From the East the Donkey Came, Mally's Meek, Prophecy of the End (self-sung)!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yoOyIl2LIs&feature=related

This song originally hails from a 12th century Latin song "Orientis Partibus" which first appeared in France and is usually attributed to Pierre de Corbeil, Bishop of Sens (d 1222) ("Office de la circoncision," "Lew manuscrit de l’office de la Circoncision de Notre-Dame-du-Puy," or "L’Office de Pierre de Corbeil," circa 1210). The Feast of the Circumcision is celebrated on January 1. The song is associated with the Feast of Fools.

The tune is said to have been part of the Fete de l’Ane (The Donkey’s Festival), which celebrated the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt and was a regular Christmas observance in Beauvais and Sens, France in the 13th century. During the mass, it was common for a donkey to be led or ridden into the church.

The words and tune were designed to give thanks for the ass on which Mary rode, and began: Orientis partibus Adventavit asinus (‘From the East the ass has come’). Each verse was sung, and finished with the chorus ‘Hail, Sir donkey, hail’. It was a solemn affair, but the tune became very popular in 17th and 18th century Germany.

Orientis partibus
adventavit asinus,
pulcher et fortissimus,
Sarcinis aptissimus.

Hez, Sire Asne, hez!

Hic in collibus Sychen
iam nutritus sub Ruben
transiit per Jordanem
saliit in Bethlehem

Saltu vincit hinnulos
damas et capreolos
super dromedarios
velox madianeos

Dum trahit vehicula
multa cum sarcinula
illius mandibula
dura terit pabula

Cum aristis, hordeum
comedit et carduum
triticum ex palea
segregat in area

Amen dicas, asine
Iam satur ex gramine
amen, amen itera
aspernare vetera

An English Translation:
In Easter Lands
the ass arrived
beautiful and strongest,
for burden fittest made.

Here in the hills of Sychen
nursed now below Ruben,
he crosses over Jordan
he enters Bethlehem!

In his leaps he conquers mules
fallow deer and roebucks
and surpasses camels
so speedy of the Medes.

While he pulls the wagons,
many loaded heavy,
using his jaws,
he grinds the tough fodder.

He eats barley, beards and all,
and the spiny thistles,
Separates the wheat from chaff
on the threshing floor.

You say Amen to the ass,
now all filled with grass!
"Amen, Amen!" once again,
spurning what is passed.

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From the East the donkey came,Stout
and strong as twenty men;Ears like wings and eyes like flame,Striding
into Bethlehem.Faster than the deer he
leapt,With his burden on his back;Though all other creatures
slept,Still the ass kept on his track.Still
he draws his heavy load,Fed on barley and rough hay;
Pulling on along the road--Donkey,pull our sins away!Wrap him now in cloth of gold;All rejoice who see him pass;Mirth inhabit young and old On this Feast Day of the Ass.
Refrain: Heh! Heh, Sir Ass, Oh Heh!

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeRPZS5-4Vc

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHYLpHb3NOo

Clan and Cousin Cluster in Michigan

Thursday afternoon clear, unclammy and cloudless. Went critter watching with cousin's son Athan, looking upclose at ant-mounds, subterranean groundhog kingdoms, sunfish, frogs, toads, spider webs, water spiders, snake-holes, and poison ivy (Athan [6 years?] noted that an ivy palm missing two leaves is one-leaved but STILL infectious!). After this, we carved AthaN-athan crossword style into a beech. Appalachian grandparents and 20-some relations present.

Cheesequest

I cycled with my merry men 20 miles to & from Monroe for Baumgartners Cheese Store & Tavern (Limburger Liverwurst on rye), the Swiss House (Ribeye sandwiches) & outdoor munchables along the way. Geo-cache found under bridge. The tree-lined path crossed brooks, ran tween cooling cliff-faces, went flanked by phlox all purple & most
poisonous pretty hemlocks. Moonshadows followed us home.

Summermon

Overheard from Memorial Union lakefront on Tuesday evening: "This cup is too round!" (why she spilled down shirt). "My dog ate all my friends' weed out of all their purses!". Sign on water: "For swimmer's health, please do not feed ducks." Logic? Is proscriptive, or *pre*scriptive?

Advice from my friend named Alan, GodsoS, a local personage

Soul you shun
B
Solution
contrary 2 it B

Eclipse seen at Ugarit

Ere dawn. I'm warming myself from winter-weather with hot spiced mead, taters, German Weisswurst, leeks, log-grown shitakes, scrambled eggs, quinoa-cakes, and soft inner cat-tail stems on this May 9th anniversary of the solar eclipse of 1012 BC. Am singing back and forth with a singer, songs by heart.

Ere sunset. In sunlit grass. Exchange of songs, stories, whinnies and whimsies with person patient enough to laugh at my spilling a half bottle of kefir inside my leather satchel and cleaning out the gooey contents on the green ground.

Ere Moonday. Pease (that's singular) soup, superb with just firm (just so) carrots. Just so stories. But this story, so written, was also so done. Snuggled over divan, bounded past the threshold, eves of the chamber, O'Murchadh's night-stead.

Afterfreeze. Moonday. Thank God moon is veiled. Nearly new, makes me unblue. I feel so warm inside when so cold out. Summermonth brings wet not het. Summer-me is all het. I only masochistically enjoyed my cycle ride in the bone-shivering rain, but loved the sacks of vittles I got out of it (from Asian foodstore)

Dogs use people as a ruse in order to court each other

I went to the 'dog therapy' petting day where dogs agree to come together to soothe people. The dogs used this opportunity to focus on other dogs, smell the dog-smell spread around on everyone's petting hands, frolick with canine friends and ignore the humans, many of whom were touching each other's hands for the first time inside luxuriant fur.

Joculatores Upsaliensis - Swedish radio for ongoing streams of Early Music

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