Alma Redemptoris in "THE PRIORESS'S TALE"
1. Lines 516-22:
This litel child, his litel book lernynge,
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As he sat in the scole at his prymer,
He Alma redemptoris herde synge,
As children lerned hire antiphoner;
And as he dorste, he drough hym ner and ner,
And herkned ay the wordes and the noote,
Til he the firste vers koude al by rote.
2. Lines 551-57:
As I have seyd, thurghout the Juerie
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This litel child, as he cam to and fro,
Ful murily than wolde he synge and crie
O Alma redemptoris everemo.
The swetnesse his herte perced so
Of Cristes mooder that, to hire to preye,
He kan nat stynte of syngyng by the weye.
3. Lines 607-613:
O grete God, that parfournest thy laude
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By mouth of innocentz, lo, heere thy myght!
This gemme of chastite, this emeraude,
And eek of martirdom the ruby bright,
Ther he with throte ykorven lay upright,
He Alma redemptoris gan to synge
So loude that al the place gan to rynge.
4. Lines 635-41:
Upon this beere ay lith this innocent
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Biforn the chief auter, whil the masse laste;
And after that, the abbot with his covent
Han sped hem for to burien hym ful faste;
And whan they hooly water on hym caste,
Yet spak this child, whan spreynd was hooly water,
And song O Alma redemptoris mater!
5. Lines 649-55:
"My throte is kut unto my nekke boon,"
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Seyde this child, "and as by wey of kynde
I sholde have dyed, ye, longe tyme agon.
But Jesu Crist, as ye in bookes fynde,
Wil that his glorie laste and be in mynde,
And for the worship of his Mooder deere
Yet may I synge O Alma loude and cleere.
The "O" in "O Alma"
The song as now printed does not begin with "O." It may well have done so in some medieval copies. The exclamatory syllable could have been sung to some of the notes of the opening melisma (cluster of notes) now sung to the "A-" of "Alma" as the song is edited; or other notes might have been added for it.
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