Dum Diane vitrea

Dum Diane vitrea, also known as Nocturne, is a Medieval Latin song known only from the Carmina Burana, a twelfth century collection of poems and songs. Like most of the material in the Carmina, it is an anonymous piece, though some translators have speculated that it is the work of Peter Abelard. It is the 62nd piece from the collection and is part of the grouping referred to as "Love Songs".

Besides being unsure of authorship, scholars are also divided on both the intent and length of the song. Some scholars feel that the song is purely about sleep and that the last four stanzas concerning love were a later addition and the instances of the word love in earlier stanzas are the result of transcription errors. Other scholars feel that the entire eight stanzas are the work of a single hand.^[1]

Both the rhyme scheme and meter are irregular, though translators such as John Symonds have sometimes forced the poem into rhyming couplets.

Text

1. Dum Diane vitrea sero lampas oritur et a fratris rosea luce dum succenditur, dulcis aura zephyri spirans omnes etheri nubes tollit; sic emollit vis chordarum pectora et immutat cor, quod nutat ad amoris pignora. 2. Letum iubar Hesperi gratiorem dat humorem roris soporiferi mortalium generi. 3. O quam felix est antidotum soporis, quod curarum tempestates sedat et doloris! dum surrepit clausis oculorum poris, ipsum gaudio equiperat dulcedini amoris. 4. Morphëus in mentem trahit impellentem ventum lenem segetes maturas, murmura rivorum per harenas puras, circulares ambitus molendinorum, qui furantur somno lumen oculorum.

5. Post blanda Veneris commercia lassatur cerebri substantia. hinc caligant mira novitate oculi nantes in palpebrarum rate. hei, quam felix transitus amoris ad soporem, sed suavior regressus ad amorem! 6. Ex alvo leta fumus evaporat, qui capitis tres cellulas irrorat; hic infumat oculos ad soporem pendulos et palpebras sua fumositate replet, ne visus exspatietur late. unde ligant oculos virtutes animales, que sunt magis vise ministeriales. 7. Fronde sub arboris amena, dum querens canit philomena, suave est quiescere, suavius ludere in gramine cum virgine speciosa. si variarum odor herbarum spiraverit, si dederit torum rosa, dulciter soporis alimonia post Veneris defessa commercia captatur, dum lassis instillatur. 8. O in quantis animus amantis variatur vacillantis! ut vaga ratis per equora, dum caret ancora, fluctuat inter spem metumque dubia sic Veneris militia.

References

1. ^ Parlett, David (1986). Selections from the "Carmina Burana". Penguin Classics p208. ISBN 978-0-140-44440-7.