The Carmina Burana are a collection of medieval poems dating from the 11th to the 13th centuries, preserved in a manuscript discovered at Benediktbeuern Abbey, in Bavaria. [1] The codex, written primarily in Latin with occasional verses in Middle High German and Old French, contains over 300 secular compositions, covering themes of love, morality, satire, and drinking songs. [2]
This list of Carmina Burana presents the individual carmina of the collection, numbered according to the critical edition edited by Johann Andreas Schmeller in 1847. Below is the complete list of the carmina contained in the original manuscript. [3]
This first section of the Carmina Burana contains poems of a moral and satirical nature, offering a critical view of medieval society. The poets, often disillusioned clerics or wandering students, rail against greed, corruption within the Church, social injustice, and moral decay. Irony and sarcasm are central tools of their critique, highlighting the gap between Christian ideals and the reality of the time. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
| CB code | Title | Author | Language | Themes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB 001 | Manus ferens munera | – | Latin | Corruption, Money, Justice | Money is portrayed as a corrupting force that distorts judgment, legal decisions, and social order, favoring the wealthy and marginalizing the poor. Justice is shown as being subordinated to economic interest. [14] |
| CB 002 | Responde qui tanta cupis | – | Latin | Avarice, Desire, Human condition | A reflection on human dissatisfaction and greed, symbolized by the endless pursuit of wealth and material goods, which never leads to true happiness. [15] |
| CB 003 | Ecce torpet probitas | Gualterius de Castillione | Latin | Virtue, Greed, Moral decline | Virtue is suppressed while greed dominates human minds. The poem contrasts integrity with corruption and exposes the illusion of glory associated with wealth. [16] |
| CB 004 | Amaris stupens casibus | – | Latin | Hypocrisy, Simony, Catholic Church | A sharp critique of the Church, condemning spiritual decline, simony, and false charity. Corruption within ecclesiastical institutions and separation from true faith are central themes. [17] |
| CB 005 | Flete flenda | – | Latin | Moral decay, Tyranny, Social injustice | The poem reflects on the decay of virtues, the oppression of the weak, and the rise of tyrants, highlighting the pervasive intrusion of corruption in social life. [18] |
| CB 006 | Florebat olim studium | – | Latin | Education, Wisdom, Intellectual decline | An analysis of the abandonment of true learning in favor of frivolity. The poem condemns superficial knowledge and the loss of genuine wisdom. [19] |
| CB 007 | Postquam nobilitas | – | Latin | Nobility, Virtue, Morality | A meditation on true nobility, defined not by lineage but by virtue and moral integrity, contrasting it with degenerate aristocracy. [20] |
| CB 008 | Licet eger cum egrotis | Gualterius de Castillione | Latin | Ecclesiastical corruption, Simony | The poem denounces the corruption of the clergy, criticizing priests and levites who sell spiritual goods and abandon moral conduct. [21] |
| CB 009 | Iudas gehennam meruit | – | Latin | Judas Iscariot, Betrayal | Judas is presented as a symbol of betrayal, with parallels drawn between his actions and contemporary corrupt practices, particularly the sale of spiritual goods. [22] |
| CB 010 | Ecce sonat in aperto | – | Latin | Clergy, Moral corruption | A denunciation of the spiritual death of prelates and their ignorance of Christian virtues. Simony is personified as a corrupting force permeating the Church. [23] |
| CB 011 | Versus de nummo | – | Latin | Money, Social criticism, Morality | A reflection on the power of money to corrupt individuals and institutions, influencing religion, politics, and moral values while distorting truth. [24] |
| CB 012 | Procurans odium | – | Latin | Hatred, Envy, Human conflict | Explores hatred and rivalry, suggesting that hatred harms the hater more than the hated, leading only to suffering and disillusionment. [25] |
| CB 013 | Invidus invidia | – | Latin | Envy, Inner conflict | Envy is portrayed as a destructive passion that consumes the soul, harming both the envious individual and their target. [26] |
| CB 014 | O varium Fortune | – | Latin | Fortuna, Instability, Fate | Fortune is depicted as fickle and unpredictable, emphasizing the instability of human life and the futility of worldly ambition. [27] |
| CB 015 | Celum, non animum | – | Latin | Stoicism, Virtue | External circumstances may change, but a steadfast soul remains unchanged; true strength lies in moral perseverance. [28] |
| CB 016 | Fortune plango vulnera | – | Latin | Fortuna, Lament | A lament over Fortune’s volatility, which raises and destroys human lives without warning. [29] |
| CB 017 | O Fortuna | – | Latin | Fortuna, Destiny | Expresses human helplessness before the cruel and cyclical power of Fortune, to which all are subject. [30] |
| CB 018 | O Fortuna levis | – | Latin | Social criticism, Fortuna | Fortune is described as capricious, elevating the lowly and destroying the powerful, emphasizing social volatility. [31] |
| CB 018a | Regnabo; regno; regnavi; sum sine regno | – | Latin | Power, Transience | Reflects on the fleeting nature of political power and social ascent, emphasizing their ultimate emptiness. [32] |
| CB 019 | Fas et nefas | Gualterius de Castillione | Latin | Virtue, Generosity, Sin | Contrasts virtue and vice, condemns avarice, and promotes generosity as a moral ideal. [33] |
| CB 020 | Est modus in verbis | – | Latin | Moderation, Ethics | Advocates moral moderation, asserting that virtue lies between extremes and excess leads to ruin. [34] |
| CB 021 | Veritas veritatum | Philip the Chancellor | Latin | Truth, Faith, Redemption | Celebrates divine truth as the supreme guide against sin and deception, emphasizing salvation through faith. [35] |
| CB 022 | Homo, quo vigeas vide! | Philip the Chancellor | Latin | Christian virtue, Faith | An exhortation to moral renewal and faith, stressing that salvation depends on virtuous living. [36] |
| CB 023 | Vide, qui nosti litteras | – | Latin | Education, Responsibility | Stresses the importance of moral and spiritual education and living according to one’s teachings. [37] |
| CB 024 | Iste mundus furibundus | – | Latin | Vanity, Salvation | Criticizes worldly falsehoods and urges the pursuit of eternal spiritual values. [38] |
| CB 025 | Vivere sub meta | – | Latin | Justice, Virtue | Reflects on living according to moral law and warns against a life without purpose or direction. [39] |
| CB 026 | Ad cor tuum revertere | – | Latin | Penance, Spirituality, Judgment | An exhortation to self-reflection and repentance. Human life is described as fragile and sinful, urging purification of the soul before divine judgment. Biblical metaphors such as the heavenly wedding garment and the foolish virgins emphasize spiritual vigilance. [40] |
| CB 027 | Bonum est confidere | – | Latin | Faith, Trust in God, Last Judgment | Stresses the importance of trusting God rather than earthly power or wealth. The poem contrasts honest labor with corruption and describes the final judgment separating the righteous from the wicked. [41] |
| CB 028 | Laudat rite deum | – | Latin | Praise, Moral instruction | A collection of moral maxims encouraging sincere praise of God, purity of mind, honesty, and constant spiritual effort. Conversion should not be delayed, as moral negligence leads to spiritual ruin. [42] |
| CB 029 | In lacu miserie | – | Latin | Sin, Temptation, Biblical allusion | An admonition addressed to “Pamphilus,” symbolizing youth immersed in vice. Sin is compared to the Hydra, growing stronger when attacked, while escape is recommended as the only defense, echoing the biblical story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife. [43] |
| CB 030 | Dum iuventus floruit | – | Latin | Youth, Aging, Conversion | A meditation on the passage of time and changing moral attitudes. Youth embraces pleasure freely, while old age imposes restraint. The poem ends with a desire for moral conversion. [44] |
| CB 031 | Vite Perdite | – | Latin | Repentance, Redemption | A confession of moral failure inspired by the parable of the Prodigal Son. Biblical, mythological, and historical figures are invoked to show that true wisdom lies in rejecting sin and trusting divine grace. [45] |
| CB 032 | Cur homo torquetur | – | Latin | Human suffering, Theology | Structured as a catechetical dialogue, the poem lists five theological reasons for human suffering, including humility, merit, expiation, and divine justice. Salvation is ultimately achieved through God’s grace. [46] |
| CB 033 | Non te lusisse pudeat | – | Latin | Clergy, Moral conduct | A moral exhortation addressed to a cleric, urging sobriety, justice, humility, and generosity toward the poor while condemning greed and ecclesiastical corruption. [47] |
| CB 034 | Deduc Sion uberrimas | – | Latin | Church corruption, Jerusalem | A lament over the moral decay of the Church. Shepherds have become oppressors, charity has vanished, and divine justice is invoked to restore spiritual purity. [48] |
| CB 035 | Magnus, maior, maximus | – | Latin | Hierarchy, Responsibility | Reflects on social hierarchy and instability. Greater power entails greater responsibility, warning bishops and leaders against moral failure. [49] |
| CB 036 | Nulli beneficium | – | Latin | Ingratitude, Penance | True repentance requires heartfelt contrition, not mere confession. The powerful are urged to judge justly, restrain vice, and assist the weak with humility. [50] |
| CB 037 | In Gedeonis area | – | Latin | Clergy, Monasticism | Denounces the corruption of religious institutions. Once devoted to prayer, monastic life has fallen into ambition and internal conflict. [51] |
| CB 038 | Doctrinae verba paucis | – | Latin | Wisdom, Education | A brief reflection asserting that knowledge without practice is vain and that ignorance leads to spiritual darkness. [52] |
| CB 039 | In huius mundi patria | – | Latin | Transience, Social criticism | A severe critique of medieval society and clerical corruption, portraying moral hypocrisy and institutional decay. [53] |
| CB 039a | In huius mundi domo | – | Latin | Vanity, Mortality | A reminder of human mortality and the futility of earthly possessions; only the soul possesses eternal value. [54] |
| CB 039b | Cum vadis ad altare | – | Latin | Liturgy, Priesthood | An exhortation urging priests to purify themselves spiritually before celebrating the Mass. [55] |
| CB 040 | Quicquid habes meriti | – | Latin | Grace, Merit | A series of moral aphorisms emphasizing divine grace as the source of merit and the moral value of moderation and joy. [56] |
| CB 041 | Propter Sion non tacebo | – | Latin | Rome, Justice | A lament over the moral collapse of Rome and the Church. Cardinals and officials are likened to pirates, and the papacy to a stormy sea corrupted by greed. [57] |
| CB 042 | Utar contra vitia | – | Latin | Satire, Vice | A fierce satire against hypocrisy and corruption in Rome, where money controls justice and morality. [58] |
| CB 043 | Roma, tue mentis oblita sanitate | – | Latin | Rome, Simony | Laments Rome’s spiritual decay, dominated by simony and avarice, and urges repentance before divine punishment arrives. [59] |
| CB 044 | Initium sancti evangelii secundum Marcas Argenti | – | Latin | Simony, Satire | A parody of the Gospel exposing corruption in the Roman Curia, where wealth determines access, healing, and justice. [60] |
| CB 045 | Roma tenens morem | – | Latin | Roman Curia, Corruption | Criticizes the Curia’s greed, asserting that nothing is granted without payment. A proverb summarizes its moral failure: “The Roman Curia cares nothing for sheep without wool.” [61] |
| CB 046 | De cruce signatis | – | Latin | Crusades, Apocalypticism | Biblical and eschatological reflections on faith, idolatry, and conversion, invoking divine protection for those marked by the cross. [62] |
| CB 047 | Crucifigat omnes | – | Latin | Jerusalem, Holy War | A lament for the loss of Jerusalem and desecration of the Holy Sepulchre, calling Christians to defend the faith through crusade. [63] |
| CB 047a | Curritur ad vocem | – | Latin | Greed, Satire | A satirical denunciation of clerical and social greed, portraying virtue as subordinated to profit. [64] |
| CB 048 | Quod spiritu David precinuit | – | Latin | Prophecy, Crusades | Invokes divine justice against the Saracens, drawing on Psalm 67 and biblical imagery to call for restoration of Christian rule in the Holy Land. [65] |
| CB 048a | Horstu, uriunt, den wahter an der cinne | Otto von Botenlauben | Middle High German | Courtly love | A lyrical fragment depicting lovers parting at dawn, a common motif in medieval courtly poetry. [66] |
| CB 049 | Tonat evangelica clara vox in mundo | – | Latin | Evangelization, Last Judgment | An exhortation to repentance and conversion in preparation for the Last Judgment, urging rejection of worldly temptation. [67] |
| CB 050 | Heu, voce flebili cogor enarrare | – | Latin | Battle of Hattin, Saladin | Describes the defeat of the Crusaders in 1187, the capture of the king of Jerusalem, and the execution of the Templars, expressing grief and calling for penance. [68] |
| CB 051 | Debacchatur mundus pomo | – | Latin | Original sin, Apocalypse | A lament on humanity’s fall into sin, recalling biblical figures and adopting an apocalyptic tone to warn against moral corruption. [69] |
| CB 051a | Imperator rex Grecorum | – | Latin | Byzantine Empire, Crusades | A martial hymn praising the Byzantine emperor and Amalric I of Jerusalem for their campaigns against Muslim forces. [70] |
| CB 052 | Nomen Solemnibus | – | Latin | Monasticism, Solesmes Abbey | A celebratory poem honoring the Abbey of Solesmes and the solemnity of monastic life. [71] |
| CB 053 | Anno Christi incarnationis | – | Latin | Church history, Schism | Celebrates the restoration of unity in the Church after schism, praising papal authority and the jubilee as a moment of purification and joy. [72] |
| CB 053a | Passeres illos, qui transmigrant supra montes | – | Latin | Alexander III, Spiritual struggle | Presents Alexander III as a spiritual hunter defeating enemies of the faith through divine grace. [73] |
| CB 054 | Omne genus demoniorum | – | Latin | Demonology, Exorcism | An exorcistic poem invoking divine power and sacred symbols to banish demons and affirm the triumph of light over darkness. [74] |
| CB 055 | Amara tanta tyri | – | Latin | Allegory, Obscure Latin | A difficult and obscure poem whose meaning remains uncertain due to cryptic language and non-standard vocabulary. [75] |
This section collects love poems, many inspired by courtly lyric but with a strong sensual and carnal component. Love is described in its multiple facets: from overwhelming passion to physical desire, from joy to suffering. The poets do not limit themselves to idealizing love but also explore its more earthly and human aspects. [76] [77] [78] [79] [80] [81]
| CB code | Title | Author | Language | Themes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB 056 | Ianus annum circinat | – | Latin | Time, Cyclicality | A hymn to love and spring. The cyclic nature of time marks the passage of seasons, and love triumphs above all. The poet describes an encounter with a woman of divine beauty, invoking Venus and Cupid for grace and favor. [88] |
| CB 057 | Bruma, veris emula | – | Latin | Seasons, Contrast | A contrast between winter and spring: nature awakens and elements unite through love. Hymenaeus, god of marriage, ensures harmony. The poem references the myth of Proserpina and cosmic forces regulating life, with the sun in Pisces symbolizing abundance and change. [89] |
| CB 058 | Iam ver oritur | – | Latin | Spring, Renewal | Spring manifests with the song of birds, including the nightingale recalling the myth of Tereus and Philomela. Deities and mythological creatures celebrate in dance. Nature's harmony brings joy and celebrates the arrival of a happy season. [90] |
| CB 059 | Ecce, chorus virginum | – | Latin | Dance, Youth | A group of virgins gathers to celebrate Venus in a blooming valley. The idyllic setting is accompanied by birdsong. The poem debates whether chaste love is superior to passionate love, concluding that pure love is happier. Beauty and the joy of love are central themes. [91] |
| CB 060 | Captus amore gravi | – | Latin | Love, Passion | A lament of love. The poet compares himself to a captive bird, suffering from rejection by a woman. Passion turns to pain, and Venus is invoked to help overcome suffering. [92] |
| CB 060a | Cupido mentem gyrat | – | Latin | Cupid, Desire | An ode to carnal love and passion. Cupid acts upon the lover’s heart, who longs for a kiss from his beloved. The woman’s beauty is compared to morning stars. Venus is celebrated as the source of joy. [93] |
| CB 061 | Siquem Pieridum ditavit contio | – | Latin | Muses, Poetry | A love song inspired by the Muses. The poet praises a woman of extraordinary beauty, whose presence brings happiness, while uncertainty in love torments him. He invokes fortune to gain her favor and desires a lasting bond. [94] |
| CB 062 | Dum Diane vitrea | – | Latin | Diana, Sleep | A hymn to sleep and its connection to love. Sleep is depicted as an antidote to worries and a sweet refuge after amorous fatigue. Morpheus is evoked alongside nature sounds, presenting a natural and pleasurable cycle between love and rest. [95] |
| CB 063 | Olim sudor Herculis | – | Latin | Hercules, Labor | A reflection on the power of love to make one forget glory and valor. The poet compares himself to Hercules, who defeated monsters but is defeated by a woman’s charm. Love is an irresistible, time-consuming force. [96] |
| CB 064 | Prima Cleonei tolerata | – | Latin | Hercules, Nemean Lion | A poetic list of Hercules’ twelve labors, emphasizing the difficulty and glory of his mythological feats, from slaying the Nemean Lion to capturing Cerberus from the underworld. [97] |
| CB 065 | Quocumque more motu | – | Latin | Motion, Fate | An enigmatic poem with astronomical and mythological references. Celestial phenomena intertwine with themes of love and desire. The poet balances between attraction and fear regarding a beautiful woman, with images of Venus and Paris. [98] |
| CB 066 | Acteon, Lampos, Erythreus et Philogeus | – | Latin | Myths, Horses | A poetic description of the day’s phases using Greek names: "Acteon" for dawn, "Lampos" for bright morning, "Erythreus" for midday heat, and "Philogeus" for sunset. The poem celebrates the sun’s cycle and influence on the earth. [99] |
| CB 067 | A Globo Veteri | – | Latin | Wisdom, Past | A praise of feminine beauty, describing a perfect woman crafted by Nature. Her physical harmony and enchanting smile captivate men. The poem concludes with the desire sparked by her beauty. [100] |
| CB 068 | Saturni sidus lividum | – | Latin | Saturn, Astrology | A hymn to spring and love. Nature awakens, passion renews, and Zephyr’s wind brings sweetness. Thorns and flowers symbolize pleasure and pain in love, expressing desire for union and kisses. [101] |
| CB 069 | Estas in exilium | – | Latin | Summer, Transience | Winter’s sadness contrasts with love’s warmth and vitality. Despite cold and silence, love persists as a refuge. The poet describes the beloved’s beauty and pleasures of her kisses. [102] |
| CB 070 | Estatis florigero tempore | – | Latin | Summer, Joy | A love dialogue: the lover confesses desire, the beloved hesitates, but ultimately consents. The poem celebrates patience, cleverness, and love’s triumph over resistance. [103] |
| CB 071 | Axe Phebus aureo | – | Latin | Sun, Apollo | Celebrates springtime and the renewal of life with bright images of Phoebus (Apollo) and Flora. Spring awakens desire, yet the lover suffers from the tension between attraction and rejection. [104] |
| CB 072 | Grates ago Veneri | – | Latin | Love, Devotion | The poet thanks Venus for success with a young virgin. After initial delay, the love triumphs despite the girl’s tears and resistance, highlighting the contrast between male desire and female caution. [105] |
| CB 073 | Clauso Cronos | – | Latin | Time, Desire | A poem dedicated to spring and its influence on humans and deities. Forbidden desires are intensified, reflecting a common topos of courtly love. [106] |
| CB 074 | Letabundus rediit | – | Latin | Return, Joy | A hymn to nature’s rebirth and youth’s joy. Spring symbolizes amorous awakening, with flowers, birdsong, and dances of nymphs and satyrs. Encourages enjoyment of love and life’s pleasures. [107] |
| CB 075 | Omittamus Studia | – | Latin | Leisure, Rest | Encourages abandoning study for youthful pleasures. Contrasts old age and seriousness with natural youthful instincts for fun and love. [108] |
| CB 076 | Dum caupona verterem | – | Latin | Tavern, Carefreeness | A first-person narrative: after drinking at a tavern, a young man desires to enter Venus’ temple. Through dialogue, he meets the goddess and gains her favor, but later faces impoverishment, reflecting the cost of desire. [109] |
| CB 077 | Si linguis angelicis | – | Latin | Wisdom, Virtue | A more spiritual and philosophical poem. The poet reflects on love’s value, comparing it to a mystical experience. The ideal woman is a shining star; the poem describes the torment of unrequited or impossible love. [110] |
| CB 078 | Anni novi rediit novitas | – | Latin | New Year, Renewal | Celebrates spring’s return and the end of winter. The poet is tormented by love; Venus and Cupid have sparked desire. He longs for a kiss and wishes hearts to unite. [111] |
| CB 079 | Estivali sub fervore | – | Latin | Summer, Heat | While resting in a meadow, the poet meets a beautiful shepherdess. Declaring himself a lover, not a predator, he extols her beauty over Flora’s. She refuses due to parental fear, urging him to desist. [112] |
| CB 080 | Estivali gaudio | – | Latin | Summer, Celebration | Celebrates summer joy and nature’s awakening. Venus inspires love; young people rejoice. Meadows bloom, and love’s shared pleasures are exalted, marking winter’s end. [113] |
| CB 081 | Solis iubar nituit | – | Latin | Sun, Light | Celebrates the sun’s return and spring. Nature awakens, joy spreads, and the refrain calls for singing and dancing. [114] |
| CB 082 | Frigus hinc est horridum | – | Latin | Winter, Cold | Contrasts harsh winter with blooming spring. The earth becomes fertile and flowered. Praises clerics’ love of virgins over soldiers, critiquing military and celebrating clerical love. [115] |
| CB 083 | Sevit aure spiritus | – | Latin | Wind, Nature | Describes sensual love for Flora. The poet indulges in physical pleasure, praising her beauty and tenderness, fearing that Jupiter might desire her, imagining divine transformations. [116] |
| CB 084 | Dum prius inculta | – | Latin | Nature, Fertility | Describes a love encounter in a natural setting. The poet sees Phyllis under a linden tree, falls in love, and eventually conquers her after initial resistance. [117] |
| CB 085 | Veris dulcis in tempore | – | Latin | Spring, Renewal | Celebrates the sweetness of love in spring. Flowers bloom, birds sing, and virgins warm. Refrain asserts that those without love are less valuable. The poet desires to kiss his beloved in a forest. [118] |
| CB 086 | Non contrecto quam affecto | – | Latin | Desire, Love | An invitation to physical experience. The poet exhorts Cecilia to prefer youth over age, comparing young qualities to agile tools. Lilies emit fragrance after sky warmth and dew. [119] |
| CB 087 | Amor tenet omnia | – | Latin | Universal Love | Explores love’s complex, contradictory nature. Love rules all, changes hearts, and seeks hidden paths. Sweet or bitter, blind and shameless, it governs youth and captures virgins. Love is fickle but guided by art and consumes itself in secret. [120] |
| CB 088 | Amor habet superos | – | Latin | Deities, Love | Celebrates pure, innocent love among virgins. The poet guards their chastity, preferring this love to corrupt or married women. Compares divine love, e.g., Jupiter and Juno, to virgin love. Refrain emphasizes non-physical, sinless nature. [121] |
| CB 088a | Iove cum Mercurio | – | Latin | Mythology, Deception | Describes a birth under specific astrological constellations. Portrays a pure, mutual love guided by celestial influences, highlighting devotion to a single partner. [122] |
| CB 089 | Nos duo boni | – | Latin | Friendship | A young shepherdess criticizes negligent, greedy shepherds. They scold her for interfering in men’s matters while praising themselves. Highlights the contrast between her diligence and honesty and the shepherds’ corruption. [123] |
| CB 090 | Exit diluculo | – | Latin | Departure, Dawn | A country girl invites a schoolboy to join her play while watching her flock. Depicts idyllic rural life, celebrating innocence and simplicity. [124] |
| CB 091 | Sacerdotes, mementote | – | Latin | Religion, Duty | A strong invective against priests guilty of impurity and lust. They are admonished to be worthy of their sacred role and repent, or face divine punishment. Highlights hypocrisy in sacramental practice and the need for inner and outer purity. [125] |
| CB 092 | Anni parte florida | – | Latin | Seasons, Spring | A lively dialogue between Phyllis and Flora, debating love and their preferences between a soldier and a cleric. They contrast virtues and flaws, ending with judgment by Cupid. Reflects medieval conceptions of love and society. [126] |
| CB 093 | Hortum habet insula | – | Latin | Nature, Garden | A man meets a virgin in a garden; their relationship is disrupted by envy and deceit. Suggests even idyllic love is vulnerable to external forces. [127] |
| CB 093a | Cum Fortuna voluit | – | Latin | Fortune, Fate | An elderly man reflects on youth’s transience and the need to yield to new generations. Uses the rhinoceros image, granted only to pure virgins, emphasizing purity and youth as precious qualities. [128] |
| CB 094 | Congaudentes ludite | – | Latin | Joy, Celebration | A joyful invitation to celebrate love and youth against aging. Refrain encourages exploring love’s pleasures. [129] |
| CB 095 | Cur suspectum me tenet domina | – | Latin | Jealousy, Love | A man passionately defends himself against accusations from his beloved, asserting innocence and preferring honest poverty to corrupt wealth. Expresses moral integrity and rejection of compromise. [130] |
| CB 096 | Iuvenes amorifer | – | Latin | Youth, Love | An incitement to love and pleasure among young people and virgins, inspired by birdsong. Refrain celebrates vitality and youthful joy. [131] |
| CB 097 | O Antioche, cur decipis me | – | Latin | Deception, Politics | Narrates the troubled story of Apollonius and his daughter Tharsia, including shipwrecks, abductions, sales, and eventual reunion. Explores perseverance, fortune, and family bonds. [132] |
| CB 098 | Troie post excidium | – | Latin | Troy, Destruction | Depicts Aeneas and Dido in Carthage, their passionate love, and tragic ending with Dido’s suicide. Explores love, passion, fate, and grief. [133] |
| CB 099 | Superbi Paridis leve iudicium | – | Latin | Paris, Trojan War | Briefly recounts Paris, Helen, Aeneas, and Dido, highlighting love’s capacity for joy and suffering. [134] |
| CB 099a | Armat amor Paridem | – | Latin | Love, War | Paris arms himself with love, abducts Helen, and triggers war. [135] |
| CB 099b | Prebuit Eneas | – | Latin | Death, Heroism | Aeneas causes Dido’s death; she takes her life with the Trojan hero’s sword. [136] |
| CB 100 | Oh decus, o Lybie regnum | – | Latin | Carthage, Glory | Dido laments Eneas’ abandonment and Carthage’s doomed fate, expressing suffering, anger, and despair. [137] |
| CB 101 | Pergama flere volo | – | Latin | Ruin, Lament, Historical Memory | A lament over Troy’s destruction. References Paris, Helen, and the Trojan War, exploring pain, devastation, and consequences of lust and war. Ecuba mourns the loss of Troy, reflecting on human mortality and fate. [138] |
| CB 102 | Fervet amore Paris | – | Latin | Passion, Love, Desire | Narrates events leading to the Trojan War: Paris abducts Helen, she leaves Menelaus, angering the Greeks. Describes war preparations, Troy’s siege, and the Trojan Horse, concluding with Aeneas’ wanderings. [139] |
| CB 103 | Eia dolor! | – | Latin | Suffering, Lament | A love lament addressed to a virgin, comparing her to Helen (Tyndaride), imploring favor. Venus and Cupid torment the poet, who seeks relief in the beloved’s love. [140] |
| CB 104 | Egre fero quod egroto | – | Latin | Illness, Suffering, Resignation | An elderly man expresses desire and passion for Venus, lamenting love’s consuming power despite age. Explores senile love and difficulty controlling passion. [141] |
| CB 104a | Non honor est | – | Latin | Honor, Disillusion, Values | A short distich emphasizing marriage with social equals. Suggests unions between different social classes lead to unhappiness and social issues. [142] |
| CB 105 | Dum curata vegetarem | – | Latin | Healing, Recovery, Life | Cupid appears in a dream, lamenting the loss of true amorous arts taught by Ovid and the profanation of Venus’ mysteries. Reflects nostalgia for love as a noble, sacred art. [143] |
| CB 106 | Veneris vincula | – | Latin | Love, Desire, Passion | The poet declares himself bound by Venus’ chains, consumed with desire for Flora. Explores love’s unpredictable power to torment the lover. [144] |
| CB 107 | Dira vi amoris teror | – | Latin | Tormented Love, Fear, Passion | Terrified by love’s power, the poet invokes a virgin for help, describing her as a virginal lily and shining star. Expresses vulnerability and seeks refuge in purity. [145] |
| CB 108 | Vacillantis trutine | – | Latin | Inner conflict, Reason, Love | The poet is torn between Reason (Ratio) and Love (Amor), embodied by his desire for Florula. Reason urges him toward study and discipline, while Love tempts him with pleasure. The poem explores the tension between duty and passion and the difficulty of achieving balance in life. [146] |
| CB 109 | Multiformi succendente | – | Latin | Rejection, Transformation, Mythology | The poet laments unrequited love and compares his suffering to that of Apollo pursuing Daphne. His beloved prefers another, leaving him in despair. The poem expresses frustration and emotional anguish caused by rejection. [147] |
| CB 110 | Quis furor est in amore! | – | Latin | Love, Madness, Passion | Describes the madness of love and its power to disturb mind and body. Love transforms the lover, causing irrational behavior and emotional turmoil. [148] |
| CB 111 | O comes amoris dolor | – | Latin | Unrequited love, Sorrow | A lament over the suffering caused by unreturned love for an exceptional woman praised for beauty and purity. The poet expresses loneliness and sadness at being despised by his beloved. [149] |
| CB 112 | Dudum voveram | – | Latin | Vows, Temptation | Having vowed to renounce love, the poet finds himself once again enslaved by Venus. The poem reflects on the fragility of promises and the difficulty of resisting love’s temptations. [150] |
| CB 112a | Div mich singen tuot | – | Middle High German | Song, Desire | A short lament in German expressing emotional pain and appealing to a woman for favor, consumed by passion. [151] |
| CB 113 | Transit nix et glacies | – | Latin | Spring, Love, Suffering | Spring awakens nature and intensifies the poet’s love, even as rejection brings suffering. The poem links natural renewal with emotional pain. [152] |
| CB 113a | Vvaz ist fur daz senen guot | – | Middle High German | Desire, Longing | A brief German fragment in which a woman questions the desire she feels for a man. [153] |
| CB 114 | Tempus accedit floridum | – | Latin | Spring, Contrast | Celebrates the arrival of spring while lamenting the lack of solace in the poet’s heart. The joy of nature contrasts with the pain of unrequited love. [154] |
| CB 114a | Der al der werlt ein meister si | – | Middle High German | Gratitude, Guidance | A short German fragment expressing gratitude for comfort received from a woman. [155] |
| CB 115 | Nobilis mei miserere precor! | – | Latin | Supplication, Beauty | The poet implores a noble lady for mercy, claiming her beauty is killing him. Expresses admiration and overpowering desire. [156] |
| CB 115a | Edile vrowe min | – | Middle High German | Plea, Devotion | A German fragment in which the poet begs a woman to acknowledge his love, overwhelmed by her radiance. [157] |
| CB 116 | Sic mea fata canendo solor | – | Latin | Fate, Consolation | The poet seeks consolation through song for the suffering caused by love, hoping for happiness with his beloved. [158] |
| CB 117 | Lingua mendax et dolosa | – | Latin | Loyalty, Defense | Defends himself against accusations of deceit, swearing fidelity and praising the beloved’s beauty. [159] |
| CB 118 | Doleo quod nimium | – | Latin | Exile, Regret | The poet laments exile and suffering caused by love, longing for a kiss from his beloved. Includes Old French phrases enhancing the tone of nostalgia. [160] |
| CB 119 | Dulce solum natalis patrie | – | Latin | Exile, Homeland | Preparing to leave his homeland because of love’s torment, the poet expresses loss and sorrow. [161] |
| CB 119a | Semper ad omne | – | Latin | Moderation | A brief distich emphasizing the importance of measure in all things. [162] |
| CB 120 | Rumor letalis | – | Latin | Gossip, Jealousy | Condemns slander threatening the beloved’s reputation and urges caution, expressing protective jealousy. [163] |
| CB 120a | Vincit Amor quemque | – | Latin | Love, Inevitability | A short maxim asserting that love conquers all yet is itself unconquered. [164] |
| CB 121 | Tange sodes citharam | – | Latin | Music, Renewal | Celebrates a new love while rejecting a former one, expressing lightness and joy. [165] |
| CB 121a | Non est crimen amor | – | Latin | Love, Morality | States that love is not a crime, arguing that divine love sanctifies all things. [166] |
| CB 122 | Expirante primitivo | – | Latin | Death, Lament | A lament on the death of a king, mourning the loss of virtue and splendor from the world. [167] |
| CB 122a | Vite presentis | – | Latin | Transience | Reflects on the fleeting nature of life’s pleasures, likened to the wind. [168] |
| CB 123 | Versa est in luctum cithara Waltheri | – | Latin | Clerical corruption, Lament | Denounces corruption among ecclesiastical judges and moral decay within the clergy, invoking divine intervention. [169] |
| CB 123a | Ludit in humanis | – | Latin | Fortune, Instability | Reflects on Fortune’s unreliability and the fragility of human affairs, citing Ovid. [170] |
| CB 124 | Dum Philippus moritur | – | Latin | History, Mourning | Laments moral decline following the death of Philip, highlighting loss of faith and reason. [171] |
| CB 125 | Ante Dei vultum | – | Latin | Divine justice | Affirms that no evil deed escapes divine judgment and praises heavenly bliss. [172] |
| CB 126 | Huc usque me miseram! | – | Latin | Shame, Despair | Describes a young woman facing disgrace after concealing pregnancy, abandoned by her lover. [173] |
| CB 127 | Deus pater adiuva | – | Latin | Prayer, Vocation | Invokes divine aid before impending death and reflects on the rigors of monastic life, postponing commitment. [174] |
| CB 128 | Remigabat naufragus | – | Latin | Shipwreck, Rescue | Tells of a shipwrecked man rescued by two youths who guide him safely to harbor. [175] |
| CB 129 | Exul ego clericus | – | Latin | Exile, Poverty | An exiled cleric laments poverty and seeks support to continue his studies and religious duties. [176] |
| CB 130 | Olim lacus colueram | – | Latin | Fortune, Decline | A swan, once free on a lake, laments being roasted for food, preferring former liberty. [177] |
| CB 131 | – | – | Latin | Allegory, Justice | Truth, Charity, and Justice are summoned and questioned about their absence in a world of hypocrisy and sin. [178] |
| CB 131a | – | – | Latin | Satire, Corruption | Criticizes greed and corruption within the papal curia, where justice is suppressed and sold. [179] |
| CB 132 | Iam vernali tempore | – | Latin | Spring, Renewal | Celebrates the return of spring with vivid images of nature awakening, birdsong, animals’ voices, and the fertility of the earth. [180] |
| CB 133 | Hic volucres celi referam sermone fideli | – | Latin | Nature, Birds | Lists the names of various birds, functioning as a poetic catalog of avian life. [181] |
| CB 134 | Nomina paucarum sunt hic socianda ferarum | – | Latin | Animals, Symbolism | Enumerates the names of wild animals, continuing the encyclopedic tone of natural description. [182] |
| CB 135 | Cedit hiems tua durities | – | Latin | Winter, Spring | Describes the retreat of winter and the arrival of spring, marked by nature’s rebirth and an invitation to love. [183] |
| CB 135a | Der starche winder hat uns uerlan | – | Middle High German | Winter, Change | Expresses joy at the end of winter and the beauty of the coming summer. [184] |
| CB 136 | Omnia sol temperat | – | Latin | Sun, Harmony | Praises spring as a season of love and joy, urging constancy and fidelity. [185] |
| CB 136a | Solde ih noch den tach geleben | – | Middle High German | Life, Destiny | Longs to live until the day when joy may be received from the beloved. [186] |
| CB 137 | Ver redit optatum | – | Latin | Spring, Renewal | Celebrates the long-awaited return of spring and exhorts the young to enjoy love and nature. [187] |
| CB 137a | Springerwir den reigen | – | Middle High German | Dance, Festivity | Expresses delight in the arrival of May and the blossoming of flowers. [188] |
| CB 138 | Veri leta facies | – | Latin | Spring, Joy | Depicts the joy of spring, with nature reborn and love pervading all things, inviting collective celebration. [189] |
| CB 138a | In liehter varwe | – | Middle High German | Colors, Renewal | Celebrates springtime beauty and birdsong. [190] |
| CB 139 | Tempus transit horridum | – | Latin | Time, Winter | Encourages enjoyment of love and joy in the present, acknowledging the fleeting nature of youth. [191] |
| CB 139a | Zergangen ist der winder chalt | – | Middle High German | Cold, Transition | Rejoices at the end of winter and the love of a woman. [192] |
| CB 140 | Terra iam pandit gremium | – | Latin | Nature, Fertility | Celebrates the earth opening its bosom in spring, inviting pleasure, love, and companionship. [193] |
| CB 140a | Nu suln wir alle froude han | – | Middle High German | Joy, Celebration | Calls for joy and dancing in honor of spring. [194] |
| CB 141 | Florent omnes arbores | – | Latin | Nature, Trees | Contrasts spring’s joy with the difficulty of winning a woman’s love. [195] |
| CB 141a | Div heide gruonet vnde der walt | – | Middle High German | Greenery, Renewal | Celebrates spring and birdsong in forest and heath. [196] |
| CB 142 | Tempus adest floridum | – | Latin | Spring, Flowers | Invites enjoyment of spring and love, referencing the myth of Helen and Paris. [197] |
| CB 142a | Ih solde eines morgenes gan | – | Middle High German | Morning, Hope | Narrates an encounter with a young woman in a meadow. [198] |
| CB 143 | Ecce gratum et optatum | – | Latin | Spring, Festivity | Celebrates spring’s return and urges surrender to love under Cupid’s rule. [199] |
| CB 143a | Ze niwen vrouden stat min muot | – | Middle High German | Joy, Hope | A woman expresses happiness in the love of a knight. [200] |
| CB 144 | Iam iam virent prata | – | Latin | Nature, Meadows | Calls for celebration of spring and love, urging devotion to Venus to avoid sorrow. [201] |
| CB 144a | Ich han gesehen | – | Middle High German | Observation, Experience | Expresses delight in the beauty of nature. [202] |
| CB 145 | Musa venit carmine | – | Latin | Poetry, Inspiration | Invokes the Muse to sing of spring, describing nature’s beauty and birdsong. [203] |
| CB 145a | Uvere div werlt alle min | – | Middle High German | Desire, Possession | Expresses a fantastical desire to hold the king of England in one’s arms. [204] |
| CB 146 | Tellus flore vario vestitur | – | Latin | Nature, Colors | Describes the earth clothed in flowers while praising a woman’s beauty and expressing desire. [205] |
| CB 146a | Nahtegal, sing einen don mit sinne | – | Middle High German | Nightingale, Music | Invokes the nightingale to sing for the poet’s queen, expressing devotion and love. [206] |
| CB 147 | Si de more cum honore | – | Latin | Tradition, Reflection | Reflects on the vanity of love and the poet’s divided state between joy and suffering. [207] |
| CB 147a | Sage, daz ih dirs iemmer lone | – | Middle High German | Gratitude, Fidelity | Asks after a beloved man, wishing to know whether he is happy. [208] |
| CB 148 | Floret tellus floribus | – | Latin | Flowers, Love | Invites celebration of love under the protection of Venus and Cupid. [209] |
| CB 148a | Nu sin stolz vnde hovisch | – | Middle High German | Pride, Courtesy | Encourages noble pride and courtesy, referencing Venus’ arrows. [210] |
| CB 149 | Floret silva nobilis | – | Latin | Forest, Splendor | Laments the absence of the beloved amid the beauty of nature. [211] |
| CB 150 | Redivivo vernat flore | – | Latin | Rebirth, Nature | Celebrates spring’s renewal and urges the young to follow love and joy. [212] |
| CB 150a | Ich pin cheiser ane chrone | – | Middle High German | Kingship, Love | Declares himself an emperor without crown or land, rich only in a woman’s love. [213] |
| CB 151 | Virent prata hiemata | – | Latin | Meadows, Spring | Describes springtime joy, birdsong, and youthful love, focusing on desire for a particular woman. [214] |
| CB 151a | So wol dir, meine, wie du scheidest | – | Middle High German | Farewell, Nature | Celebrates May’s beauty and the varied colors of nature. [215] |
| CB 152 | Estas non apparuit | – | Latin | Summer, Beauty | Claims summer has never been so beautiful, praising birdsong and love’s power. [216] |
| CB 152a | Ich gesach den sumer nie | – | Middle High German | Summer, Expectation | Expresses delight in summer’s beauty and birdsong. [217] |
| CB 153 | Tempus transit gelidum | – | Latin | Time, Thaw | Describes spring renewal, birds, and maidens’ play, confessing surrender to Love and devotion to one woman. [218] |
| CB 153a | Vrowe, ih pin dir undertan | – | Middle High German | Devotion, Love | Declares complete submission to a woman and desire for her love. [219] |
| CB 154 | Est Amor alatus | – | Latin | Love, Allegory | Portrays Love as a winged boy and lists five stages of union: sight, speech, touch, kiss, and sexual act. [220] |
| CB 155 | Quam pulchra nitet facie | – | Latin | Beauty, Admiration | Praises a woman’s beauty through mythological and biblical comparisons, expressing desire and suffering. [221] |
| CB 155a | Si ist schouner den urowe Dido was | – | Middle High German | Beauty, Mythology | Extols a woman’s beauty as surpassing Dido, Helen, Pallas, and Hecuba. [222] |
| CB 156 | Salve ver optatum | – | Latin | Spring, Greeting | Welcomes spring and invokes a maiden named Phyllis to heal the poet’s amorous ardor. [223] |
| CB 157 | Lucis orto sidere | – | Latin | Light, Narrative | Tells of a shepherdess whose sheep is stolen by a wolf; the poet rescues it and wins her promise. [224] |
| CB 158 | Vere dulci mediante | – | Latin | Spring, Desire | Relates a spring encounter with a frightened maiden whom the poet overpowers, expressing her fear of discovery. [225] |
| CB 159 | Veris dulcis in tempore | – | Latin | Seasons, Love | Celebrates love in spring; those who do not love are deemed unworthy. The poet longs for kisses in the woods. [226] |
| CB 160 | Dum estas inchoatur | – | Latin | Summer, Love | Laments being wounded by love for a maiden at summer’s beginning. [227] |
| CB 161 | Ab estatis foribus | – | Latin | Summer, Transformation | Describes love’s greeting at summer’s start and warns that without Venus, youth is lost. [228] |
| CB 161a | Diu werlt frovt sih uber als | – | Middle High German | World, Joy | The world rejoices in summer with birdsong, green woods, and flowering meadows. [229] |
| CB 162 | O consocii, quid vobis videtur? | – | Latin | Companionship, Celebration | Invites companions to honor Venus, praising love, wine, and poetic skill while excluding the uninitiated. [230] |
| CB 162a | Svoziv vrowe min | – | Middle High German | Love, Devotion | Implores a woman to grant love, calling her the light of his eyes. [231] |
| CB 163 | Longa spes et dubia | – | Latin | Hope, Uncertainty | Expresses prolonged, painful hope mixed with fear in love for an incomparable woman. [232] |
| CB 163a | Eine wunnechliche stat | – | Middle High German | Wonder, Place | Describes a beautiful setting where an unfortunate event occurs. [233] |
| CB 164 | Ob amoris pressuram | – | Latin | Love, Remedy | Seeks a cure for love’s suffering by hastening to the beloved Corinna, fantasizing union with her. [234] |
| CB 164a | Ih wolde gerne singen | – | Middle High German | Song, Desire | Expresses desire to sing and bring joy if only the beloved could be won. [235] |
| CB 165 | Amor telum est insignis Veneris | – | Latin | Cupid, Passion | Depicts love as Venus’ dart, praising the beloved’s beauty and inviting song and dance in her honor. [236] |
| CB 165a | Mir ist ein wip sere | – | Middle High German | Love, Longing | Confesses deep love for a virtuous woman and desire for physical union. [237] |
| CB 166 | Iam dudum Amoris militem | – | Latin | Love, Warfare | Declares himself a soldier of Love, resolute in enduring its trials. [238] |
| CB 166a | Solde auer ich mit sorgen iemmer leben | – | Middle High German | Suffering, Fate | Laments a life of sorrow yet resolves to remain steadfast in spirit. [239] |
| CB 167 | Laboris remedium | – | Latin | Consolation, Love | Recalls youthful spiritual love evolving into desire for physical union, seeking solace in memory. [240] |
| CB 167a | Swaz hie gat umbe | – | Middle High German | Life, Transience | Observes that all girls wish to marry during summer. [241] |
| CB 168 | Annualis mea sospes sit et gaudeat! | – | Latin | Celebration, Praise | Offers joyful wishes to the beloved, venerating her as divine and aided by Venus. [242] |
| CB 168a | Nu grvonet auer div heide | – | Middle High German | Nature, Renewal | Recalls shared suffering through winter and devotion to the beloved. [243] |
| CB 169 | Habet sidus leti visus | – | Latin | Fate, Melancholy | Laments dimmed joy, longing for a beloved who languishes without comfort. [244] |
| CB 169a | Roter munt, wie du dich swachest | – | Middle High German | Moon, Cruelty | Complains of a woman’s cruel smile mocking his pain. [245] |
| CB 170 | Quelibet succenditur vivens creatura | – | Latin | Life, Passion | Affirms all living beings burn with love, praising a virgin’s surpassing beauty. [246] |
| CB 170a | Min vrowe Uenus ist so guot | – | Middle High German | Venus, Love | Praises Venus for granting joy to the courageous and faithful. [247] |
| CB 171 | De pollicito mea mens elata | – | Latin | Promise, Hope | Describes hope fueled by promises, intense love, and burning desire under Venus’ fire. [248] |
| CB 171a | Vrowe, wesent vro! | – | Middle High German | Joy, Summer | Encourages women to rejoice in summer’s gifts of roses and lilies. [249] |
| CB 172 | Lude, ludat, ludite | – | Latin | Play, Pleasure | Urges play, music, and free love, promoting indulgence and delight. [250] |
| CB 172a | Ich han eine senede not | – | Middle High German | Desire, Pain | Complains of longing worsened by winter, hoping summer will bring joy through love. [251] |
| CB 173 | Revirescit et florescit | – | Latin | Renewal, Love | The heart blossoms anew, praising the beloved amid birdsong and sweet suffering. [252] |
| CB 173a | Wol ir libe, div so schone | – | Middle High German | Beauty, Service | Pledges service to a noble and beautiful lady crowned with honor. [253] |
| CB 174 | Veni, veni, venias | – | Latin | Invitation, Passion | Begins with an urgent plea to the beloved, praising her unmatched beauty. [254] |
| CB 174a | Chume, chume, geselle min | – | Middle High German | Longing, Love | Invites the beloved to come and heal with a rose-like kiss. [255] |
| CB 175 | Pre amoris tedio | – | Latin | Love, Weariness | Seeks rescue from love’s torment, likening it to a storm threatening his soul. [256] |
| CB 175a | Taugen minne div ist guot | – | Middle High German | Secret Love, Fidelity | Affirms the value of secret love nurtured with loyalty. [257] |
| CB 176 | Non est in medico | – | Latin | Medicine, Wisdom | Notes that not every illness can be healed by a physician; eloquence strengthens the wise mind. [258] |
| CB 177 | Stetit puella rufa | – | Latin | Innocence, Beauty | Describes a maiden in a red tunic, innocence, and Venus granting love. [259] |
| CB 178 | Volo virum vivere viriliter | – | Latin | Masculinity, Honor | Asserts desire for mutual love, rejects submission, then repents and seeks forgiveness privately. [260] |
| CB 178a | Ich wil den sumer gruzen | – | Middle High German | Summer, Celebration | Welcomes summer joyfully after winter’s hardship, inviting dance and delight. [261] |
| CB 179 | Tempus est iocundum | – | Latin | Youth, Joy | Proclaims a time of joy for youth and virgins, blending desire, hope, and despair in love. [262] |
| CB 179a | Einen brief ich sande | – | Middle High German | Letters, Waiting | Sends a letter to a woman, entrusting her with his heart. [263] |
| CB 180 | O mi dilectissima! | – | Latin | Passion, Admiration | Addresses the beloved in rapture, praising her radiant beauty and noble bearing. [264] |
| CB 180a | Ich wil truren varen lan | – | Middle High German | Sorrow, Release | Renounces sorrow and seeks solace in nature and love. [265] |
| CB 181 | Quam Natura ceteris | – | Latin | Nature, Desire | Praises Nature’s artistry in the beloved and pleads for fearless union. [266] |
| CB 181a | Der winder zeiget sine chraft | – | Middle High German | Winter, Desolation | Describes winter’s destructive power over nature and joy. [267] |
| CB 182 | Sol solo in stellifero | – | Latin | Cosmos, Love | Exalts the beloved as brighter than stars, longing for union and release from waiting. [268] |
| CB 182a | Vns chumet ein lichte sumerzit | – | Middle High German | Summer, Light | Celebrates a radiant summer and urges courage and wisdom in seeking joy. [269] |
| CB 183 | Si puer cum puellula | – | Latin | Youth, Love | Imagines bliss if a boy and girl were alone together, free from boredom. [270] |
| CB 183a | Ich sich den morgensterne brehen | – | Middle High German | Morning Star, Secrecy | Advises secret love protected by friendship. [271] |
| CB 184 | Virgo quedam nobilis | – | Latin | Nobility, Violence | Narrates a noble maiden’s encounter with a young man ending in violent disruption. [272] |
| CB 185 | Ich was ein chint so wolgetan | – | Middle High German | Memory, Violence | Recalls a girl deceived and violated, presented with stark narrative realism. [273] |
| CB 186 | Suscipe flos florem | – | Latin | Flowers, Allegory | Uses floral imagery as a symbol of love, beauty, and art’s limits in capturing essence. [274] |
This collection of poems is dedicated to wine, the pleasure of drinking, and conviviality. The tone is often jovial and light-hearted, celebrating taverns and the sense of freedom that alcohol appears to provide. [275] [276]
| CB Code | Title | Author | Language | Themes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB 187 | O curas hominum | - | Latin | Human condition | This carmen criticizes corruption and opportunism at the princes' court. The text highlights how loyalty and justice are compromised by greed and flattery. Those who offer nothing are doomed to waste effort, while the successful gain ever more. Laws and judgments are manipulated for money, and promotions go to those who flatter the powerful. Flatterers hide their true nature but reveal it when they gain power. [279] |
| CB 188 | Diligitur colitur | - | Latin | Love, devotion | This short carmen states that those with wealth are loved and honored, while the poor are despised and oppressed. [280] |
| CB 189 | Aristippe, quamvis sero | - | Latin | Philosophy, wisdom | This carmen presents a dialogue between Aristippus and Diogenes on corruption and flattery needed to obtain favors in Rome. Aristippus complains that one must lie and flatter to gain the favor of the powerful. Diogenes replies that success in the Church requires complicity in the vices of prelates. Both agree on the difficulty of maintaining integrity in a corrupt environment. The carmen concludes with a rejection of flattery and an invitation to live a modest, content life. [281] |
| CB 190 | Sunt detractores | - | Latin | Slander, social criticism | This carmen denounces detractors and flatterers, describing them as worse than open enemies. The slanderer's tongue is likened to a dragon's venom. [282] |
| CB 191 | Estuans intrinsecus | - | Latin | Passion, rebellion | This long carmen is a confession of the Archipoet, expressing his inner conflict between wisdom and passion. He compares himself to a leaf blown by the wind and admits to being prone to vices and pleasures. He asks forgiveness from his prelate for his weakness toward women and wine. The carmen includes a defense of tavern life, where wine inspires his poetry, and concludes with an appeal for mercy and spiritual renewal. [283] |
| CB 191a | Cum sit fama multiplex | - | Latin | Reputation, fame | The author seeks to win favor through his writing skills, while also asking for help to alleviate the burden of poverty. [284] |
| CB 192 | Si quis displiceat pravis | - | Latin | Justice, morality | This carmen asserts that if someone displeases the wicked, they should not worry, because it is impossible to please the evil. The poet aspires to please the good and be hated by the wicked, who habitually despise the virtuous. [285] |
| CB 193 | Denudata veritate | - | Latin | Truth, revelation | This carmen is a debate between wine and water, each defending its qualities and criticizing the other. Wine complains about being mixed with water, which it considers impure and useless. Water criticizes wine for its negative effects, such as drunkenness and loss of control. Wine claims to be a source of wisdom and inspiration, while water is accused of being dangerous and deceptive. The carmen ends with condemnation of those who mix wine and water. [286] |
| CB 194 | In cratere meo | - | Latin | Wine, joy | The carmen describes the union of Thetis (water) and Lieo (wine) in a mixing bowl, emphasizing that neither substance has value when mixed with the other. The author recalls that even during the Last Supper, water and wine were not mixed. [287] |
| CB 195 | Si quis Deciorum | - | Latin | History, heroism | This carmen describes the dangers of gambling and excessive reliance on luck. It mentions Decius, a figure associated with deceit in gambling. Losers are stripped of possessions and lament their misfortune. The text includes German exclamations reflecting the multicultural tavern environment. [288] |
| CB 196 | In taberna quando sumus | - | Latin | Bacchus, excess | This carmen depicts tavern life, where people indulge in games, drinking, and debauchery. It lists various toasts made in the tavern, including prayers for the living, the dead, and different groups. The carmen concludes with a reflection on poverty caused by overdrinking and a curse on those who criticize drinkers. [289] |
| CB 197 | Dum domus lapidea | - | Latin | Construction, stability | This carmen describes the atmosphere of a gambling house and the effects of wine. Companions call the place a "sweet house of hospitality." Wine engages the senses, enhancing the body and mind. The scene ends with drunk players falling to the ground, invoking Bacchus. [290] |
| CB 198 | Mella cibus dulcis | - | Latin | Sweetness, metaphor | This short carmen asserts that sweet foods and wealth are often harmful to many. Simple food makes people healthy and strong, but many abandon wholesome food. [291] |
| CB 199 | Puri Bacchi meritum | - | Latin | Wine, praise | This carmen celebrates the merit of pure Bacchus and invites participation in drinking and games. It describes the game as a battle among companions and mentions a certain Simon visiting Alsace to drink with fellow players. [292] |
| CB 200 | Bacche, bene venies | - | Latin | Invocation, celebration | This carmen is a hymn to Bacchus, the god of wine, bringing joy, love, and courage. The refrain praises wine as a beverage that makes men courteous, honest, and brave. It describes wine's effect on women, making them more inclined to love and pleasure, and concludes with praise and thanks to Bacchus. [293] |
| CB 201 | Tu das, Bacche, loqui | - | Latin | Drunkenness, eloquence | In praise of Bacchus, described as granting eloquence, soothing minds, enriching, transforming sorrow into joy, reconciling enemies, and revealing knowledge. The carmen encourages drinking to quench thirst and disregard death, extolling wine and gaming. It also narrates Bacchus escaping imprisonment by breaking chains. [294] |
| CB 202 | O potores exquisiti | - | Latin | Conviviality | Invites expert drinkers to drink without pause and fill cups, excluding those who dislike drinking and praising intoxication. Criticizes mixing wine with water, emphasizing wine's purity and the pleasure Bacchus grants. [295] |
| CB 203 | Hiemali tempore | - | Latin | Winter, melancholy | Describes a winter scene with people gathering in an estuary, playing, and exchanging clothes for money and drink. It also mentions a punishment for someone who named a martyr king. [296] |
| CB 203a | Vns seit uon Lutringen Helfrich | - | German | History, nobility | Narrates a meeting between Helfrich von Lutringen and other characters such as Erekke and Dieterich in a forest, referencing conflicts and dangers. [297] |
| CB 204 | Urbs salve regia | - | Latin | City, glory | Celebrates the city of Trier as royal and a source of joy, associating it with Bacchus and strong wine. Praises dialectic skills and the superiority of Germans in drinking, comparing the rose to Venus and Jupiter. [298] |
| CB 205 | Hospes laudatur | - | Latin | Hospitality | Praises the generous guest and encourages drinking and gambling. Associates games with drinking and love, referencing Bacchus stimulating youth. Includes a refrain invoking "Deu sal" and inviting to drink and play. [299] |
| CB 206 | Hircus quando bibit | - | Latin | Behavior, excess | States that a man who drinks too much speaks inappropriately. The carmen describes the author's inspiration when well-drunk versus lack of inspiration when sober. [300] |
| CB 207 | Tessera blandita fueras michi | - | Latin | Fortune, deceit | Laments dice-playing (tessera) as a cause of loss and ruin. Describes dice as bringing lies, quarrels, and poverty, but also as a source of hope for gain. [301] |
| CB 208 | Littera bis bina | - | Latin | Wisdom, writing | A riddle about the letter "L". [302] |
| CB 209 | Roch, pedites, regina | - | Latin | Chess, strategy | Describes a chess battle, referencing game pieces and conflict between sides. [303] |
| CB 210 | Qui cupit egregium scachorum | - | Latin | Chess, skill | Explains the game of chess, describing initial piece positions and moves. Illustrates how pawns advance, rooks move freely, knights jump, bishops deceive, and the king is protected by the queen. [304] |
| CB 211 | Alte clamat Epicurus | - | Latin | Epicureanism, philosophy | Celebrates Epicurus and pleasure of a full belly, describing the stomach as a god and the kitchen as a temple. Exalts food, wine, and rest, with reference to the stomach growling and wine combating mead. [305] |
| CB 211a | Nu lebe ich mir alrest werde | - | German | Life, change | Fragment of Walther von der Vogelweide's Palästinalied, expressing joy at seeing the Holy Land. [306] |
| CB 212 | Non iubeo quemquam | - | Latin | Freedom, self-determination | Encourages enjoying life's pleasures in moderation, suggesting measured eating to avoid death and nourishing the body without burdening the mind. [307] |
| CB 213 | Sperne lucrum | - | Latin | Greed, morality | Offers advice on gaming, such as avoiding greed, yielding to more experienced players, not getting angry when losing, and playing with serenity when resources allow. [308] |
| CB 214 | Si preceptorum superest | - | Latin | Teaching, ethics | Provides guidance for a balanced life: rise early, dedicate time to reading, eat and drink moderately, sleep a little, meditate, and write. [309] |
| CB 215 | Lugeamus omnes in Decio | - | Latin | Mourning, commemoration | A "Gamblers' Office" lamenting the misdeeds of Decius, associated with gambling and loss. Includes parodic liturgical elements such as an introit, epistle, gradual, alleluia, sequence, and gospel. [310] |
| CB 215a | Omnipotens sempiterne Deus | - | Latin | Religion, prayer | Expresses a wish to enjoy the labors of peasants and clerics, their women, and rejoice in their deaths. [311] |
| CB 216 | Tempus hoc letitie | - | Latin | Festival, celebration | Celebrates a time of joy and festivity, inviting all to sing and play, especially students. Mentions stylus and tablets as instruments for festivities and Ovidian carmina. [312] |
| CB 217 | Iocundemur socii | - | Latin | Friendship, cheerfulness | Invites companions to rejoice and praise the virtuous and honest. Includes a refrain praising generosity and cursing the envious and hypocritical. [313] |
| CB 218 | Audientes audiant | - | Latin | Wisdom, listening | Laments the spread of evil on earth and urges liberal clerics to be generous with wanderers and the needy. Compares liberal clerics to sifted grain and the wicked to chaff. [314] |
| CB 219 | Cum «In orbem universum» | - | Latin | Universality | Invites priests and monks to follow "our sect", welcoming all: nobles, rich, poor, monks, priests with lovers, teachers with students, and people of different nations and statuses. The sect forbids morning prayers, encourages seeking taverns, drinking wine, and eating chickens. [315] |
| CB 220 | Sepe de miseria mee paupertatis | - | Latin | Poverty, suffering | A lament by the Archipoet about his poverty, caused by laypeople not understanding or rewarding poets. He refuses to work the land, beg, or steal. [316] |
| CB 220a | Nullus ita parcus est | - | Latin | Generosity, avarice | Describes how even the most frugal people buy new clothes for festivities but preserve them carefully for years. Mentions how colors and shapes of clothes are modified and how clerics alter their garments in various ways. [317] |
| CB 221 | Cum animadverterem, dicit Cato | - | Latin | Maxims, philosophy | Invites praising the generous guest and drinking, advising those intoxicated to withdraw. Encourages removing clothes if losing at games, comparing players to apostles. [318] |
| CB 222 | Ego sum Abbas Cucaniensis | - | Latin | Clergy, satire | The abbot of Cucagna claims to be among drinkers and in Decius' sect. Those who seek him in the tavern in the morning will exit naked by evening, lamenting their misfortune. [319] |
| CB 223 | Res dare pro rebus | - | Latin | Exchange, economy | States that it is customary to give things for things and words for words. [320] |
| CB 224 | Artifex, qui condidit | - | Latin | Creation, divinity | An artist presents himself and greets prelates, nobles, and priests, lamenting his poverty and seeking consolation, claiming knowledge of men of great probity. [321] |
| CB 225 | Sacerdotes et levite | - | Latin | Clergy, religion | Addresses priests and levites, asking them to understand his words and accept only the learned and honest. Requests charity and compassion for the needy. [322] |
| CB 226 | Mundus est in varium | - | Latin | World, changeability | Laments the mutable and degraded state of the world, where order is in disorder and friendship is selfish. Criticizes lack of generosity and describes generosity toward Thais (a courtesan) or effeminate youths. [323] |
This section consists of two compositions belonging to the theatrical genre. They are dramatic or parodic texts that illustrate the vitality of medieval culture, even in its more performative and spectacular expressions. [324] [325]
| CB Code | Title | Author | Language | Themes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB 227 | Primo ponatur sedes Augustino | - | Latin | Authority, religion, hierarchy | This carmen is a medieval liturgical drama depicting the birth of Jesus Christ. The work opens with Saint Augustine seated in a position of prominence, accompanied by prophets such as Isaiah and Daniel, opposed by the arch-synagogue and his Jewish followers. Various characters prophesy Christ's virgin birth:
The arch-synagogue challenges these prophecies, questioning the possibility of a virgin birth. Augustine intervenes, urging the Jews to open their ears and explaining how Christ will unite God and humanity. The drama continues with the Annunciation, where an angel appears to Mary, and the Visitation, depicting Mary and Elizabeth meeting. Jesus’ birth is announced by a star. The three Magi, guided by the star, seek the child. Upon reaching Herod, he interrogates the arch-synagogue about the newborn king. Fearing for his throne, Herod orders the killing of all children. An angel warns Joseph to flee to Egypt with Mary and Jesus. [328] |
| CB 228 | Rex Egypti cum comitatu suo | - | Latin | Kingship, history, power | This carmen is an allegorical work divided into thematic sections. It begins with a burst of springtime joy, celebrating love and the rebirth of nature. It praises philosophy and its main figures, including Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, seen as sources of wisdom. The text then introduces moral critique, denouncing the temptations and fleeting pleasures of the world, compared to the "rivers of Babylon". It criticizes the worship of multiple deities. The arrival of Mary and Joseph in Egypt with Jesus causes the fall of Egyptian idols, symbolizing the superiority of Christianity. The king of Egypt, after consulting his wise men and witnessing the idols' collapse, converts to Christianity and orders the abandonment of false gods. The carmen also references the king of Babylon and the Antichrist, denouncing hypocrisy. It concludes with a prophecy about the fall of Jerusalem and the death of Herod. [329] |
This supplementary section collects compositions that, for various reasons, did not fit into the previous categories. They can be texts of diverse nature, including philosophical poems or fragments of longer carmina. [330] [331]
| Supp. Code | Title | Author | Language | Themes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supp. I | Sancte ERASME | - | Latin | Holiness, devotion, martyrdom | A prayer to Saint Erasmus asking him to accept the offered prayer for the soul of the faithful and to provide for their sustenance according to divine will. The faithful entrust themselves to him, relying on Christ’s protection against visible and invisible enemies. [334] |
| Supp. II | Ich lob die liben frowen min | - | Middle High German | Love, praise, devotion | A love hymn to a woman admired above all others. The poet expresses devotion and a desire to serve her faithfully. Her beauty is compared to a mirror and a diamond of virtue, and the poet declares himself bound to her by every tie. [335] |
| Supp. III | Iam dudum estivalia | - | Latin | Seasons, nature, summer | A reflection on the transition from summer to winter. Nature fades, birds stop singing, and love loses its fervor. The return of spring is invoked to revive afflicted spirits. [336] |
| Supp. IV | Flete, fideles anime | - | Latin | Mourning, faith, souls | A funeral lament on the Passion of Christ. The faithful souls and sisters are called to weep for the wounds of Mary, mother of Jesus. The carmen describes Mary’s sorrow at the crucifixion and questions why the Son of God must endure such suffering. [337] |
| Supp. V | Furibundi cum aceto mixto felle | - | Latin | Passion of Christ, suffering, sacrifice | An invocation to Christ, who healed the wounds caused by original sin with his blood. The text asks Christ to grant peace and purify the soul of the faithful, making it worthy of his love. [338] |
| Supp. VI | Pange vox adonis | - | Latin | Praise, divinity, song | A hymn praising a prelate of Solio, highlighting his virtues, wisdom, and noble spirit. [339] |
| Supp. VII | In anegenge was ein wort | - | Middle High German | Origin, creation, divine word | A Middle High German translation of the opening verses of the Gospel of John (John 1:1–14). [340] |
| Supp. VIII | O comes amoris dolor | - | Latin | Love, pain, longing | A lament of love for an unattainable woman. The poet suffers from her distance and disdain but continues to love and idealize her, comparing her dwelling to a paradise. [341] |
| Supp. IX | Mundus finem properans | - | Latin | End of the world, eschatology, time | A reflection on the decay of the world and the Church. It criticizes corruption in religious orders and the greed of new preachers, lamenting the rigor of ancient monastic institutions and invoking divine judgment. [342] |
| Supp. X | Deus largus in naturis | - | Latin | Divinity, creation, generosity | A condemnation of greed and attachment to material goods. The text praises generosity and reminds that avarice is a form of idolatry that prevents access to the kingdom of heaven. [343] |
| Supp. XI | Ave Nobilis | - | Latin | Praise, honor, devotion | An invocation to Mary, called noble, venerable, friend, and trustworthy guide. It asks for her intercession to enlighten minds, correct morals, and protect the faithful from worldly dangers. [344] |
| Supp. XII | Christi sponsa Katharina | - | Latin | Holiness, martyrdom, faith | A hymn to Saint Catherine, virgin and martyr, praising her beauty, wisdom, and the miracles performed through her intercession. [345] |
| Supp. XIII | Ludus breviter de passione primo inchoatur ita | - | Latin | Sacred theatre, Passion of Christ, narrative | A short liturgical drama on the Passion of Christ. The text includes dialogues between Jesus, the disciples, Judas, priests, and Pilate, culminating in the crucifixion and death of Jesus. [346] |
| Supp. XIV | Planctus ante nescia | - | Latin | Lament, sorrow, loss | A lament of Mary over the death of her son. Mary expresses grief over Jesus’ crucifixion, mourning the cruelty of his executioners and invoking death for herself. [347] |
| Supp. XV | Incipit ludus immo exemplum dominice resurrectionis | - | Latin | Resurrection, sacred theatre, faith | A liturgical drama on the Resurrection of Christ, including dialogues and songs among Pilate, the priests, the holy women, angels, soldiers, and Jesus, culminating in the announcement of the Resurrection and Christ’s triumph over death and Hell. [348] |
| Supp. XVI | Primitus producatur Pilatus | - | Latin | Judgment, sacred theatre, Passion | Depicts scenes from the Passion of Christ, including dialogues between Pilate and Jesus, and between Jesus and figures such as the blind man and Zacchaeus. Also includes Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and children’s songs. [349] |
| Supp. XVII | Diu mukke muoz sich sere muen | - | Middle High German | Effort, endurance, perseverance | Contains proverbs and observations on human nature and the animal world, reflecting popular wisdom and social critique. [350] |
| Supp. XVIII | Magnificat (anima mea Dominum...) | - | Latin | Praise, prayer, faith | Includes invocations and prayers to the Virgin Mary, praising her purity and role as Mother of God. [351] |
| Supp. XIX | Katerine collaudemus | - | Latin | Devotion, holiness, praise | A hymn to Saint Catherine, praising her virtues and courage before Judge Maxentius. [352] |
| Supp. XX | Pange Lingua | - | Latin | Faith, hymn, worship | A hymn celebrating the martyrdom of a virgin. [353] |
| Supp. XXI | Presens Dies | - | Latin | Time, festivity, celebration | Describes the martyrdom of Saint Catherine, including her dispute with philosophers and the miracle of oil flowing from her tomb. [354] |
| Supp. XXII | Hac in die mentes pie | - | Latin | Faith, piety, celebration | Narrates the story of Saint Catherine, her faith, her dispute with Maxentius, and her martyrdom. [355] |
| Supp. XXIII | Cantus Ioseph ab Arimathia | - | Latin | Religion, burial of Christ, faith | A song of Joseph of Arimathea asking Pilate for permission to bury Jesus. [356] |
| Supp. XXIV | Cum iubilo iubilemus virgini Marie | - | Latin | Joy, devotion, Mary | Prayers and invocations to Mary. [357] |
| Supp. XXV | Tempore completorii traditus est Dominus | - | Latin | Passion of Christ, betrayal, night | Reflections on the time of Christ’s Passion. [358] |
| Supp. XXVI | Incipit exemplum apparitionis Domini | - | Latin | Resurrection, miracle, sacred theatre | Describes the appearance of Jesus to the disciples on the road to Emmaus and to Thomas. [359] |
| Supp. XXVIa | Hoc finito producatur mater Domini | - | Latin | Mary, sacred theatre, devotion | Describes the appearance of Jesus to the disciples on the road to Emmaus and to Thomas. [360] |