The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure : Psalm 51

St Bonaventure Receiving the Banner of St Sepulchre
from the Madonna, by Francesco Solimena (1710). The 
Cathedral of San Paolo in Aversa, Italy. Public domain.

The following posts present the text of The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its authorship is generally attributed to St Bonaventure (1221-15 July 1274) who studied at the University of Paris where in 1243 he joined the Franciscan Order. In 1254, he was made a Master of Theology and took over the leadership of the Franciscan School in Paris. Bonaventure was officially confirmed as seventh Minister General of the Franciscans in 1257. He later wrote a life of St Francis and has been called the second founder of the Order. Appointed Cardinal the year before his death in 1274, he was canonised in 1482 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1588 with the title of Seraphic Doctor.

I offer this annotated presentation of St Bonaventure’s Psalter as a small gift to our gentle Queen and Mother in gratitude for her many graces and favours, praying for her continued help and protection for the author and his family.

This presentation of St Bonaventure’s Marian Psalms will include: an English translation based upon that of Sr Mary Emmanuel O.S.B. in the 1932 edition published by Herder; the Latin text as published in the Psalterium B. Virginis Mariæ of 1679; the text of the Douay-Rheims Psalms; with footnotes and occasional notes translated from Fillion’s Bible (1900 edition).

Psalm 51

“Crush him, O Lady, with the foot of thy power.”
She shall crush thy head. (1630-50). Engraving by S.A. Bolswert
after P.P. Rubens.Wellcome Collection. Public domain.[5]

1. Why dost thou glory in malice : O malignant serpent and infernal dragon?[1]

2. Submit thy head to the Woman : by whose power thou art plunged into hell.

3. Crush him, O Lady, with the foot of thy power[2]: arise and scatter his malice.

4. Extinguish his might : and reduce his strength to ashes,[3]

5. That living, we may exult in thy name : and with joyful soul we may give praise to thee.[4]

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. Quid gloriaris in malitia : o maligne serpens, et draco infernalis?

2. Submitte caput tuum mulieri : cujus fortitudine demergeris in profundum.

3. Contere eum, Domina, pede virtutis tuæ : exurge, et 

dissipa malitiam ejus.

4. Extingue potentiam ejus : et virtutem illius redige in favillam.

5. Ut viventes exultemus in nomine tuo: et læto animo dicamus tibi laudem.

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. “Why dost thou glory in malice, thou that art mighty in iniquity?” Davidic Ps. LI, 3. 

[2] Cf. “I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.” Gen. iii, 16.

[3] Cf. “Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thy iniquities, and by the iniquity of thy traffic: therefore I will bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, to devour thee, and I will make thee as ashes upon the earth in the sight of all that see thee.” Ezech. xxviii, 18.

[4] Cf. “For thy mercy is better than lives: thee my lips shall praise. Thus will I bless thee all my life long: and in thy name I will lift up my hands.” Ps. LXII, 4-5; “My lips shall greatly rejoice, when I shall sing to thee;” Ps. LXX, 23.

[5] The wording below the engraving is: “P.P. Rubens pinxit. Ipsa conteret caput tuum. S.A. Bolswert sculp. Cum privilegio Regis.” / “P.P. Rubens painted [the original image]. She shall crush thy head. S.A. Bolswert engrav. With the King’s privilege [a form of copyright].”

Davidic Psalm LI

1 Unto the end, understanding for David,  2 When Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul David went to the house of Achimelech.

3 Why dost thou glory in malice, thou that art mighty in iniquity?  4 All the day long thy tongue hath devised injustice: as a sharp razor, thou hast wrought deceit.  5 Thou hast loved malice more than goodness: and iniquity rather than to speak righteousness.  6 Thou hast loved all the words of ruin, O deceitful tongue.

7 Therefore will God destroy thee for ever: he will pluck thee out, and remove thee from thy dwelling place: and thy root out of the land of the living.  8 The just shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him, and say:  9 Behold the man that made not God his helper: But trusted in the abundance of his riches: and prevailed in his vanity.

10 But I, as a fruitful olive tree in the house of God, have hoped in the mercy of God for ever, yea for ever and ever.  11 I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name, for it is good in the sight of thy saints.

Notes

The punishment of wicked tongues.

“Quid gloriaris in malitia, qui potens es in iniquitate? / Why dost thou glory in
 malice, thou that art mighty in iniquity?” Ps. LI, 3. Doeg kills Achimelech
 and the priests of Nobe - Psalter of Eleanor of Aquitaine (ca. 1185).
Royal Library of the Netherlands. Public domain.

The occasion which led to the composition of this Psalm is shown at some length: “When Doeg the Edomite came…” Comp. I Kings xxii, 6 et seq. David, fleeing the wrath of Saul, had been cordially received in Nobe by the priest Achimelech who was quite unaware of the particular circumstances in which his guest found himself. Doeg, Saul’s chief herdsman, witnessed Achimelech’s hospitality to David and then went to accuse the priest before King Saul. Moved by blind fury, Saul ordered Achimelech and the whole of his family to be put to death. It was Doeg himself who personally carried out this horrible massacre. Abiathar, son of the priest Achimelech, managed to escape and came to bring the terrible news to David who, deeply affected by what he heard, thereupon composed Psalm LI – whence the emotion and indignation discernible in every line. In impassioned language, the poet rebukes Doeg for his unworthy treachery and he predicts his forthcoming ruin, to which he contrasts the salvation which he himself will obtain from God.

Structure: three strophes or parts.

‣ verses 3-6: a vehement address;

‣ verses 7-9: his fatal prediction; and

‣ verses 10-11: David’s trust in God.

First part: the psalmist  vigorously calls out Doeg and rebukes him for his infamous behaviour. Verses 3-6.

3-6: an abrupt exordium, in perfect conformity with the particular circumstances. 

3: “Why dost thou glory in malice…”: david was proud of his ignoble behaviour ; David  reveals it to him in all its horror. 

“mighty in iniquity”:  the Hebrew makes use of the word gibbor, “hero,” in the vocative case: “O hero.” Consider the crushing irony: the heroic bravery of Doeg had consisted in massacring harmless and defenceless priests.

Second part: prediction of imminent ruin. Verses 7-9.

7-9: Although David has calmed down somewhat, his emotions are still discernible in these verses.

“Therefore”: The traitor’s turn will come and his crime will not rest unpunished.

9: “Behold the man”: Doeg’s behaviour is briefly described by three propositions in ascending order:

“the man that made not God his helper”: According to the Hebrew, he did not make God his defensive rampart.

“trusted in the abundance of his riches”: This detail shows that Doeg was a person of wealth and influence.

“prevailed in his vanity”: Hebr.: in his malignity.

Third part: the unshakable trust David has in the Lord, to whom he looks for salvation.

10-11: “in the house of God”: in the sanctuary, precisely where David was looking for a place of refuge when Noeg saw him. Cf. I Kings xxi, 1 et seq.

“because thou hast done it”: thou hast acted, thou hast granted all my wishes: using the prophetic preterite tense.

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen. 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.30-31.