The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St Bonaventure : Psalm 70

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 70

 “O Lady...stretch forth thy hands, and succour him who perishes.”
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, the Church of St Alphonsus
Liguori, Rome. Public domain (Wikimedia Commons).[5]

1. In thee, O Lady, have I hoped: let me never be confounded: in thy mercy deliver me and free me[1].

2. Because of the multitude of my iniquities: I am vehemently oppressed[2].

3. Mine enemies have acted above my head: they have mocked me and derided me day by day[3].

4. See, O Lady, how I am troubled: stretch forth thy hands, and succour him who perishes[4].

5. Delay not, for the sake of the grace of thy name: so thou mayest become unto me joy and salvation.

Glory be to the Father etc.

1. In te, Domina, speravi; non confundar in æternum: in tua misericordia libera me, et eripe me.

2. Propter multitudinem iniquitatum mearum: oppressus sum vehementer.

3. Facti sunt hostes mei in capite meo: subsannaverunt et deriserunt me quotidie.

4. Vide, Domina, quoniam tribulor: expande manus tuas, succurre pereunti.

5. Ne moreris, propter gratiam nominis tui: ut efficiaris mihi in gaudium et salutem.

Gloria Patri, etc.

Footnotes

[1] Cf. “In thee, O Lord, I have hoped, let me never be put to confusion: Deliver me in thy justice, and rescue me”: Davidic Ps. LXX, 1-2.

[2] Cf. “For our iniquities are multiplied before thee, and our sins have testified against us: for our wicked doings are with us, and we have known our iniquities”: Isaias lix,12.

[3] Cf. “For my iniquities are gone over my head: and as a heavy burden are become heavy upon me”: Ps. XXXVII, 5.  

[4] “succour him”: cf. The first lines of the Alma Redemptoris Mater, composed by Herman Contractus (1013-1054) “ Alma Redemptoris Mater, quae pervia caeli / Porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti, / Surgere qui curat, populo:” ; “Nourishing Mother of the Redeemer, who remainest the open gate of heaven and star of the sea, assist the falling people who strive to rise again.” 

[5] Commonly dated to the 13th century. For more information on its intriguing history, see the article "Our Lady of Perpetual Succour" at the Redemptorist Publications site.

Davidic Psalm LXX

1 A psalm for David. Of the sons of Jonadab, and the former captives.

In thee, O Lord, I have hoped, let me never be put to confusion:  2 Deliver me in thy justice, and rescue me. Incline thy ear unto me, and save me.  3 Be thou unto me a God, a protector, and a place of strength: that thou mayst make me safe. For thou art my firmament and my refuge.  4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the sinner, and out of the hand of the transgressor of the law and of the unjust.  5 For thou art my patience, O Lord: my hope, O Lord, from my youth;  6 By thee have I been confirmed from the womb: from my mother’s womb thou art my protector. Of thee shall I continually sing:  7 I am become unto many as a wonder, but thou art a strong helper.  8 Let my mouth be filled with praise, that I may sing thy glory; thy greatness all the day long.  9 Cast me not off in the time of old age: when my strength shall fail, do not thou forsake me.  10 For my enemies have spoken against me; and they that watched my soul have consulted together,  11 Saying: God hath forsaken him: pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.  12 O God, be not thou far from me: O my God, make haste to my help.  13 Let them be confounded and come to nothing that detract my soul; let them be covered with confusion and shame that seek my hurt.

14 But I will always hope; and will add to all thy praise.  15 My mouth shall shew forth thy justice; thy salvation all the day long. Because I have not known learning,  16 I will enter into the powers of the Lord: O Lord, I will be mindful of thy justice alone.  17 Thou hast taught me, O God, from my youth: and till now I will declare thy wonderful works.  18 And unto old age and grey hairs: O God, forsake me not, until I shew forth thy arm to all the generation that is to come: thy power,  19 And thy justice, O God, even to the highest great things thou hast done: O God, who is like to thee?  20 How great troubles hast thou shewn me, many and grievous: and turning thou hast brought me to life, and hast brought me back again from the depths of the earth:  21 Thou hast multiplied thy magnificence; and turning to me thou hast comforted me.  22 For I will also confess to thee thy truth with the instruments of psaltery: O God, I will sing to thee with the harp, thou holy one of Israel.  23 My lips shall greatly rejoice, when I shall sing to thee; and my soul which thou hast redeemed.  24 Yea and my tongue shall meditate on thy justice all the day; when they shall be confounded and put to shame that seek evils to me.

Notes

Prayer to obtain help against iniquitous persecutors.

1. Title: This title is completely absent in the Hebrew text. The Septuagint translators, who are the first to include these words, must have taken them from an ancient Jewish tradition. The song was composed by David during his later years, according to verses 9 and 18; perhaps during the time of Absalom’s revolt when he had so much to suffer.   

“the sons of Jonadab”: this is a reference to the Rechabites, the famous Israelite ascetics mentioned by the Prophet Jeremias (ch. xxxv; cf., IV Kings x, 15, 23; I Par. li, 55).

“and the former captives”:  these words refer to the Jews who the first to be deported into chaldea after the destruction of Jerusalem. This second half of the title probably indicates that the was regularly chanted by the Rechabites and the first captives.

It is a beautiful elegy which reproduces the sentiments found in other psalms which treat of similar circumstances: pain, prayer, trust and holy promises. The poet, fiercely persecuted, entreats the Lord for his help. To console himself in his present distress, he looks back on his life rich in experiences and filled with miracles worked by God in his favour. He is confident that he will once again be heard and rescued. This canticle features abundant reminiscences or even direct quotations taken from older psalms, notably Ps. XXI, XXX, XXXIV and XXXIX.

Structure: the sum may be divided into two parts:

1. verses 1-13: prayer, and the supporting reasons;

2. verses 14-24: Feelings of Lively Trust and Promises of praise is to offered. 

First part:

1-3: a prelude, in which the psalmist invokes the help of God  earnestly and with confidence.  Cf. Ps. XXX, 2-4.

4-8: The first reason on which the poet bases his request : the countless benefits showered upon him by God since his birth.

9-13: the second: divine honour is directly implicated in David’s salvation.

9: “Cast me not off in the time of old age”: now that I have grown old. After lovingly protecting his servant to an advanced age (cf. verse 6), it is not possible that God would suddenly abandoned him , now that he has a great need of help.

Second part: A promise in advance of thanksgiving.

15: “Because I have not known learning”: The Vulgate has followed the majority of the Septuagint manuscripts, giving the following sense: If he knew the art of writing, the supplicant would compose a special volume to celebrate God’s goodness to Him; not having this gift, he will at least try to make as much progress as possible, through meditation and understanding the wondrous benefits of the Lord, and he will celebrate them through his hymns. The Hebrew expresses an altogether different idea: My mouth shall declare thy justice and thy salvation all day long, for I do not know the limits (numbers). David will therefore praise unceasingly the countless benefits of God.

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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.