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It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with The Song of the Sybil. () |
The Chant of the Sybil (Cant de la Sibil.la in catalan) is a Gregorian Chant known in most of the Western Mediterranean since the early Middle Age. Nowadays, Cant de la Sibil.la is only sung on Christmas Eve in the churches of the Balearic Islands and the Sardinian town of Alghero (Catalan: L'Alguer).
History and signification
The Cant de la Sibil.la' is connected to John's Apocalypse and explains how a medium (the sybilla) foretells the end of the world and its horrors with heavy influences from the forementioned sacred text. This song is typically sung by either a woman or a white voice (a child) on Christmas' Eve at the so-called "Missa del Gall" o "Matines" (Rooster's Mass) which is held in the late evening. The climax of Xmas' Eve mass is the "Cant de la Sibil.la" and attendants hold an emotive silence while the singer, dressed in white and carrying a sword, relates how the world will end and what will happen to sinners according to Roman Catholic ortodoxy:
- Lo jorn del Judici -- On Doomsday
- parrà qui haurà fet servici -- Sinners will suffer
- Jesucrist, Rei universal-- Jesus Christ, Universal king
- home i ver Déu eternal, --man and ehternal god
- del cel vindrà per a jutjar ---from Heaven will come to judge
- i a cada u lo just darà. -- and everyone's will get what he deserves
- Gran foc del cel davallarà; -- a big fire will come down from Heaven
- mars, fonts i rius, tot cremarà. -- seas, fountains and rivers, all will burn
- Daran los peixos horribles crits -- fish will sream horribly
- perdent los seus naturals delits. -- and lose their natural attributes
- Ans del Judici l'Anticrist vindrà -- Before the Judgement the Antichrist will come
- i a tot lo món turment darà, -- And will torture everyone
- i se farà com Déu servir, -- And will be done as God pleases
- i qui no el crega farà morir. -- Whoever will not believe him will be put to death
- Lo seu regnat serà molt breu; -- His reign will be very brief
- en aquell temps sots poder seu --in the time below his power
- moriran màrtirs tots a un lloc --martyrs will die all in one place
- aquells dos sants, Elies i Enoc. -- those two sains, Eliah and Enoch
- Lo sol perdrà sa claredat -- Sun will lose its clarity
- mostrant-se fosc i entelat, -- And be dark and flurry
- la lluna no darà claror -- Moon will not shine
- i tot lo món serà tristor. -- And everything in the world will be sadness
- Als mals dirà molt agrament: -- To wicked men He will say bitterly
- —Anau, maleits, en el turment! -- Go, damned, in torture,
- anau-vos-ne en el foc etern -- Go in eternal fire
- amb vòstron príncep de l'infern! -- With your hellish prince
- Als bons dirà:—Fills meus, veniu! -- To good men he will say, come my children
- benaventurats posseïu -- Have, you the blessed,
- el regne que us he aparellat -- The Kindgom I bring to you
- des que lo món va esser creat! -- since the world was created
- Oh humil Verge! Vós qui heu parit -- Oh humble Virgin Mother, you who have given birth
- Jesús Infant aquesta nit, -- To Jesus the child tonight
- a vòstron Fill vullau pregar -- Please pray to your son
- que de l'infern vulla'ns lliurar! -- That we will be spared from Hell
- Lo jorn del Judici
- parrà qui haurà fet servici.
This song was popular until the late middle ages in the whole southeastern Mediterranean, as attested by its versions in Latin, French, Italian and Provençal. It was later on confined to the Catalan speaking areas (Catalonia, València and the Balearic Islands) and today it only subsists in the latter.
