De Tercia
The Gift of Wisdom
The Holy Spirit grants the gift of wisdom to the Mother of God, ensuring those who honor her are remembered in the book of life.
On wisdom. To the mother of the great Lord, mother of worth and of love, the Holy Spirit has given a gift that is most complete, called wisdom, so that whoever has spoken great good of her may be written in His new book; so that all the just and the sinners may speak well of her love: for she will give them such knowledge that they will be able to see her Son.✦✦1
The Gift of Understanding
Understanding is given to discern good from evil and to foster a loving, tearful devotion to the Son through the Queen's intercession.
On understanding.✦ The Holy Spirit grants understanding so that a person may know what is good and what is evil; the Queen likewise grants it to those who are hers, so that they may know God. The Queen has established a great order with the Spirit: that people understand her Son, loving him with contrition and tears, so that he may forgive their faults and wrongs and guard them from an evil death.✦23
The Gift of Counsel
The Holy Spirit provides counsel through Mary to guide the world, which would otherwise be lost in sin and abandonment.
On counsel. The Holy Spirit gives counsel to the queen, who guides the world toward the way of salvation. But people have become so self-ignorant that they won't let the queen lead them, nor will they pray that she counsel them when they are overcome, fallen into mortal sin, and left completely abandoned, like someone without counsel. And if the queen didn't pray to her Son, the world would be in a terrible state.45
The Gift of Fortitude
Strength is granted to those who call upon the compassionate Queen, fortifying the humble against demonic influence.
On strength. The Holy Spirit gives strength to everyone who truly strives to call on the queen of compassion when they're in distress—she who strengthens every mind that is humble and God-fearing against failing and sin. And she keeps them so firmly fortified, if they're patient out of love for her, that all the greater demons cannot seize them or force them, for she has her Son keep them safe.67
The Gift of Knowledge
Infused knowledge allows the sinner to recognize where mercy and help are found, encouraging them to seek the Virgin's aid.
On knowledge. Knowledge is given by the Holy Spirit, resting in the sweet lady of love, who gives it to the sinner so that he may know where help, pity, and mercies are, and so that he may ask them of her—for she has a great desire to give. She gives infused knowledge, and when someone asks her she doesn't refuse. Rather, she takes it very hard with those who have no need of knowing.✦89
The Gift of Piety
Piety is invoked as a gift that saves sinners from eternal fire and draws tears of devotion from the heart.
On Piety.10 Piety! who has given you to the crowned Virgin—the Holy Spirit has given you—so that the sinners who put their trust in the Virgin who advances us may not be punished: she of such greatness and goodness that through you all are saved, and delivered from the fire that never dies.11 Piety! Come into my heart, and draw from it sighs and tears as I remember the queen of love!
The Gift of Fear
The fear of the Lord is a gift sent by the Spirit to prevent us from offending the Virgin, leading us to beg for mercy.
On fear. Fear! You have come from love, from the queen who helps us; you were sent by the Spirit, brought down from God and from love, so that we might all fear committing a fault against the sweet virgin who calls us with love: she and the Holy Spirit have not shared out any portion among us—Fear!1213 With you, I beg the queen for mercy, weeping!
Read the original Latin
De saviesa. A la mayre del gran Senyor, Mayre de valor é d'amor, Ha donat lo Sant Esperit Un dó qui está molt complit, Apellat sapiencia, Per ço que aquel hom sia En lo seu libre nou escrit, Qui haurá d'ella gran bé dit; Perque diguen bé de s'amor Tuyt li just é li peccador: Car ella'ls dará tal saber Que poran lo seu fill veser.
De enteniment. L'Esperit Sant enteniment Dona qu'hom sia conexent De ço que es bé é es mal; E la regina atretal Lo dóna á çells qui son seus, Per ço qu'ells coneguen Deus; E la regina á l'esperit Ha un gran orde establit, Qu'hom entena son fill amán Ab contricció é plorán, Que lur perdó culpas é torts E que los guard de malas morts.
De consell. Dona Sant Esperit consell A la regina, que capdell Lo mon á via de salut; Mas hom s'es tant desconegut Que no's vol lexar capdellar A la regina, ne pregar Que lo consell quant es vençut, E'n mortal peccat cahut, E está tot desemparat, Com á home desconsellat; E si la regina no pregás Son fill, fora'l mon en mal cas.
De força. Sant Esperit dona força A tot hom qui bé s'esforça A reclamar quant es cuytat La regina de pietat, Qu'enfortex tot pensament Qui sia humil é tement Contra falliment é peccat; E télo tan fort esforçat Si es pacient per sa'amor, Qui tuyt li demoni major No'l poden pendre ne forçar, Car al seu fill lo fa guardar.
De sciencia. Sciencia es donada Per Sant Esperit, pausada En la douça dona d'amor Qui la dóna al peccador, Per ço que sapia on es Socors, pietat é mercés; E que á ella los deman, Car del donar ha gran talan, E dona sciencia infusa, E quant hom li quer no s'escusa; Ans lo te fortment á mal A çells á qui saber no cal.
De pietat. Pietat! quius ha donada A la Verge coronada, Haus donada al Sant Esperit, Per ço que no sian punit Li peccador qu'han fiança En la Verge quins avança En tal granea é bontat Que per vos son tuyt salvat, E estors á foch qui mays no mor. Pietat! venits á mon cor, E fayts n'exir suspirs é plors Membrant la regina d'amors!
De temor. Temor! d'amor sots venguda De la regina quins ajuda; Sots per l'esperit tramesa, De Deu é d'amor dexesa, Per ço que tots comunament Temem á fayre falliment Contra la douça puncella Que ab amor nos apella: Çella é'l Sant Esperit En nos no han re depertit: Temor! ab vos mercé deman A la regina en ploran!
Scripture echoes
- ↩Isa.11.2 — And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
- ↩Phil.4.3;Rev.20.12 — Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, for they labored with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. Rev.20.12 — And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their works.
- ↩Isa.11.2 — And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
- ↩Isa.11.2 — And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
- ↩Isa.11.2 — And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
Notes
- 1 ↩Medieval Catalan 'libre nou' most naturally reads as 'new book' (likely the Book of Life / book of the elect); rendered faithfully as 'His new book' rather than forcing a named biblical title.
- 2 ↩Catalan á l'esperit may mean with/to the Holy Spirit or with respect to the gift of understanding; rendered as “with the Spirit,” matching the section’s gift structure.
- 3 ↩malas morts is the medieval “evil/bad death” (dying unprepared or in sin), not merely physical pain in dying.
- 4 ↩Medieval Catalan desconegut here is interior: not knowing oneself (not merely 'unknown'). Rendered as self-ignorant to keep the spiritual force of failed self-knowledge.
- 5 ↩capdellar = to head, guide, lead. Parallel to regina as guide of the world on the way of salvation.
- 6 ↩Medieval Catalan pietat here is Marian pity/compassion (paired elsewhere with mercés); rendered 'compassion' rather than collapsing it into 'mercy'.
- 7 ↩Plural 'greater demons' (spiritual adversaries of high rank); not a fixed proper name for Satan alone.
- 8 ↩sciencia infusa: rendered as 'infused knowledge' (knowledge poured in by grace, not merely learned).
- 9 ↩Ans lo te fortment á mal / A çells á qui saber no cal: 'tenir a mal' = to take ill / strongly disapprove. 'a qui saber no cal' is somewhat open—most likely those who do not care to know (or for whom this knowledge is unneeded), set against Mary's readiness to give when asked.
- 10 ↩Catalan pietat covers both the gift of piety (pietas) and pity/compassion; in this Terce sequence beside knowledge (sciencia) and fear (temor), the heading names the Spirit’s gift of piety, while the poem also leans on pity’s mercy.
- 11 ↩Haus donada al Sant Esperit is slightly ambiguous in the witness: read here as the Holy Spirit as giver of Piety to the crowned Virgin (matching the prior section’s ‘given by the Holy Spirit’), not as Piety given to the Spirit.
- 12 ↩Rendered as 'brought down/descended' (likely descesa under medieval orthography). Could also be read as 'left/entrusted' (deixada); sense remains a gift sent from God and love.
- 13 ↩Literally 'in us they have not distributed anything' (re ≈ res; depertit ≈ departit/repartit, 'shared out'). Taken as: Mary and the Holy Spirit have not yet allotted this gift within us, which motivates the closing cry to Fear. Alternative weaker reading: they have not parted/divided anything in us (undivided presence).
Hores de Nostra Dona Santa Maria (Hours of Our Lady Saint Mary) companion
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