The Carmina Burana does
not only contain songs, parody and revelry, but also religious drama. It has an
appendix with a number of such texts – remember that the Carmina Burana is
first of all a manuscript, a physical object, and not a collection of texts on
internet or music by Carl Orff. One of these is a drama with texts mainly taken
from Matthew 26 and 27, to be performed on Good Friday. The actors were priests
and lower clergy. Such liturgical dramas served as a re-enactment of stories from
the gospel, especially Christmas, Easter and Ascension. For more details see
the link at the end. This ludus, dated
between 1250 and 1300, is not a highlight of mediaeval literature, but it was
never meant to be. Instead, it gives us a glimpse of religious practise. There
is no translation, but those in dire need can take a Bible at hand. Note the
differences between the Gospel text and this play.
Carmina Burana,
Appendix 13
Ludus breviter de passione primo inchoatur ita. Quando Dominus
cum discipulis procedere vult ad locum deputatum, ubi mandatum debet esse, et
in processu dicant apostoli ad Dominum:
Ubi vis paremus tibi comedere pascha?
breviter (adv.)
short (to be taken with ludus: play
in the short way)
inchoo:
(-are): to begin
quando.. .Dominum:
this and the other cursive sentences are stage direction, partly taken from
Matthew, but also containing specific directions for an actor.
deputatus:
destined
ubi mandatum debet
esse: `where what has been ordered has to take place’. Mandatum: the ritual
of foot washing performed by the priest on Whitsun Thursday.
dicant: note
the use of the subjunctive in the stage
directions: they must say, etc.
paro (-are): to prepare
comedo comedi comesum:
to eat
pascha: the
feast of Passover
Et Dominus respondet:
Ite in civitatem ad quendam et dicite ei: Magister dicit: «Tempus meum
prope est; apud te facio pascha cum discipulis meis».
ad quendam: to
some person
prope: near
Et in deputato loco faciant
mensam parari cum mensale, cum pane et vino. Et Dominus discumbat cum duodecim
apostolis suis, et edentibus illis dicat:
Amen dico vobis, quia unus vestrum me traditurus est in hac nocte.
faciant mensam
parari : they must make a table to be prepared = they (the clergy in
charge of preparing the scene ) must take care that a table is set ready.
mensalis –is (n.);
table-service
trado tradidi
traditum: to betray
Unusquisque pro se respondet:
Numquid ego sum, Domine?
unusquisque: each one
numquid:
question particle expecting a negative answer
Et Dominus respondet:
Qui intinguit mecum manum in parapside, hic me tradet. Filius quidem
hominis vadit, sicut scriptum est de illo. Ve autem homini illi, per quem
filius hominis tradetur; bonum erat illi, si natus non fuisset homo ille.
Intinguo intinxi
intinctum: to dip
parapsis (paropsis) –idid (f.): dish
quidem:
certainly
vado vasi (-ere): to go
ve (vae) (+dat.): woe unto
Respondet Iudas:
Numquid ego sum, Rabbi?
Et Dominus dicat:
Tu dixisti.
Tunc medio tempore vadat Iudas ad
pontifices et ad Iudeos et dicat:
Quid vultis michi dare, et ego vobis eum tradam?
medio tempore:
in the meantime (stage direction!)
michi = mihi
At illi constituant ei:
Triginta argenteos.
constituo constitui constitutum: to agree
Et ista hora accipiat Dominus
panem, frangat, benedicat et dicat:
Accipite et comedite, hoc est corpus meum.
panis – is (m.) : bread
frango fregi
fractum: to break
Similiter et calicem. Et postquam
cenavit, Dominus dicat:
Surgite, eamus hinc; ecce appropinquabit, qui me tradet.
similiter: in
the same way
calix –icis (f.):
bowl, chalice
ceno (-are): to eat
surgo surrexi
(-ere): to arise, stand up
hinc: hither
approquinquo
(+ dat.): to approach
Et Iudas accedens ad Iesum
clamando dicat:
Ave, Rabbi!
clamando =
clamans
Et osculando irruat in eum. Tunc
Donimus dicat:
Amice, ad quid venisti?
osculor osculatus :
to kiss (osculando = osculans)
irruo irrui:
to rush
Iudei et milites accedant ad
Dominum et manus iaciant in eum et teneant eum. Et ita ducant eum ad Pilatum.
Tunc discipuli omnes relicto eo fugiant. Et accusent eum coram eo in tribus
causis et dicant:
Hic dixit: Possum destruere templum Dei et post triduum reedificare illud.
manus iaciant in eum :
throw their hands on him
teneo tenui (-ēre): to grasp, hold fast
relicto eo: he
being left = leaving him
accussent: the Jewish
priests
coram (+abl.):
in the presence of
causa:
complaint, cause
triduum: three
days
reedifico (-are): to rebuild (note the spelling e for ae: reaedifico in
Classical Latin. Also Cesari for Caesari)
Secundo:
Hunc invenimus subvertentem gentem nostram et prohibentem tributa dari
Cesari et dicentem se Christum regem esse.
invenio inveni
inventum (-ire): to find out,
discover
subverto –versi –versum (-ere) : to destroy,
corrupt (cf subversive)
prohibeo –hibui –hibitum
(-ere): to prevent, prohibit
tributum: tax,
tribute
Tertio:
Commovit populum docens per universam Iudeam et incipiens a Galilea usque
huc.
commoveo –movi –motum (-ēre): to stir up,
agitate
incipio –cepi -ceptum (-ere): to start, begin
usque huc: till
here
Tunc Pilatus respondet:
Quid enim mali fecit?
Dicant Iudei:
Si non esset malefactor, non tibi tradidissemus eum.
malefactor –oris (m. : evil-doer
Respondet Pilatus:
Accipite cum vos et secundum legem vestram iudicate eum. Ego nullam causam invenio
in hoc homine. Vultis ergo, dimittam regem Iudeorum?
accipio -cepi –ceptum
(-ere): to take, receive
secundum:
according
causa: guilt
dimitto dimisi
dimissum (-ere): to release, send
away
Iudei clamando dicant:
Non, sed crucifigatur.
Et clamando magis dicant:
Crucifige, crucifige eum!
magis: more
Et Pilatus respondet:
Accipite eum vos et crucifigite!
Dicant Iudei:
Non, nos legem habemus, et secundum legem debet mori, quia filium Dei se
fecit.
Respondet Pilatus:
Regem vestrum crucifigam?
Tunc dicant pontifices:
Regem non habemus nisi Cesarem.
Et Pilatus accipiat aquam et
dicat:
Mundus sum a sanguine huius iusti; vos videritis.
mundus: clean, innocent
Et baiulet sibi crucem, et ducant
eum, ubi crucifigatur. Tunc unus ex militibus veniat cum lancea, tangat latus
eius. Tunc ipse Dominus in cruce alta voce clamet:
Ely, Ely, lema sabactani: Deus <meus>, Deus meus, ut <quid
dereliquisti me?>
baiulo (-are): to carry a burden
latus lateris
(n.): flank
altus: high,
loud
derilnquo –liqui –lictum:
to forsake
Tunc Maria mater Domimi veniat et
due alie Marie et Iohannes. Et Maria planctum faciat quantum melius potest. Et
unus ex Iudeis dicat:
Si filius Dei es, descende nunc de cruce!
due = duae: two
aliae Mariae:
Maria Magdalena and Maria the mother of james
planctus –us (m.):
beating of the breast, lamentation
quantum melius:
as good as
Alter Iudeus:
Confidit in Deo; liberet eum nunc si vult.
alter: second
confido –fisus sum
(-ere): to trust
Item tertius:
Alios salvos fecit, seipsum autem non potest salvum facere.
salvum facio : to rescue
seipsum: him self
Et Dominus dicat:
Consummatum est.
consumo –sumpsi -sumptum:
to consume, fulfil
Et:
In manus tuas commendo
spiritum m<eum>.
Et inclinato capite emittat spiritum.
Tunc veniat Ioseph ab Arimathia et
petat corpus Iesu. Et permittat
Pilatus. Et Ioseph honorifice sepeliat eum.
inclino (-are): to bend, incline
peto petivi petitum: to ask
sepelio seplivi
(-ire): to burry
Et ita inchoatur ludus de resurrectione.
i.e. the next play, which is to performed at Sunday.
As the next line suggest, this text was spoken aloud.
Pontifices:
O domine, recte meminimus.
pontifices: the
officiating priests during the performance and mass
memini: to remember
