O ADMIRABILE VENERIS IDOLUM, 11th century carmina from Northern Italy ∾ Murmur Mori medieval music

A 11th century carmen from Northern Italy.
The lyrics of this latin love song, probably of Veronese origin, is addressed to a young man who is about to embark on a journey and will cross the Adige river.

The culture of the grammarians and poets of the 11th century was steeped in Christianity, there is no doubt about this, yet it often happened that the ancient pagan divinities resurfaced from the pages of the much studied classical poets, especially during youth, read between hagiographies and religious texts.
Songs of ancient sirens diverted minds from the path of the gospels, and there emerged in the verses of these artists the lord of the seas Neptune and the three Greek Moirae Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos: three sisters born from the Night, personifications of ineluctable destiny. Clotho, the youngest of the sisters, wove the thread of life and passed it to her sister Lachesis who wound it on the spindle determining the duration of earthly existence and the destiny of each person; the whole operation took place under the impatient gaze of the eldest sister, she who cannot be avoided, the immutable, the inflexible Atropos, who sits inexorably waiting to cut with sharp shears the thread by which human life is hanging. We find these classical and pagan divinities in the anonymous paidic composition of the 11th century “O admirabile Veneris idolum”.
The poet evokes them and pleads them to intercede for his beloved young boy who will soon be far from him, but the separation seems to make him suffer more and he goes so far as to define the boy as a heart of stone, while he "roars" in pain, comparing himself to a doe whose the fawn is taken away. The melody comes from the cod. 318 of the Abbey of Montecassino, and the metre of the lyrics was based on the Christian pilgrims' chant "O Roma nobilis", with which the composition appears related in the manuscript sources that have come down to us.

Lyrics: MS Gg.5.35, Cambridge University Library (half 11th century, Canterbury, Saint Augustine's Abbey) / Music: "O Roma nobilis", cod. 318, Montecassino, Archivio dell'abbazia (second half 11th century, Montecassino Monastery)

English translated lyrics:
"O admirable idol of Venus,
in which essence nothing is frivolous,
may the king, who created stars and sky,
founded seas and land, protect you.
May you not suffer deception through the guile of a thief.
May Clotho, who bears the distaff, favour you.

You shall cure the boy, not by supposition,
but with resolute heart I implore Lachesis,
sister of Atropos, that she not seize the thread.
May you have Neptune and Thetis as companions
when you are carried over the river Adige.
why do you flee, even though I'll love you?
What will I do, miserable, without seeing you?

Hard material from the bones of mother-earth
created humans when stones were cast.
Of these, this dear young man is one,
one who shows no compassion for my tearful moans.
When sadness will overwhelm me, my rival will rejoice.
I roar like a doe when her fawn takes flight."

🌹

Video: Silvia Kuro
Special thanks to Mario Cottura
Filmed and recorded at the deconsecrated church of Saint Peter and Paul, Caraglio (CN)

☞ Buy our music and support 𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐦𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐢:
https://murmurmori.com/shop/
•
Our studies on Middle Latin poetry and the music of the year 1000, aimed at the creation of a new album named "CARMINA", which will be published in 2025, are leading to very interesting results, we are reconstructing a repertoire composed of the oldest profane Latin songs of Italian and European territory.
•
#murmurmori #musicamedievale #medievalmusic #earlymusic