The Epiphanye

Ad Jesum per Mariam. J-J Tissot.

This is the seventh day of a Novena in preparation for the great Marian Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, on October 7th.

The Novena is offered as a gift to Our Lady praying that, through her maternal intercession, she will mediate graces so as to guide and protect the author, his family* and all the members of the Church Militant, in these disturbing times. [*E, E, K, P, T, E ,E; E, A.] 

We shall be posting each day examples of Marian poetry written by St Robert Southwell who himself lived in a terrible time of trial for Catholics. Much of his poetry was written whilst he was in solitary confinement prior to his execution at Tyburn on the 21st of February, 1595. 

The original spelling and punctuation has been retained; the notes which follow each poem are my own.

The Epiphanye

 

To blase the rising of this glorious sunne
A glittringe starre appeareth in the Easte
Whose sight to Pilgrimm toyles three sages wunne
To seeke the light they long had in requeste
And by this starre to nobler starr they pace [5]
Whose armes did their desired sunne embrace.

Stall was the skye wherein these planetts shynde
And want the cloude that did eclipse their rayes
Yet through this cloude their light did passage finde
And perc'd these sages harts by secret waies [10]
Which made them knowe the ruler of the skyes
By infant tongue and lookes of babish eyes.

Heaven at her light, earth blusheth at her pride
And of their pompe these peeres ashamed bee
Their crownes, their robes their trayne they sett aside [15]
When gods poor Cotage clouts and crewe they see
All glorious thinges their glory now dispise
Sith god contempt doth more than glory prize.

Three giftes they bringe three giftes they beare awaye
For incense myrrhe and gould, faith hope and love [20]
And with their gifts the givers hartes do staye
Their mynde from Christ no parting can remove
His humble state, his stall his poore retynewe
They phancie more, then all their ritch revenewe.

Notes

[Title] Epiphanye: late Latin epiphania, neuter plural (but often used as feminine singular), < late Greek ἐπιϕάνια (neuter plural of adjective *ἐπιϕάνιος), < ἐπιϕαίνειν to manifest, < ἐπί to + ϕαίνειν to show.

[l 1] blase: blaze - To proclaim (as with a trumpet), to publish, divulge, make known.

1592   R. Greene Pandosto (new ed.) sig. Biij   This Proclamation being once blazed through the countrey. OED.

[ll 3-4]:  The sense would seem to be: Three sages, through their determined effort and toil, were favoured with sight of the glittering star in the East. They had spent a long time in the quest for the light of this star.

[ll 5-6]: They follow the star, making their way to Mary, a nobler star (Stella Maris), whose arms enfold the sought for Sun of Justice.

[ll 7-8]: One possible explanation of these lines is as follows. The created sun and stars shine in the physical firmament. Down on earth, Christ the Sun of Justice and Mary, Star of the Sea, have a stall (or primitive home) for their sky in which they ('these planets') shine. The poverty of the setting and of the Holy Family might have masked, like a cloud, their light; this might have been a particular problem for the richly vested sages, with all their fine accoutrements. See the next verse.

[ll 10-12]: But the cloud of poverty did not prevent the light from piercing the sages' hearts in secret ways, enabling them to recognise God, the ruler of the skies, through His baby talk and looks.

[l 13] her: 'their'. The genitive case of the third person plural personal pronoun : of them; of themselves. Heaven and earth blush at their pride, the pride of these richly clad sages.

[l 16] clouts: 'clout' - A small piece or shred produced by tearing or rending; in later use chiefly a shred of cloth, a rag. Applied contemptuously to any article of clothing; in plural, clothes.

[l 16] crewe: A number of persons classed together (by the speaker) from actual connection or common characteristics; often with derogatory qualification or connotation; lot, set, gang, mob, herd.

[l 18] contempt: God looks favourably upon those who are poor and lowly in the eyes of the world and viewed with 'contempt.' Consider the words in Mary's Magnificat:

He hath shewed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.

Fecit potentiam in brachio suo : dispersit superbos mente cordis sui.

He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble.

Deposuit potentes de sede, et exaltavit humiles.

He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

Esurientes implevit bonis : et divites dimisit inanes. [Luke i. 51-53]

And the words of Christ Himself:

Then Jesus said to his disciples: Amen, I say to you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. [24] And again I say to you: It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. [Matthew xix. 23]

[l 23] retynewe: retinue. A group of people (or animals) in the service of or accompanying a person, esp. a sovereign, noble, or person in authority; a train, a suite. The little baby is Christ the King, the Prince of Peace, of the royal house of David; His mother is a Queen;  but his 'retinue' is 'poore'.

[l24] revenewe: revenue, with stress on penultimate syllable, following retynewe above.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.