Josquin des Prez
Præter rerum seriem
parit deum hominem
virgo mater.
Nec vir tangit virginem
nec prolis originem
novit pater.
Virtus sancti spiritus
opus illud cœlitus
operatur.
Initus et exitus
partus tui penitus
quis scrutatur?
Dei providentia
quæ disponit omnia
tam suave.
Tua puerperia
transfer in mysteria,
mater ave.
Surpassing the natural order,
a virgin mother bears
God as man.
No man touched the virgin,
nor did the father know
the child’s origin.
The power of the Holy Spirit
brings that work about,
divinely.
Who fully comprehends
the ins and outs
of thy birth?
God’s providence,
which disposes all things
so harmoniously,
transforms your childbearing
into a mystery.
Hail, mother!
Christmas sequence
©Scott Metcalfe