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Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Happy St Margaret's Day!

Ave mater speciosa
Vera syon filia
Tota nitens velut rosa
Candens super lilia
Fac nos huius onerosa
Post carnis exilia
Possidere gloriosa
Celi domicilia.

Hail, most lovely mother,
True daughter of Sion,
Lustrous as the rose,
Brighter than the lily;
Bring us, after our burdensome
Exile in this flesh,
To possession of the glorious
Heavenly mansions.

Deus, qui anime famule tue beatissime margarete regine eterne beatudinis premia contulisti, concede propitius, ut qui peccatorum nostrorum pondere premimur eius apud te precibus sublevemur. Per dominum.

O God, Who granted the soul of Thy handmaid the most blessed Queen Margaret the prize of eternal beatitude, mercifully grant that we who are weighed down by our sins may be helped by her prayers to Thee. Through Our Lord…


Salve salus infirmorum
Margarita laus scotorum
Et decus albanie.

Salve fida spes reorum
Relevamen oppressorum
Lassis porta venie.

Salve per quam muti fantur
Ceci vident, egri dantur
Sospitati prestine.

Salve sydus quo lustrantur
peccatores et vocantur
Ab erroris tramite.

Salve byssus de tellure
Collecta contrita pure
Cedens in milliciem.

Salve sudans in agone
Perfidorum […] rome
Conquassans perniciem.

Ergo mater in virtute
Deum nostra pro salute
Piis placa precibus.

Ut cum cunctos iudicare
Venerit nos aggregare
Velit cum fidelibus.

Hail, health of the sick,
Margaret, praise of Scots
And ornament of Alba

Hail, sure hope of the accused,
Relief of the oppressed,
Gate of forgiveness to the faint.

Hail, thou through whom the mute speak,
The blind see, the sick are given
Health as good as new.

Hail, star by which
Sinners are illumined and called,
Drawn from their errors.

Hail, byssys collected from the earth,
Purely worn down,
Yielding into softness.
[OK, I have no idea what this verse is about! Cf
here? I don’t have time to go and investigate what might be meant by the hymn, unfortunately.]

Hail, perspiring in the struggle,
Shattering the plague
Of those half-faithful to Rome.

Therefore, mother in virtue,
Placate God with kindly prayers
For our salvation,

That when He comes to judge us with the rest,
He might number us
As part of the faithful.


Deus cuius misericordia anima beate margarete regine ad requiem pervenit sempiternam, presta, quesumus, ut cuius commemoracionem agimus eius precibus in tuo semper conspectur adiuuemur. Per dominum.

O God, by Whose mercy the soul of the blessed Queen Margaret came to eternal rest, grant, we beseech Thee, that we who celebrate her commemoration may always be helped by her prayers in Thy sight. Through Our Lord…

From B.L. Add. MS. 39761, and, marginally more accessibly, published in E.S. Dewick, 'On a MS. Book of Hours written in France for the use of a Scottish Lady', Transactions of the St Paul's Ecclesiological Society vii (1911-15). Sorry about the bargain-basement translations; I don't have time to polish. Please offer any corrections!