The Cambridge Songs {Carmina Cantabrigiensia} (Cambridge, University Library MS Gg. 5.35) are an important collection of Latin poems that English scribes copied in the middle of the eleventh century. The poems come from across medieval Europe and include some classical Latin verse. A number of poems concern music, six have at least some neumes, and many have formal associations with music (sequences, “modus” in title). Breul’s facsimile edition (1915) is available online, as well as Strecker’s edition (1926). The current best edition is that of Ziolkowski (1994).
The 10th-century “O admirabile Veneris idolum” plausibly shows a learned woman’s love for a young man who has betrayed her. Cantigas d’amigo are similar. … Read the post “O admirabile Veneris idolum”: on losing beloved to love rival
In medieval Basil hagiography, a man giving his soul to the devil for love of Proterius’s daughter faced Hellish bureaucracy. Dr. Faustus got lucky. … Read the post Hellish bureaucracy in man giving soul to devil for woman’s love
In medieval Latin and Galician-Portuguese songs, women languished in love for beloved men yet to return home from across the sea. … Read the post languishing for love: medieval women’s songs for beloved men
In medieval Easter plays and resurrection poems, harrowing of Hell starts with repentance. Then Jesus frees captive souls and renews the earth. … Read the post Christian hope for release from Hell implies repentance
Following Virgil, medieval authors associated bees with chastity & the Virgin Mary. Male workers bees doing sex work thus came to be disparaged as drones. … Read the post literary history made male worker bees into drones