come
from. May be he wrote these poems himself. This poem is simple and charming and
I am sure any maiden will be pleased when she is offered such a poem!
Sidus clarum
puellarum,
flos et decus omnium,
rosa veris,
quae videris
clarior quam lilium.
sidus sideris (n): star
decus, oris (n): splendour, beauty
ver veris (n): spring
Tui forma
me de norma
regulari proiicit.
Tuus visus
atque risus
Veneri me subicit.
de norma regulari: from my regular behaviour/ normal doing (regularis is not found in classical Latin in the meaning `regular’: originally
it meant `belonging to a bar’ (regula)
tisus –us (m): laugh
Pro te deae
Cythereae
libens porto vincula,
et alati
sui nati
corde fero spicula.
Cytherae = Venus
libens: willingly
alati sui nati: of her winged child (=Amor)
spiculum: arrow
Ut in lignis
ardet ignis
siccis cum subducitur,
sic mens mea
pro te, dea,
fervet et comburitur.
lignum: wood
siccis cum subducitur: when it is given over to dryness
comburo –bussi –bustum: to butn completely
Dic quis durus,
quis tam purus,
carens omni crimine,
esse potest,
quem non dotes
tuae possint flectere?
durus: unyielding
careo (+ abl,): free from
dos dotis (f): gift , quality
Vivat Cato,
Dei dato
qui sic fuit rigidus,
in amore
tuo flore
captus erit fervidus.
Cato (95 –46 BC) was a stoic philosopher, known for his sternness
Fore suum
crinem tuum
Venus ipsa cuperet,
si videret;
et doloret
suum quod exuperet.
fore verb fut inf act of sum
crinis crinis (m): hair
exupero = exsupero: to surpass
Frons et gula
sine ruga
et visus angelicus
te caelestem,
non terrestrem,
denotant hominibus.
frons frontis (f): forehead
gula: neck
ruga: wrinkle
Tibi dentes
sunt candentes,
pulcre sedent labia,
que si quando
ore tango
mellea dant suavia.
melleus: honeysweet
Et tuarum
pupillarum
forma satis parvula
non tumescit,
sed albescit,
nive magis candida.
pupilla: pars pro toto for `eye’.
Pupils of the eyes don’t whiten. The poet describes as a beauty ideal small
eyes with a lot of white.
parvulus: small
tumesco: to swell up, grow
albesco: to become white
Quodquod manus,
venter planus
et statura gracilis
te sic formant
et cohornant
quod nimis es habilis.
venter ventris (m): belly
cohorno = coorno: to make beautiful, embellish
Nitent crura.
Sed quid plura?
deas pulchritudine
et caelestes
et terrestres
superas et genere.
niteo: to shine
crus cruris (n): leg
pulchritudo –inis (f): beauty
supero: to surpass
genus generis (n): nobility
Et idcirco,
pia virgo,
nulli sit mirabile,
si mens mea
pro te, dea,
lesa sit a Venere.
lesus = laesus: wounded
Quare precor,
mundi decor,
te satis summopere,
ut amoris,
non doloris,
causa sis hoc pectore.
precor: to pray
te satis summopere: you clearly the best (summopere
is actually an adverb)
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