Within a few weeks students at universities will have
their well-deserved holiday and can put their books aside for eight weeks. The
end of an academic year is not only a relief for modern students, but also for
their consocii in the Middle Ages. No
wonder that a number of mediaeval student songs address this theme: time for Venus
and Bacchus! The following song is an example of this, but unfortunately the
melody is not or just poorly notated. Between the lines it gives us also a glimpse
of the poor conditions of students. They had to pay cash for every lecture, so
little money was left for food and drink. Only during the period the universities
were closed they could afford wine: Bacchus instead of Neptune (= water) and
away with tristis ieiunus! Till the
university opens again…
Carmina Burana 162
O consocii,
quid vobis
videtur?
quid negotii
nobis adoptetur?
leta Venus ad nos
iam ingredietur,
illam chorus Dryadum sequetur.
O vos socii,
tempus est
iocundum,
dies otii
redeunt in
mundum;
ergo
congaudete, cetum letabundum
tempus salutantes
<ob> iocundum.
Venus abdicans
cognatum
Neptunum
venit
applicans
Bachum
oportunum,
quem dea pre
cunctis amplexatur unum,
quia tristem
spernit et ieiunum.
His numinibus
volo famulari!
ius est
omnibus,
qui volunt
beari;
que dant
eccellenti populo scolari,
ut amet et
faciat amari.
Ergo litteris
cetus hic imbutus
signa Veneris
militet secutus!
exturbetur autem
laicus ut brutus!
nam ad artem surdus est et mutus.
As a bonus this song in Middle-high German
162a
Svoziv vrowe
min,
la mih des
geniezen:
du bist min
ovgenschin.
Venus wil mih
schiezen!
nu la mih,
chuniginne, diner minne niezen!
ia nemag mih
nimmer din uerdriezen.
My sweet lady,
let my enjoy this;
you are the shine of my eyes.
Venus wants to shoot me!
Now let me, queen, have your love!
Yes, I can never have enough of you!
(may be lines 2 and 4 must be exchanged.)
consocius:
fellow
quid vobis videtur:
what are your plans (some scholars read nobis
for vobis)
negotium:
affair, business
adopto: to
choose
ingredior
ingressus: to approach
leta = laeta
chorus Dryadum:
choire of Nymphs, i.e. a band of maids
iocundus:
joyful
otium: leisure
cetus = coetus: a coming together, (sexual)
union, company (so in 5.2)
letabundus:
full of joy
ob must be inserted,
both for metrical reasons and for making sense of tempus iocundum, so salutantes
cetum letabundum ob tempus iocundum
abdico: reject
cognatus:
kinsman
Neptunum: as
the god of the sea, he is stand for water
applico: to
join
oportunus:
friendly
prae cunctis:
above all others
amplexo: to
embrace
sperno sprevi
spretum (-ere): to despise
ieiunus:
fasting (to be taken with tristem)
numen numinis
(n.): god
famulor: to
serve
beor: to be
happy
que = quae
eccellenti = excellenti: thanks to their learning students
and scholars felt superior to the uneducated masses, as is lo clear in stanza 5
imbutus:
steeped in
signum: banner
exturbo (-are): to expel, thrust out
ut brutus: as being
stupid
artem: i.e. the
art of love
surdus: deaf
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