medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
I am trying to translate as precisely as possible the 10th Exemplar
of Alanus de Rupe's _Unser lieben frauen psalter_ (1521 ed.), since
I'm trying to understand just what arrangement of beads the author
has in mind for the particular paternoster he's instructing his
penitent to make. I wanted to start from the original, since later
translators may have misunderstood his instructions if they imposed
on them their more modern ideas of what a paternoster should look
like. (I already know there's something wrong with the one
translation I've seen.)
I'm a bit out of my depth here: German is not my best language (I
have to look up at least half the words), and since I'm working from
a microfilm of the original, I'm having to deal with blackletter type
*and* 16th-century word forms and spellings on top of everything else.
If nobody minds, I'll expose the full extent of my ignorance here.
Help online or offline would be equally appreciated.
And by the way, thanks to everyone on this list who takes time to
assist the floundering fellow-scholar: I've remarked before that some
on this list seem unable to conceive of any better use of their time,
and I mean that in the nicest sense <g>.
Here is the best transcription I can make: the tilde marks [~]
indicate horizontal lines over the preceding letter, which I assume
indicates it's an abbreviation. The letter I have transcribed [ÿ]
looks like a u-umlaut with a long, pointed bottom: I have no idea
what it actually is, and it seems to stand for several different
things in the modern spellings of the words that use it.
The original images are online at:
http://photos4.flickr.com/4031576_e02c09d3a7_o.gif
http://photos3.flickr.com/4031572_5297328c56_o.gif
And the illustration mentioned in the text is online at:
http://photos4.flickr.com/4031575_c2e874747b.jpg
>Die nach[v?]olgend figue gibt dür zu versteen unnd leret dich wie
>dude~ psalter marie beten ordnen unnd machen solt.
>
>Nÿme[w?]ar in der nachvolge~de~ figur ist ein Pater noster day hat V
>grosse stainlin und nach eÿnem ÿecklichen grossen stainlin sollent
>sein X klaine.
>
>Dr erst grosz stainlin under de~ V ist mangerleÿ farb und bedeüt die
>manig faltikeit deiner sünd.
>
>Der and~ stein ist plaÿche, und bedeüt den ungewisen tod der dir
>gewiszlich zu[e]künftige ist.
>
>Der drit stein istt rot, und bedeüt das jungst gericht da de
>rechnung mu[e]szt geben von allem deÿm lebe~.
>
>Der vierd stain under den V ist schwarcz und bedeüt die hell.
>
>Der fünfft stein an der pater noster ist guldin und bedeüt die glori
>und freüd der heÿligen welliche glori un~ freüd verheissen ist den
>die da halten die ge pot gotes.
>
>Und das alles ist nit mer de~n ein teÿl des psalters. Wilt du aber
>ein gan[z?]en psalter machen so mach den andern und de~ driten teil
>des Pater nosters geleich als de~ ersten teil. Un~ was dir die fünf
>grossen stei~ bedeüten in dem erste~ teÿl des psalters dar so[e]llen
>sÿ dir auch bedeüten in dem anderen und driten teÿl des psalters,
>das hastt du clar in dem nachvolenden oder nachgeschribnem Exempel
>in dem man list wÿe das sanctus Dominicus auf ein zeit einen riter
>beÿcht ho[e]ret und nach der beycht lett er de~ riter den Psalter
>Marie beten und machen als hie geschriben stat.
Here's where my stumbling translation stands at present. As you can
see, some of the crucial words that would help me determine exactly
how the beads are arranged are still in the "[?]" stage <wry grin>.
I've added an * to the most crucial missing pieces.
[] indicates words where I haven't a clue; square brackets also
enclose guesses. This is a first-pass, fairly literal rendering. If
this is like most of my attempts in German, there will be at least
one significant misunderstanding in here somewhere <g>.
>The reproduced figure gives [] to understand and teach you how
>[this?] Psalter of Mary should be prayed, arranged, and made.
>
>[Mentionable?] in the next-following figure is a paternoster that
>has five large [stones?] and after [*] [*] large stone[s?]should be
>ten small.
>
>The first large stone [of?] the five is many colors and signifies
>the many [] of your sins.
>
>The second stone is [light colored?], and signifies that uncertain
>death in your certain future is.
>
>The third stone is red, and signifies the [recent? soon?] trial [at
>which?] you reckoning must give for all of your life.
>
>The fourth stone of the five is black, and signifies hell.
>
>The fifth stone of the paternoster is gilt, and signifies the glory
>and joy of the holy: which glory and joy is promised to those who
>[here/yet] keep the [] of God.
>
>And this all is not more than a part of the psalter. But if you will
>make a complete psalter, so make the second and the third part of
>the paternoster [just] like the first part. And what the five big
>stones signify in the first part of the psalter, so should [they?]
>also signify the same to you in the second and third part[s] of the
>psalter, as you have them clearly in the reproduced and written
>example, in [which is shown how?] the holy Dominic [once?] heard a
>knight's confession and after the confession he [told?] the knight
>to pray Mary's Psalter and to make [one] as [described?] here.
--
____________________________________________________________
O Chris Laning <[log in to unmask]> - Davis, California
+ http://paternoster-row.org - http://paternosters.blogspot.com
____________________________________________________________
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