CSM Cantiga 124 Lyrics: O que pola Virgen leixa Cantiga 124Another cantiga in which every stanza ends in the middle of a sentence. There's really no scope for repeating the refrain between them without seriously disturbing the flow of the story.

Standard spelling
O que pola Virgen leixa
Cantiga 124: O que pola Virgen leixa
Please read the notes on using the texts and the IPA transcriptions Please read the notes on using the music transcriptions
   
Standard spelling
Epigraph  

Como Santa María guardou un hóme que apedraron que non morresse atá que se mẽefestasse, porque jajũava as vigías das sas féstas.

Line Refrain  Metrics  
1 O que pola Virgen leixa | o de que gran sabor há, 7' | 7  A
2 sempre aquí lle demóstra | o ben que pois lle fará. 7' | 7  A
 
  Stanza I     
3 E dest' un mui gran miragre | vos contarei, que oí CSM 124:3This is a splendid example of just how much formulaic waffle can be packed into a single stanza of the cantigas. One can almost hear the original audience in Alfonso's court shouting "Get on with it!" in true Monty Python style. 7' | 7  b
4 dizer aos que o viron, | e o contaron assí 7' | 7  b
5 como vos éu contar quéro; | e, según com' aprendí, CSM 124:5Elmes begins this line with como vos eu quero contar, which is the wording found in [E]. [T] has como vos eu contar quero, which is superior metrically, as it preserves the final unstressed syllable found in the first hemistich of every other line of this cantiga. Mettmann also has contar quero, but his additional reversal of vos eu to eu vos is quite unjustified. 7' | 7  b
6 demostrou Santa María | ena térra que está 7' | 7  A
 
  Stanza II     
7 mui préto d' ambo-los mares, | do gran que corr' arredor 7' | 7  b
8 da térra e ar do outro | que é chamado Mẽor; 7' | 7  b
9 e mostrou Santa María, | Madre de Nóstro Sennor, 7' | 7  b
10 por un hóme. E quen esto | oír, sabor haverá 7' | 7  A
Cantigas de Santa Maria for Singers ©2013 by Andrew Casson
www.cantigasdesantamaria.com/csm/124
 
  Stanza III     
11 de jajũá-la sa fésta | de março, com' este fez, 7' | 7  b
12 que a jajũou gran tempo. | Mas porque foi a Xerez 7' | 7  b
13 e a Sevilla quand' éran | de mouros, mais dũa vez, 7' | 7  b
14 foi acusado e preso, | porque sen mandad' alá 7' | 7  A
 
  Stanza IV     
15 fora, e que o matassen | lógo, u non houvéss' al, 7' | 7  b
16 e que foss' apedreado | porque fezo feito tal. 7' | 7  b
17 E ferindo-o, chamava | a Reínna sperital, 7' | 7  b
18 dizendo: “Ai, Sennor, val-me, | ben como valiste ja 7' | 7  A
 
  Stanza V     
19 a aqueles que se fían | en ti mui de coraçôn, 7' | 7  b
20 e por aquesto non quéras | que moira sen confissôn, 7' | 7  b
21 ca éu sempr' en ti fïando | receb' aquesta paixôn.” 7' | 7  b
22 Entôn os que o matavan | disséron: “E que será 7' | 7  A
Cantigas de Santa Maria for Singers ©2013 by Andrew Casson
www.cantigasdesantamaria.com/csm/124
 
  Stanza VI     
23 que por pédras que deitemos | nono podemos matar?” 7' | 7  b
24 Entôn o que llo mandava | mandou-lle ferir e dar 7' | 7  b
25 mui grande con un venabre | e depoi-lo degolar. 7' | 7  b
26 E non morreu por tod' esto, | dizendo: “Por Déus, acá 7' | 7  A
 
  Stanza VII     
27 un crérigo mi aduzede, | a que diga quanto fix 7' | 7  b .on
28 de mal, de que pẽedença | de méus pecados non prix.” 7' | 7  b
29 E pois ll' esto feit' houvéron, | diss': “Amigo, sempr' éu quix 7' | 7  b
30 servir a Santa María, | a que nunca falirá 7' | 7  A
 
  Stanza VIII     
31 nen fal aos que a sérven.” | E dizend' esto, morreu; 7' | 7  b
32 e de como nós creemos, | Déus sa alma recebeu. 7' | 7  b
33 E des que foi mórto, lógo | a hóra embarveceu, 7' | 7  b
34 ca esse día rapara | sa barva en Alcalá 7' | 7  A
Cantigas de Santa Maria for Singers ©2013 by Andrew Casson
www.cantigasdesantamaria.com/csm/124
 
  Stanza IX     
35 de Guadaíra; e jouve | un tempo, creede ben, 7' | 7  b
36 assí, que ave nen besta | dele non comiu per ren. 7' | 7  b
37 Esto fez Santa María, | a Sennor que nos mantên, 7' | 7  b
38 pola sa gran pïadade, | e sempre nos manterrá. 7' | 7  A
  O que pola Virgen leixa | o de que gran sabor há...    
 

Footnotes

Another cantiga in which every stanza ends in the middle of a sentence. There's really no scope for repeating the refrain between them without seriously disturbing the flow of the story.

Line 3:

This is a splendid example of just how much formulaic waffle can be packed into a single stanza of the cantigas. One can almost hear the original audience in Alfonso's court shouting "Get on with it!" in true Monty Python style.

Line 5:

Elmes begins this line with como vos eu quero contar, which is the wording found in [E]. [T] has como vos eu contar quero, which is superior metrically, as it preserves the final unstressed syllable found in the first hemistich of every other line of this cantiga. Mettmann also has contar quero, but his additional reversal of vos eu to eu vos is quite unjustified.

Standard spelling  
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Manuscript references

External links marked are to facsimiles on Greg Lindahl's Cantigas de Santa Maria website.

[E]124viewhttp://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/cantigas/facsimiles/E/251small.htmlExternal link
[T]124 

Oxford CSM Database record

External link to poem data:  CSM 124http://csm.mml.ox.ac.uk/index.php?p=poemdata_view&rec=124

Links to the Oxford database are provided with the kind permission of the project team. When planning a concert or recording, I would recommend that you use (and credit) my more pragmatic texts and supporting materials in the preparation of your performance, but that you request permission from the Oxford database team to reproduce (and credit) their own critically edited texts in your programme or liner notes, as these adhere to stricter criteria that keep them closer to the original sources, and undoubtedly have the greater academic authority.

Metrical summary

Refrain

7' | 7  7' | 7

Stanzas

7' | 7  7' | 7  7' | 7  7' | 7

Rhyme

AA / bbbA
 RIIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIIIIX
Aa
b ialeu̯

Estimated performance times

Average syllables / min. Time
Very slow5016:48
Slow1008:24
Medium1505:35
Fast2004:12
Very fast2503:21

These are very approximate total times for a full sung (or spoken) performance of all stanzas with all repeats of the refrain. Note that the speed is in average syllables per minute, and no particular mensural interpretation is assumed. More ornamented music will reduce the syllabic speed considerably. Remember also to add time for instrumental preludes, interludes and postludes.

Total syllables: 840