There is a translation available of Hildegard's lyrical works for the
liturgies of her comunity. The translator provides two translations
for each hymn (as I write this I am not certain if they were all intended
for music or not) the first follows the text more closely but should be
used with caution, the second deviates greatly from the text and are
probably best ignored. I used the work (the editor and translator's name
escapes me but I could get it from home) in my medieval survey, however,
and thought it was a greta opportunity to discuss the importance of history
with my students as it was relatively easy to demonstrate that many of the
more free translations were highly politicized. Thus, it became clear that
the past (like a hymn) can be read in more than one way and that much is at
stake in its interpretation. I know that I had fun that day and I think
my students did as well.
Louis
Louis Hamilton
Fordham University
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|