Looking for singable English of Salve Regina
  • Jeffrey Quick
    Posts: 2,094
    Can anyone point me to a singable English translation of the Salve Regina? By "singable" I mean "follows the accentuation and syllable count of the Latin". I'm prepping an edition of a setting (by somebody else) for submission to one of The Usual Suspects, and I think they'll be more kindly disposed if there is an option for the Latin-phobic.
  • Bruce E. Ford
    Posts: 431
    Have you seen the version in Winfred Douglas's Monastic Diurnal Noted?
    It begins, "Mary, we hail thee, Mother and Queen compassionate: Mary, our comfort, life, and hope, we hail thee.."

    If you find the Tudor English acceptible, I'll write it out for you. He includes both an authentic chant and the simpler, better-known melody.
    Thanked by 1Jeffrey Quick
  • RagueneauRagueneau
    Posts: 2,592
    Ted Marier's does this, Jeffrey. This is the one we used here.
    Thanked by 1Jeffrey Quick
  • Jeffrey Quick
    Posts: 2,094
    Bruce, yes, I'd like the whole thing. It works better than the Marier setting (but thanx JMO) because this particular setting repeats "Salve" 3x in the phrase. And there's a slightly better chance that the Douglas will be out of copyright.
  • Jeffrey Quick
    Posts: 2,094
    Piecing this together, I may end up with elements of both, and I'm getting rid of "thee", so maybe copyright is not an issue.
  • Bruce E. Ford
    Posts: 431
    Here's Douglas's translation:

    'Mary, we hail thee, Mother and Queen compassionate; Mary our comfort, life, and hope, we hail thee. To thee we exiles, children of Eve, lift our crying. To thee we are sighing, as mournful and weeping, we pass through this vale of sorrow. Turn thou, therefore, O our intercessor, those thine eyes of pity and loving-kindness upon us sinners. Hereafter, when our earthly exile shall be ended, shew us Jesus, the blessed fruit of thy womb. O gentle, O tender, O gracious Virgin Mary."

    You can easily "modernize" this translation by substituting "you" for "thee" and "thou," and by changing "Turn thou" to "Turn now."
    Thanked by 1Jeffrey Quick
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