medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>> Where do those of us who do not read Spanish find the Cantigas
in a good translation?
Meg
Ah, the $60,000 question...
I haven't found such a thing yet...
In the meantime, if you don't read Gallican there are English and Spanish (Castilian) translations alongside the Gallican text in the, ahem, liner notes to the following CDs:
Ensemble Alcatraz, "Visions and Miracles" (Elektra/ Nonesuch, 1988) transl. Ellen W. Sapega
La Capella Reial de Catalunya & Hesperion XX, "Alfonso X El Sabio: Cantigas de Santa Maria, Strela do Dio" (Astree /Auvidis, 1993)
transl: Angela Buxton
Martin Best Ensemble, "Cantigas de Santa Maria of Alfonso X" (Nimbus, 1987)
transl. Jack Sage, Kings College, U. London
The side-by-side allows one to, at the very least, raise questions about the translations; for example, one translator consistently uses the English word "heretic" to replace the word "judio" (jew)... politically correct? more commercially viable? Or is it that the word judio was used in 13 C spain as a synonym for heretic? ( haven't yet found the answer to that question, by the way!)
I sure wish I could find a translation of the whole thing...lots of good studies, however, have been done on the collection (see World Cat).
vaya con Dios!
TGD
From: Theresa Gross-Diaz [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2003 10:05 AM
To: Cormack, Margaret Jean
Subject: Re: miracle motifs-spiders & steaks
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>>> [log in to unmask] 03/13/03 08:21AM >>>
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Perhaps these could be shared with the list? Best, John Dillon
Sure thing, John!
Both from Alfonso X "El Sabio", Cantigas de Santa Maria:
Cantiga # 201 Tells the story of a girl who promises Mary that she will remain a virgin; she breaks that promise (and how!), has three babies whom she kills one after another, and then suffering remorse she tries to kill herself by eating a poisonous spider. When that doesn't work she eats a larger one... Not yet dead but in agony (obviously) she prays to Mary to forgive her; Mary "restores her innocence" and heals her.
- - - This one is particularly interesting because of the restored [sexual] innocence motif which one finds elsewhere in Marian miracles (like the naughty abbess of Soissons), and the suicide (or here, attempted suicide) motif. Despite (or because of?) the horror in which suicide was held - (it is after all the worst of the deadly sins, that of Judas : despair) - suicides (prevented or restored to life) are not uncommon among miracle stories (there is a great one connected to pilgrimage to Santiago, in which James shares the stage with Mary).
Another Cantiga from Alfonso's collection - sorry I've misplaced the number, but it begins "non sofre Santa Maria":
It concerns pilgrims to Mary's shrine at Rocamadour; nine pilgrims check into their motel, order dinner, and go off to pray at the shrine before eating. When they return, someone has stolen one of their steaks! The bereft and hungry pilgrims ask Mary for aid, and they hear "something" thumping around inside a trunk... turns out to be their very rare steak. They don't eat it (well, would you!?) but rather return to the shrine and hang the steak up as an offering.
The Cantigas are a great teaching resource! There are several wonderful performances available: I like the Martin Best Ensemble, "Cantigas de Santa Maria" (Nimbus Records, 1987).
Cheers
Theresa
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