Personent hodie On this day earth shall ring
voces puerulae, with the song children sing
laudantes iucunde to the Lord, Christ our King,
qui nobis est natus, born on earth to save us;
summo Deo datus, him the Father gave us.
et de vir, vir, vir (2x) Id-e-o-o-o, id-e-o-o-o,
et de virgineo ventre procreatus. Id-e-o gloria in excelsis Deo!
In mundo nascitur, His the doom, ours the mirth;
pannis involvitur when he came down to earth,
praesepi ponitur Bethlehem saw his birth;
stabulo brutorum, ox and ass beside him
rector supernorum. from the cold would hide him.
Perdidit, dit, dit,(2x)
perdidit spolia princeps infernorum.
Magi tres venerunt, God's bright star, o'er his head,
munera offerunt, Wise Men three to him led;
parvulum inquirunt, kneel they low by his bed,
stellulam sequendo, lay their gifts before him,
ipsum adorando, praise him and adore him.
aurum, thus, thus, thus,(2x)
aurum, thus, et myrrham ei offerendo.
Omnes clericuli, On this day angels sing;
pariter pueri, with their song earth shall ring,
cantent ut angeli: praising Christ, heaven's King,
advenisti mundo, born on earth to save us;
laudes tibi fundo. peace and love he gave us.
Ideo, o, o, (2x)
ideo gloria in excelsis Deo.
This is one of the oldest carols I’ve found. While I’m not at all familiar with the Latin words, the tune has been reused for a number of other hymns and songs (including an advent carol, Long ago, prophets knew (https://hymnary.org/hymn/NEH1985/10).
The Latin original was first published in 16th century Finland, but can be traced back to a 14th century manuscript and may well have older roots. At the time, European church music and liturgy would have been in Latin, which as a result had become a common language across Europe, since education was mainly limited to priests, monks and nuns. My Latin sadly is limited to the terms used in medieval wills and land documents, although I did once pass an exam with distinction because the passage used in the test was a bible passage I knew well enough to answer the questions from memory rather than by understanding the Latin!
You can find a translation of the lyrics at the link above. This time it’s children- or at least the boy choristers- who are specifically required to sing praise. There are indications that the carol was linked to the Feast of the Holy Innocents- the children killed by Herod (see 10th Dec), and to St Nicholas, patron saint of children. St Nicholas is one of the origins of our modern Santa Claus, but in parts of continental Europe his feast day is still marked by gift giving and other celebrations.
There was a medieval European custom of electing ‘boy bishops’ to take the place of the real bishop between 6th December (feast of St Nicholas) and the Feast of the Holy Innocents, celebrated on 28th December (also called Childermass). The boy bishop, probably a chorister, and his companions would lead services and take over some or all of the bishop and senior clergy’s duties for that time. The ideas of ‘misrule’ and a topsy-turvy time when those who were generally powerless could be in charge- within limits- for a short time potentially acted as a safety valve or at least a distraction from the tensions that must have existed in medieval and early modern society. Perhaps reflecting that, the music has a slightly rough and rowdy feel to it.
The custom of boy bishops died out after the Reformation, but has been resurrected in some places, for example Hereford, where a chorister is elected and preaches a sermon. It’s an interesting idea- many churches hold special services at Christmas for children, but how often do they play a leading part in choosing what goes into them? How often do we listen to what young people, or indeed less powerful people of any age, really want or think? Even in a world of vox pops and social media, many people still feel their concerns aren’t listened to, or that their needs are dismissed as less important than ‘the economy’ or ‘the market’. Maybe there are good reasons to do things which are unpopular, but feeling listened to and engaged in open conversation can take some of the sting out of it. That doesn't mean engaging in every debate with trolls on Twitter, but, for example, in broadening your experience, recognising the assumptions you make and trying to understand people. It’s hard, though, and life is rarely clear cut.
I guess that’s why we need Christmas, to remind us that everyone is equal before God and equally loved. Jesus didn’t judge people by their job or education and his early followers included hated collaborators, zealot nationalists, fishermen, women of allegedly shady reputation, members of the ruling religious council and busy housewives. Joseph was a carpenter and his family were about to become refugees, and the first visitors to the baby were lowly uneducated shepherds, summoned by angels to witness the arrival of God’s child, the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep. More on shepherds tomorrow.
