Lyr Add: Rorate

Subject: Lyr Add: Rorate
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 06 Dec 02 - 05:41 PM

RORATE
tune: Scottish Traditional
words: William Dunbar, c. 1485-1530

Rorate coeli desuper!
Heavens, distil your balmy showers;
For now is risen the bright Daystar,
From the rose Mary, flower of flowers:
The clear Sun, whom no cloud devours,
Surmounting Phoebus in the east,
Is comen of His heav'nly towers,
Et nobis puer natus est.

Sinners be glad, and penance do,
And thank your Maker heartfully;
For he that ye might not come to,
To you is comen, full humbly,
Your soulès with his blood to buy,
And loose you of the fiend's arrest,
And only of his own mercy;
Pro nobis puer natus est.

Celestial fowlès in the air,
Sing with your notès upon the height,
In firthès and in forests fair
Be mirthful now at all your might;
For passèd is your dully night;
Aurora has the cloudès pierced,
The sun is risen with gladsome light,
Et nobis puer natus est.

Sing, heaven imperial, most of height,
Regions of air make harmony,
All fish in flood and fowl of flight,
Be mirthful and make melody;
All Gloria in excelsis cry,
Heaven, earth, sea, man, bird and beast;
He that is crowned above the sky
Pro nobis puer natus est.

from The Oxford Book of Carols
"The verses are here set to a little-known Scottish melody."

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rorate
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 06 Dec 02 - 05:45 PM

cetmst mentioned this carol over in this thread. You can hear a midi at the Cyberhymnal.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rorate
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 06 Dec 02 - 06:31 PM

In the Oxford Book of English Verse as "On the Nativity of Christ." The words you give are a remake of Dunbar's poem, not by Dunbar. Three verses have been removed and the "old Scottish melody" also has been added later.

On the Nativity of Christ

Rorate celi desuper!
Hevins, distil your balmy schouris!
For now is risin the bricht day-ster,
Fro the rose Mary, flour of flouris:
The cleir Sone, quhom no cloud devouris,
Surmounting Phoebus in the Est,
Is cumin of his hevinly touris:
Et nobis Puer natus est.

Archangelis, angelis, and dompnationis,
Tronis, potestatis, and marteiris seir,
And all e hevinly operationis,
Ster, planeit, firmament, and spheir,
Fire, erd, air, and water cleir,
To Him gife loving, most and lest,
That come in to so meik maneir;
Et nobis Puer natus est.

Synnaris be glad, and penance do,
And thank your Maker hairtfully;
For he that ye micht nocht come to
To you is cumin full humbly
Your soulis with his blood to buy
And loose you of the fiendis arrest-
And only of his own mercy;
Pro nobis Puer natus est.

All clergy do to him inclyne,
And bow unto that bairn benyng,
And do your observance divyne
To Him that is of kingis King:
Encense his altar, read and sing
In his holy kirk, with mind degest,
Him honouring attour all thing
Qui nobis Puer est.

Celestial foulis in the air,
Sing with your nottis upon hicht,
In firthis and in forrestis fair
Be myrthful now at all your mycht;
For passit is your dully nicht,
Aurora has the cloudis perst,
The Sone is risen with glaidsum licht,
Et nobis Puer natus est.

Now spring up flouris fra the rute,
Revert you upward naturaly,
In honour of the blissit frute
That raiss up fro the rose Mary;
Lay out your levis lustily,
Fro deid take life now at the lest
In wirschip of that Prince worthy
Qui nobis Puer natus est.

Sing, hevin imperial, most of hicht!
Regions of air mak armony!
All fish in flud and fowl of flicht
Be myrthful and mak melody!
All Gloria in escelsis cry!
Hevin, erd, se, man, bird, and best,-
He that is crownit abone the sky
Pro nobis Puer natus est!

schouris-showers, seir-various, attour-over, perst-pierced, raiss-rose, cumin-come or entered. I think the rest are evident. Quhom is whom.

Dunbar is perhaps most noted for "Timor Mortis Conturbat Me," that scairy poem about fear of death.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rorate
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 06 Dec 02 - 06:38 PM

The first line, and the title given by Mary in Kentucky, comes from Rorate coeli desuper et nubes pluant justum- Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rorate
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 06 Dec 02 - 06:54 PM

The Oxford Book of Carols also notes that Rorate &c is from Isaiah 45:8.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rorate
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 06 Dec 02 - 07:49 PM

Words and "sheet" music of a Gregorian chant, Rorate, is given at Rorate Not the Dunbar poem or the carol derived from it, but interesting.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rorate
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 06 Dec 02 - 07:56 PM

Oh, well. http://space.tin.it/associazioni/icanest/rorate_c_e.html.
rorate