The
Middle Ages covers a period of some 800-1000 years depending where one reckons
it to start and end. It is far from a monolithic block in which nothing seems
to happen till – mirabile visu – out of nothing the Renaissance appears. In
fact, a lot happened in the Middle Ages and major social shifts took place,
universities were founded and thanks to the horrible Crusades, eastern
commodities became known to the West. The Roman Church also underwent change.
Critics raised their voices against the life of luxury, simony and corruption and
one of them is Walter of Chatillon (fl. 1170), French theologian and writer. He
is famous for his Alexandreis, a poem about the life of Alexander the Great,
but he also wrote other poems like the Propter Sion non tacebo. It is a bitter
and satirical poem against that major source of corruption: the pope and the
curie at Rome. Walter of Chatillon had his fair share of being maltreated by
the rich, so he had every reason to be cynical. It was written during the
period at which various councils elected different popes. Nautical metaphors
are widely used in this poem and there are many quotes from scripture - I have
not indicated all of them – which with great skill are moulded into the meter
of the Stabat mater Dolorosa. It needs only little imagination to see how this
poem is still applicable to many governments. The root of all evil is money,
yes, but that is often driven by corruption. May be some politicians should
meditate on this poem…
It
has come down to us in various manuscripts under which the Carmina Burana. The
poem is fairly long, but the Latin is not that difficult and often hilarious.
(ps, what was a neat layout in word, has become ugly in Blogger.)
Carmina Burana 41
1
Propter Sion non tacebo, (Jes.
62.)
sed
ruinas Rome flebo,
quousque
iustitia till
rursus nobis oriatur
et ut lampas accendatur
iustus
in ecclesia.
2.
Sedet
vilis et in luto poor,
cheap; mud
princeps
facta sub tribute princeps = Rome; subjected under tribute
quod
solebam dicere:
Romam
esse derelictam, forsaken
desolatam
et afflictam,
expertus
sum opere. I know
by experience (Walter had visited Rome)
3.
Vidi, vidi caput mundi,
instar maris et profundi like (+ gen.): deep
vorax
guttur Siculi. voracious
throat of Sicily (= Street of Messina)
ibi
mundi bithalassus, (dangerous)place
where to seas meet (Greek)
ibi
sorbet aurum Crassus drinks; famous rich man in
Antiquity
et argentum seculi.
4.
Ibi latrat Scylla rapax barks, rages; greedy
et Charybdis auri capax containing (+ gen.)
potius quam navium;
ibi cursus galearum galleys
et conflictus piratarum,
id est cardinalium. curie
5.
Syrtes
insunt huic profundo dangerous
sandbanks (Aeneid 1,110 ff)
et Sirenes, toti mundo
minantes naufragium. threatening;
shipwreck
os
humanum foris patet, from the outside
in
occulto cordis latet
deforme
demonium.
6.
Habes
iuxta rationem
bithalassum
per Franconem; Franco, papal
chamberlain (1174-1178)
quod
ne credas frivolum:
ibi
duplex mare fervet, rages
a quo non est qui reservet
sibi
valens obolum. worth
a penny
7.
Ibi
fluctus colliduntur,
ibi
panni submerguntur, clothes
byssus,
ostrum, purpure; cotton ; ostrum = purple
ibi
mundus deglutitur, is
swallowed
immo
totus sepelitur is
burried
in
Franconis gutture. throat
8.
Franco
nulli miseretur,
nullum
sexum reveretur, respects
nulli parcit sanguini. spares (+ dat.)
omnes illi dona ferunt;
illuc enim ascenderunt (Psalm 121,4)
tribus, tribus Domini.
9.
Canes Scylle possunt dici
veritatis
inimici,
advocati
Curie, lay
`protectors’ of monasteries making a rich
qui latrando falsa fingunt, living of their
protection
mergunt
simul et confringunt they submerge
and break
carinam
pecunie. ship
10.
Iste
probat se legistam, he
asserts to be a lawyer
ille
vero decretistam, judge
inducens
Gelasium; bringing
pope Gelasius II (402-496) to court
ad
probandum questionem for
settling the question
hic
intendit actionem a
third takes action
regundorum
finium. for
settling boundaries (i.e.questioning the
competence
of those bringing forward a trial.)
11.
Nunc
rem sermo prosequatur: comes back to
the matter
hic
Charybdis debacchatur, is
feasting
id
est cancellaria, the curie
ubi
nemo gratus gratis no
one is accepted for free
neque datur absque datis
Gratiani gratia. Founder of the canon law
12.
Plumbum,
quod hic informatur, the lead of the
papal seal
super aurum dominatur
et massam argenteam;
equitatis
phantasia the
fancy of justice (aequitas)
sedet teste Zacharia (Zacarias 5,7 ff. )
super bullam plumbeam.
13.
Qui sunt Syrtes vel Sirenes?
qui
sermone blando lenes smoothly with flattering speech
attrahunt
byzantium; byzantine
gold
spem
pretendunt lenitatis, hope of
leniency
sed
procella parcitatis with
a storm of greed
supinant
marsupium. they turn
empty the purse (of another)
14.
Dulci cantu blandiuntur
ut Sirenes, et loquuntur
primo
quedam dulcia:
«Frare,
ben je te cognosco, Brother,
I know you well
certe nichil a te posco, demand
nam tu es de Francia.
15.
Terra
vestra bene cepit has
made a good start (with standing behind pope
et benigne nos excepit Alexander III)
in
portu concilii. Either
the council of Tours (1163) or Montpellier (1162)
nostri estis, nostri! cuius?
sacrosancte sedis huius
speciales filii.
16.
Nos peccata relaxamus
et laxatos collocamus sit on
sedibus
ethereis.
nos
habemus Petri leges
ad
ligandos omnes reges ( Psalm 149,8) check, control
in
manicis ferreis.» fetters
17.
Ita
dicunt cardinales,
ita
solent di carnales human
gods
in
primis allicere. At first they draw (people) to
them
sic
instillant fel draconis, poison of a dragon
et
in fine lectionis reading
of the mass
cogunt
bursam vomere. wallet
18.
Cardinales,
ut predixi,
novo
iure Crucifixi
vendunt patrimonium. sell the
privileges of the Church
Petrus
foris, intus Nero,
intus
lupi, foris vero
sicut
agni ovium.
19.
Tales
regunt Petri navem,
tales
habent eius clavem,
ligandi
potentiam. collecting
power
hi
nos docent, sed indocti,
hi nos docent, et nox nocti
indicat
scientiam.
20.
In
galea sedet una galea=
navis Petri transformed into a pirate ship
mundi
lues inportuna, plague
; distressing
camelos
deglutiens. eating camels (Matth. 23,24 Ye
blind guides, which strain at a gnat,
involuta
canopeo and swallow a camel.) musquito-curtain
cuncta vorat sicut leo
rapiens et rugiens. dragging and
roaring
21.
Hic
piratis principatur, rules
Spurius
qui nuncupatur, counter pope Callixtius III? who is called
sedens
in insidiis,
ventre
grosso, lata cute, with
big belly thick skin
grande
monstrum nec virtute
redemptum
a vitiis.
22.
Maris huius non est dea
Thetis, mater Achillea,
de
qua sepe legimus, saepe
immo
mater sterlingorum, of pound sterlings
sancta
soror loculorum, the
holy sister of monasteries
quam
nos Bursam dicimus.
23.
Hec
dum pregnat, ductor ratis when she
(the purse) is pregnant (=full); steersman
epulatur cum piratis dines
et amicos reperit; finds
nam
si Bursa detumescit, becomes empty
surgunt
venti, mare crescit,
et
carina deperit. the ship sinks
24.
Tunc
occurrunt cautes rati, rocks
appear for the raft
donec omnes sint privati
tam nummis quam vestibus.
tunc securus fit viator, traveller
quia nudus, et cantator singer
it
coram latronibus. In
front of the robbers
25.
Qui
sunt cautes? ianitores, door-keepers
per
quos, licet seviores more
fierce than
tigribus
et beluis, monsters
intrat
saccus ere plenus, a purse full of money
pauper autem et egenus needy
tollitur
a ianuis.
26.
Quod
si verum placet scribi,
duo
tantum portus ibi,
due
tantum insule,
ad
quas licet applicari to
go to
et
iacturam reparari repair
the damage
confracte
navicule. of
the small ship
27.
Petrus
enim Papiensis, cardinal
of Pope Alexander III
qui
electus est Meldensis, as bishop of Meaux
portus recte dicitur.
nam cum mare fluctus tollit,
ipse solus mare mollit, softens
et ad ipsum fugitur.
28.
Est et ibi maior portus,
fetus ager, florens ortus, fertile
pietatis balsamum:
Alexander ille meus, Pope Aexander III, who
had to flee to France
meus, inquam, cui det Deus
paradisi thalamum. treasure
29.
Ille
fovet litteratos,
cunctos
malis incurvatos, all who bend to evil
si posset, erigeret.
verus esset cultor Dei,
nisi
latus Elisei (2
Kings 5,20 ff) Giezi was the servant of Elisa and was asking
Giezi
corrumperet. money
for the healings Elisa did for free. (latus = side, flank)
30.
Sed ne rursus in hoc mari
me contingat naufragari,
dictis
finem faciam,
quia,
dum securus eo,
ne
submergar, ori meo
posui
custodiam.
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