For this last
week before Easter, I chose the song “Stabat iuxta Christi crucem”, written by
John Browne.
When I first
read the lyrics, I was deeply touched by the emotion of the song.
All the sadness of the crucifixion is contained. What really touched me in this
song was the personal focus on the sadness and horror of a mother having to
watch her child killed.
Here is a video
of the song, but it can also be listened to here. Below the video is the
English lyrics, followed by and Afrikaans translation[1].
Or listen to Anonymous 4's rendition here.
She stood by the cross of Christ
She stood by the
cross of Christ
seeing the true
light suffer,
the mother of
the king of all;
seeing his head
crowned
with thorns, his
side pierced,
she saw her son
die.
She saw his body
beaten;
his gentle hands
and feet
pierced by cruel
men;
she saw his head
bent down,
his body stained
with the blood of
the shepherd for
his sheep.
She saw the
bitter drink mixed,
saw her child
crucified,
the ruler of all
things.
The lashes he
endured
the mother and
daughter saw,
and she saw the
cruel taunts.
The virgin heard
these words
from her
innocent child:
‘Mother, behold
your son.’
The virgin saw
her son
saying: ‘It is
finished’,
and thus the
sword pierced her soul.*
Thus she was left
in sorrow
as the loving
maiden
saw her son die;
a vast sorrow, a
sorrow
that surpassed
the martyrdom
of a thousand
saints.
Gentle virgin,
loving virgin,
hope of all, way
of life,
virgin full of
grace,
bid and implore
your son
that to your
servants
he may now grant
joy. Amen.
*Luke 11:35, Prophecy of Simeon
Sy het by Christus se kruis gestaan
Sy het by Christus se kruis gestaan
en gesien hoe die ware lig ly,
die moeder van die koning van almal;
het gesien hoe word sy kop met dorings
gekroon, sy sy deurboor,
sy het gesien hoe sterf haar seun.
Sy het gesien hoe word sy lyf geslaan;
sy sagte hande en voete
deur wrede mans deurboor;
sy het sy kop gebuig gesien,
sy liggaam gevlek met die bloed van
die skaapwagter vir sy skape.
Sy het gesien hoe word die bitter drank gemeng,
sy het gesien hoe word haar kind gekruisig,
die heerser van alle dinge.
die slae wat Hy deurstaan het
het die moeder en die dogter gesien,
en sy het die wrede bespotting gesien.
Die maagd het hierdie woorde
van haar onskuldige kind:
‘Moeder, daar is jou seun.’
Die maagd het haar seun sien
sê: ‘Dit is volbring’,
en die swaard het haar siel deurboor.*
Sy is in verdriet gelaat
soos die liefdevolle maagd
haar seun sien sterf;
’n diepe hartseer, ’n verdriet
wat die martelaarskap
van ’n duisend heiliges oortref het.
Sagte maagd, liefdevolle maagd,
hoop van almal, weg van die lewe,
maagd vol genade,
vra en smeek van jou seun
dat hy aan jou dienaars
nou vreugde sal gee. Amen.
*Lukas 11:35, Profesie van Simeon
The translation
of the English lyrics quoted here, has been taken from the booklet of Anonymous4’s album Four Centuries of Chant.
More info about the album can be found here at Harmonia Mundi or here at thegroup’s website.
More information
about “Stabat iuxta Christi crucem”, John Browne and the Eton Choirbook can befound here.
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| Page from the Peterborough Psalter |
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