De Luscinia 'Aurea Personaet Lyra' (early 11th century)

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• published: 28 Aug 2013
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The nightingale (Latin: philomela) is the quintessential creature of the hours before dawn, warning lovers, consoling the lonely and vexing the sleepless. Here, in the form of a sequence, the song of this little warbler is praised extravagantly and found to be better than all the instruments of man. This particular sequence is from the Medieval manuscript called Cambridge songbook (Carmina cantabrigensia). The poem lyricizes Isidore of Seville's view on music, which divides sounding music (musica instrumentalis) into singing (musica armonica), wind music (organica) and that made by striking strings or percussion instruments (ritmica). In the central section of the poem, the narrator eulogizes the nightingale as having a song that is superior to the sounds of musical instruments. Only the diatonic monochord, says the narrator, can match its notes. Aurea personet lyra clara modulamina, simplex chorda sit extensa voce quindenaria. Primum sonum mese reddat lege hypodorica. Philomelae demus laudes in voce organica dulce melos decantantes, sicut docet musica, sine cuius arte vera nulla valent cantica. Cum telluris vere novo producuntur germina, nemorosa circumcirca frondescunt et bracchia, flagrat odor quam suavis florida per gramina. Hilarescit philomela dulcis vocis conscia et extendens modulando gutturis spiramina, reddit voces ad aestivi temporis indicia. Instat noctis et diei voce sub dulcisona soporatis dans quietem cantus per discrimina nec non pulchra viatori laboris solatia. Vocis eius pulchritudo clarior quam cithara vincit omnes cantitando volucrum catervulas implens silvas atque cuncta modulis arbustula. Volitando scandit alta arborum cacumina, gloriosa valde facta veris pro laetitia ac festiva natis gliscit sibilare carmina. Felix tempus, cui resultat talis consonantia! Utinam per duodena mensium curricula dulcis philomela daret suae vocis organa! Sonos tuos vox non valet imitari lirica, Quibus nescit consentire fistula clarisona, Mira quia modularis melorum tripudia. O tu parva, numquam cessa canere auicula. Tuam decet symphoniam monocordi musica Que tuas laudes frequentas voce diatonica. Nolo nolo ut queiescas temporis ad otia, Sed ut letos des concentus tua volo ligula, Cuius laude memoreris in regum palatia. Cedit auceps ad frondosa resonans umbracula, Cedit cignus et suavis ipsius melodia, Cedit tibi timpanista et sonora tibia. Quamvis enim videaris corpore premodica, tamen te cuncti auscultant, nemo dat iuvamina, nisi solus rex celestis, qui gubernat omnia. Iam preclara tibi satis dedimus obsequia, que in voce sunt iocunda et in verbis rithmica, ad scolares et ad ludos digne congruentia. Tempus adest, ut solvatur nostra vox armonica, ne fatigent plectrum lingue cantionum tedia et pigrescat auris prompta fidium ad crusmata. Trinus Deus in personis, unus in essentia, nos conservet et gubernet sua sub clementia, et regnare nos concedat cum ipso in gloria. Amen.