"Arise, Mary, and go forth in thy strength into that north country, which once was thine own, and take possesssion of a land which knows thee not. Arise, Mother of God, and with thy thrilling voice, speak to those who labour with child, and are in pain, till the babe of grace leaps within them. Shine on us, dear Lady, with thy bright countenance, like the sun in his strength, O stella matutina, O harbinger of peace, till our year is one perpetual May. From thy sweet eyes, from thy pure smile, from thy majestic brow, let ten thousand influences rain down, not to confound or overwhelm, but to persuade , to win over thine enemies. O Mary, my hope, O Mother undefiled, fulfil to us the promise of this Spring."
Discuss whether this fragment is best assigned to the authorship of Cardinal Newman or to that of Father Faber.
Newman, definitely, (if only because you clearly want us to fall into the opposite trap). Poor Fr Faber has often borne the brunt of the accusations of Victorian purpleness (and indeed he can be very purple), but I generally find Newman's purple to be purpler. Neither wrote in this style all the time, or even most of the time. It's just that Faber's purpality was more manifest in his hymns, which were (with a few exceptions such as Lead Kindly Light) sung more often than Newman's, being, in my opinion, on average, better.
ReplyDeleteAnd, in fact, I think that this passage may even be from The Second Spring sermon, which was a pretty purple occasion, in many senses of the word.
Certainly, either priest was capable of such prose and both possessed abiding love for the Mother of God. The phrase, "O stella matutina," tends to make me think this is Newman's writing. His May devotions emphasize Mary's titles in her litany. O stella matutina is loaded with allusions from Genesis to the Psalms, Wisdom, the Apocalypse etc. I particularly like the phrase "let ten thousand influences rain down," rorate caeli desuper...
ReplyDelete(Pardon my ignorance, but I don't understand your use of the word "purple," Pastor in V. - please help, Thanks)
rev'd up: 'purple' in this context usually means something like 'lush, inclining to the sentimental'.
ReplyDeleteReaders may or may not be aware that Vito Carnevali (one time Papal organist) whose Missa Rosa Mystica at one time almost held cult status in the USA also wrote a "Missa Stalla Matutina" in similar style. If anyone wants a score please let me know and I can provide one.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, from my place at the organ console on Tuesday evening I thought Pastor in Valle's alb absolutely superb!!! I thought only our priests wore garb like that these days!!!
Without doubt, Newman's 'Second Spring' sermon.
ReplyDeleteSurge, propera, amica mea, columba mea, formosa mea, et veni. Jam enim hiems transiit, imber abiit et recessit. Flores apparuerunt in terra nostra.--Cant., c. ii. v. 10-12.
I especially like the christo-centric aspect of this particular.....prayer?
ReplyDeleteMay Our Lady be glad to interdcede for us whether we have a clue or not.
Nathan