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

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