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Carmina Burana

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Introduction
Main Index
Further Study

Carmina Burana

1.  O Fortuna
2.  Fortunae plango vulnera
3.  Veris laeta facies
4.  Omnia sol temperata
5.  Ecce gratum
6.   Tanz - (instrumental)
7.  Floret silva nobilis
8.  Chramer, gip die varwe mir
9.  Swaz hie gat umbe
10.Were diu werlt alle min
11. Aestuans interius
12. Olim lacus colueram
13. Ego sum abbas
14. In taberna quando sumus
15. Amor volat undique
16. Dies, nox, et omnia
17. Stetit puella
18. Circa mea pectora
19. Si puer cum puella
20. Veni, veni, venias
21. In trutina
22. Tempus est iocundum
23. Dulcissime
24. Ave formosissima


13. EGO SUM ABBAS

A mock liturgy. Several parodies of a religious nature have survived from the Middle Ages; this one is put in the mouth of the Abbot of Never-never land, Cockaigne. Secta Decii was an expression used of gamblers; wafna is apparently an expletive used by the Abbot's victim to express his sorrow and anger; the last three lines are addressed by the latter to Luck, not to the Abbot.


EGO SUM ABBAS


Ego sum abbas Cucaniensis
et consilium meum est cum bibulis,
et in secta Decii voluntas mea est,
et qui mane me quaesierit in taberna
post vesperam nudus egredietur,
et sic denudatus veste clamabit:
Wafna, wafna! quid fecisti, Sors turpissima?
nostrae vitae gaudia
abstulisti omnia!

I am the Abbot of Cockaigne and my counsel is with soaks, and my pleasure is in the order of gamblers and whoever seeks me early in the tavern will leave naked after vespers, and stripped of his clothing he will cry:

Wafna, wafna! What have you done, Luck most foul! You have taken away all the joys of our life!

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