The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure : Psalm 41

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 41

“The nurse of the Healer of my flesh...the feeder of the Saviour
of my soul.” Resting on the flight into Egypt (1512-1515), by
Edgar David. The Met Fifth Avenue, NY. Public domain.

1. As the hart panteth after the fountains of water, so my soul panteth for thy love.[1]

2. For thou art the mother of my life: and the nurse of the Healer of my flesh.

3. For thou art the feeder of the Saviour of my soul: the beginning and the end[2] of all my salvation.

4. Hear me, O Lady, let my stains be cleansed: enlighten me, O Lady, that my darkness may be illuminated.[3]

5. Let my tepidity be enkindled by thy love: let my torpor be expelled by thy grace.[4]

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. Quemadmodum desiderat cervus ad fontes aquarum : ita ad amorem tuum anhelat anima mea.

2. Quia tu es genitrix vitæ meæ : et altrix Reparatoris carnis meæ. 

3. Quia tu es lactatrix Salvatoris animæ meæ : initium et finis totius salutis meæ.

4. Exaudi me Domina, mundentur sordes meæ : illumina me Domina, ut illustrentur tenebræ meæ.

5. Accendatur amore tuo tepor meus : gratia tua expellatur torpor meus .

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. “As the hart panteth after the fountains of water; so my soul panteth after thee, O God.”: Davidic Ps. XLI, 2.

[2] Cf. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, saith the Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty”: Apoc. i, 8.

[3] Cf. “Exaudi, domina, adesto propitia, adiuva potentissima, ut mundentur sordes mentis meae, ut illuminentur tenebrae meae / Hear me, O Lady, be present in your mercy, help me by your great power, so that the filth of my mind may be cleansed, my darkness illuminated”: from  “Oratio ad Sanctam Mariam pro impetrando rius et Christi amore / Prayer to Holy Mary to obtain the Love of Christ and of Herself”(1072), by St Anselm (1033-1109). See The School of Mary platform.

[4] Cf. “ut accendatur tepor meus, ut expergiscatur torpor meus / (so that) my lukewarmness (may be) set on fire, and my sluggishness awakened..”: Ibid.

Davidic Psalm XLI

1 Unto the end, understanding for the sons of Core.

2 As the hart panteth after the fountains of water; so my soul panteth after thee, O God.  3 My soul hath thirsted after the strong living God; when shall I come and appear before the face of God?  4 My tears have been my bread day and night, whilst it is said to me daily: Where is thy God?  5 These things I remembered, and poured out my soul in me: for I shall go over into the place of the wonderful tabernacle, even to the house of God: With the voice of joy and praise; the noise of one feasting.  6 Why art thou sad, O my soul? and why dost thou trouble me? Hope in God, for I will still give praise to him: the salvation of my countenance,

7 And my God. My soul is troubled within myself: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan and Hermoniim, from the little hill.  8 Deep calleth on deep, at the noise of thy flood-gates. All thy heights and thy billows have passed over me.  9 In the daytime the Lord hath commanded his mercy; and a canticle to him in the night. With me is prayer to the God of my life.  10 I will say to God: Thou art my support. Why hast thou forgotten me? and why go I mourning, whilst my enemy afflicteth me? 11 Whilst my bones are broken, my enemies who trouble me have reproached me; Whilst they say to me day by day: Where is thy God?  12 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why dost thou disquiet me? Hope thou in God, for I will still give praise to him: the salvation of my countenance, and my God.

Notes

A pious servant of the Lord, in exile far from Sion and from the Tabernacle, earnestly asks for the grace to enable him to return.

The Fillion Commentary notes that Psalms XLI and XLII are in fact one, as was acknowledged by the ancient Jewish and Christian interpreters. It is a mistake to have separated them, which was probably done for liturgical reasons. In terms of what is essential, they share an identity of historical setting and of subject matter. If the canticle were to stop after Psalm XLI, it would be incomplete because it would be lacking the element of prayer which is so important and which appears only in Psalm XLII. When considering its literary form, unity is demonstrated even more clearly by the refrain “Why art thou sad, O my soul?” (XLI, 6 & 12; XLII, 5) which serves to fuse them together whilst at the same time dividing the whole into three equal strophes.

1: “Unto the end, understanding for the sons of Core”: It is a didactic poem composed by the sons of Core. This means that it was composed by one of the members of this famous family, originating from the rebellious Levite whose wickedness God punished in such a terrible manner. Cf. Num. xvi. The family had acquired such great importance by the time of David that it supplied servers and cantors for the Sanctuary up until the reign of Josaphat. The following Psalms were also composed by the sons of Core: XLIII-XLVIII, LXXXIII, LXXXIV, LXXXVI & LXXXVII.

The author of Psalms XLI and XLII is indeed far away from Jerusalem, having been forced to leave by triumphant enemies. In his exile, he suffers especially from being no longer able to adore God in the Tabernacle. Accordingly, he ardently implores the Lord to take him back soon to Sion. A feeling of deep pain alternates with unshakable confidence but, in conformity with the laws of nature, it is the former which is especially described. Pain is discernible throughout the text until towards the end hope comes to the fore once again.

There has been much discussion concerning the occasion and the date of the Psalm’s composition but the time of Absalom’s revolt seems clearly indicated by the very subject matter of the canticle. David had to abandon his capital, cross the Jordan and live for a time in the province of Galaad, as may be seen from verses 7 et seq.

As for its literary qualities, this canticle has been numbered amongst the most beautiful in the whole Psalter, particularly in view of its magnificent imagery and the exquisite sensitivity of feelings depicted.

Structure: the two psalms are divided into three strophes or parts, equal in size and clearly delimited by the refrain mentioned above:

1. sighs to God, XLI: verses 2-6;

2. a loving lament, XLI: verses 7-12; 

3. a prayer of love, XLII: 1-5.

1. sighs to God, XLI, verses 2-6;

3: “When shall I come and appear before the face of God?”: to Jerusalem, to Sion, before the Tabernacle, the sacred places from which the poet has been taken away in spite of himself. Regarding the expression, “before the face of God” to denote Israel’s Sanctuary, compare Exod. XXIII, 17; XXXIV, 23; Deut. XVI, 16; I Kings i, 22; Ps. LXXXIII, 7, etc.

2. a loving lament, XLI, verses 7-12;

7: “from the land of Jordan and Hermoniim, from the little hill”: the land situated to the east and northeast of the Jordan. David sought shelter in his regions when his son’s revolt forced him to flee from Jerusalem in great haste. Cf. II Kings. xvii, 22, 24 & 27. “Hermoniim”: this plural, which is not used anywhere else, denotes the full range of Mt Hermon and its ridges. “the little hill”: this denotes Mt Miz’ar adjoining Mt Hermon.

8: “Deep calleth on deep...”: a striking image : The tides of the ocean, wave after wave flowing on and replacing one another regularly, are represented as calling out to each other, so to speak. For David and his faithful friends, these represented the endless waves of evil pouring over and inundating them. 

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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.