Monday, April 8, 2013

O Fortuna -- Carl Orff

Reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to my boys and I suppose it has put me in the mood for some medieval (sounding) music. The poem (lyrics) were actually written in the 14th century, but the music wasn't added until 1935. Blogger and YouTube haven't been getting along very well lately, so here's a direct link to the clip.

 



O Fortuna
velut luna
statu variabilis,
semper crescis
aut decrescis;
vita detestabilis
nunc obdurat
et tunc curat
ludo mentis aciem,
egestatem,
potestatem
dissolvit ut glaciem.

Sors immanis
et inanis,
rota tu volubilis,
status malus,
vana salus
semper dissolubilis,
obumbrata
et velata
michi quoque niteris;
nunc per ludum
dorsum nudum
fero tui sceleris.

Sors salutis
et virtutis
michi nunc contraria,
est affectus
et defectus
semper in angaria.
Hac in hora
sine mora
corde pulsum tangite;
quod per sortem
sternit fortem,
mecum omnes plangite!

 
O Fortune,
like the moon
you are changeable,
always increasing
or decreasing;
hateful life
first oppresses
and then soothes
as game takes it;
poverty
and power
it melts them like ice.

Fate – monstrous
and empty,
you whirling wheel,
you are malevolent,
well-being is vain
and always fades to nothing,
shadowed
and veiled
you plague me too;
now through the game
I bring my bare back
to your villainy.

In health
and virtue,
fate is against me.
driven on
and weighted down,
always enslaved.
So at this hour
without delay
pluck the vibrating strings;
since Fate
strikes down the strong man,
everyone weep with me!
 


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