ladies having visions

in preparation for our special monday blogger, a lady who has dreams and visions, i thought i should post about my favorite visionary, saint hildegard of bingen.  i spent eight years with the medieval women's choir of seattle under director margriet tindemans singing loads of hildegard.  o clarissima mater was probably my favorite, and probably the most difficult, hildegard piece we performed.  here's a version performed by sequentia, with instrumental arrangements by tindemans.

and here are lyrics, also by hildegard, poetic translation by barbara newman (sorry, mother eve.  i know we were mean to you for all those years) (also, i think the hildegard's latin is so beautiful and funky--be sure to read the latin, too, if only for the sounds alone):

responsory for the virgin

radiant
mother of  sacred healing!
you poured salve on th sobbing
wounds that eve sculpted
to torment our souls.
for your salve is your son and you
wrecked death forever,
sculpturing life.

pray for us to your child,
mary, str of the sea.

o life-giving source and gladdening
sign and sweetness of all
delights that flow unfailing!

pray for us to your child,
mary star of the sea.

glorify the father,
the spirit and the son

pray for us to your child,
mary, star of the sea.

o clarissima mater
sancte medicine,
tu ungenta
per sanctum filium tuum
infudisti
in plangentia vulnera mortis
que eva edificavit
in tormenta animarum.
tu destruxisti mortem
edificando vitam.

ora pro nobis
ad tuum natum,
stella maris,
maria.

o vivificum instrumentum
et letum ornamentum
et ducedo omnium deliciarum,
que in te non deficient.

ora pro nobis
ad tuum natum,
stella maris, 
maria.

gloria patri et filio
et spritui sancto.

ora pro nobis 
ad tuum naatum,
stella maris, 
maria.

legwear:  turquoise tights
inspiration:  dreams and visions
looking forward:  to tomorrow's post by kim

p.s.--if you don't have visions, but you want to be a vision in dove grey lacy tights, leave and comment and/or become a follower here.