Poems Of St. Teresa Of Avila.

[VeniJesuAmorMi]

Praised be Jesus Christ! Now and forever.

Happy feast day of St. Teresa to all! I was searching for a hymn that we sang in the monastery; and I found it as one of her poems ("If, Lord, Thy Love is Strong"). I couldn't find it online in song, though how we sang it was beautiful and I wish it was online, but here is the poem and another poem that I really enjoy. Also the Hymn, "Nada Te Turbe" inspired by her writings.

[b][size=4]If, Lord, Thy Love is Strong[/size][/b]

If, Lord, Thy love for me is strong
As this which binds me unto thee,
What holds me from thee Lord so long,
What holds thee Lord so long from me?
O soul, what then desirest thou?
Lord I would see thee, who thus choose thee.
What fears can yet assail thee now?
All that I fear is but lose thee.
Love’s whole possession I entreat,
Lor make my soul thine own abode,
And I will build a nest so sweet
It may not be too poor for God.
A soul in God hidden from sin,
What more desires for thee remain,
Save but to love and love again,
And all on flame with love within,
Love on, and turn to love again.
- St Teresa Avila

[b]A Love Song[/b]

Majestic sovereign, timeless wisdom,
your kindness melts my hard, cold soul.
Handsome lover, selfless giver,
your beauty fills my dull, sad eyes.
I am yours, you made me.
I am yours, you called me.
I am yours, you saved me.
I am yours, you loved me.
I will never leave your presence.
Give me death, give me life.
Give me sickness, give me health.
Give me honor, give me shame.
Give me weakness, give me strength.
I will have whatever you give.
Amen.
-St. Teresa of Avila

Edited: To add the hymn

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvfTVxgkWpo"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvfTVxgkWpo[/url]

Edited October 15, 2012 by VeniJesuAmorMi

[dominicansoul]

this is the hymn she wrote to rid the convent of lice:


Pues nos dais vestido nuevo, / ¡Rey celestial¡ / librad de la mala gente / este sayal. / Hijas pues tomáis la cruz / tened valor / y a Jesús que es vuestra luz / pedid favor. / El os será defensor en trance tal.

Y aquí el coro cantaba el estribillo: Librad de la mala gente / este sayal.

2ª estrofa:
Inquieta este mal ganado / en la oración / El ánimo mal fundado / en devoción./ Mas en Dios el corazón / tened igual.

Y el coro volvía a repetir: Librad de la mala gente / este sayal

Y seguía la tercera estrofa:
Pues vinisteis a morir / no desmayéis / y de la gente incivil / no temeréis.

Se repetía por tercera vez el estribillo. La poesía trermina con los mismos versos del principio
Pues nos dais vestido nuevo / ¡ Rey celestial ¡/ librad de la mala gente este sayal.

Han pasado ya más de quinientos años y las monjas del Convento de San José no han vuelto a tener piojos, desde que el Señor oyera su petición.



(thanks to Vee8 who found the verses on line for me )

[Chiquitunga]

Praised be Jesus Christ! I meant to post here before! Veni, thank you so much for sharing this! It's so wonderful to hear all the little things you share with us about Carmel! That taize song based on the "Nada te turbe" poem/bookmark is great too!

dominicansoul, thanks for posting that too .. and here it is from the movie

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1nnG9i8-kQ[/media]

[Eowyn]

Ok, I'm going to have to get the google translater out for the "flea poem." My favorite is not a poem, but her bookmark.

[center]Let nothing disturb you; Let nothing frighten you.[/center]
[center]All things are passing. God never changes.[/center]
[center]Patience obtains all things. Nothing is wanting to him who possesses God.[/center]
[center]God alone suffices.[/center]

[Chiquitunga]

[quote name='Eowyn' timestamp='1350572365' post='2494413']
Ok, I'm going to have to get the google translater out for the "flea poem." My favorite is not a poem, but her bookmark.

[center]Let nothing disturb you; Let nothing frighten you.[/center]
[center]All things are passing. God never changes.[/center]
[center]Patience obtains all things. Nothing is wanting to him who possesses God.[/center]
[center]God alone suffices.[/center]
[/quote]

That's "Nade te turbe" Let nothing disturb you

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu9bsDA9FVg[/media]

Monastery of St. Teresa, Palma de Mallorca - 1990 & EF Mass every Sunday [url="http://www.madreconcepcion.com/"]http://www.madreconcepcion.com/[/url]

p.s. it's really interesting how they say Our Lady was made their Perpetual Prioress and St. Joseph, Perpetual Subprior. I wonder if that's a special privilege they received, or just a devotional thing. It seems to be something actual though. They mention it here too, [url="http://www.madreconcepcion.com/en/carisma-y-horario"]http://www.madreconc...risma-y-horario[/url]

[dominicansoul]

[quote name='Chiquitunga' timestamp='1350535604' post='2494342']
Praised be Jesus Christ! I meant to post here before! Veni, thank you so much for sharing this! It's so wonderful to hear all the little things you share with us about Carmel! That taize song based on the "Nada te turbe" poem/bookmark is great too!

dominicansoul, thanks for posting that too .. and here it is from the movie

[/quote]

I love that series on her life! And i looked for that video, but could not find it. Thanks for posting!!!


(BTW, the fleas disappeared after this prayer-hymn was offered up by the Sisters. St. Teresa had such talent, great song! :D )

[Chiquitunga]

Praised be Jesus Christ! Now and forever. :)

Happy feast day of St. Teresa to all! I was searching for a hymn that we sang in the monastery; and I found it as one of her poems ("If, Lord, Thy Love is Strong"). I couldn't find it online in song, though how we sang it was beautiful and I wish it was online, but here is the poem and another poem that I really enjoy. Also the Hymn, "Nada Te Turbe" inspired by her writings. :heart:

If, Lord, Thy Love is Strong

If, Lord, Thy love for me is strong
As this which binds me unto thee,
What holds me from thee Lord so long,
What holds thee Lord so long from me?
O soul, what then desirest thou?
Lord I would see thee, who thus choose thee.
What fears can yet assail thee now?
All that I fear is but lose thee.
Love’s whole possession I entreat,
Lor make my soul thine own abode,
And I will build a nest so sweet
It may not be too poor for God.
A soul in God hidden from sin,
What more desires for thee remain,
Save but to love and love again,
And all on flame with love within,
Love on, and turn to love again.
- St Teresa Avila

 

Praised be Jesus Christ! I've been meaning to post this forever! After you posted this last year, I was looking for this song... :detective: At first I found an opera-like version sung by Kathleen Ferrier here, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0011B5LG0/ref=dm_mu_dp_trk5 but felt like that couldn't have been it (can't imagine Carmelite nuns singing that :smile3:)

 

Then I found this which was composed in 2010, http://www.scoreexchange.com/scores/89408.html  There's an mp3 file there. Is this the tune you remember singing to? You can buy the sheet music for it there. I found the composer's youtube page, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsnmcS55TkHLTV59MZyzBSA and sent him a message asking if he knew of any other recordings of this. He said he would look, and then said no unfortunately he didn't know of any in existence. He said they had sung this recently though at the Pittsburgh cathedral I believe it was.

 

Anyway, just wanted to share this :like:

[domenica_therese]

this is the hymn she wrote to rid the convent of lice:


Pues nos dais vestido nuevo, / ¡Rey celestial¡ / librad de la mala gente / este sayal. / Hijas pues tomáis la cruz / tened valor / y a Jesús que es vuestra luz / pedid favor. / El os será defensor en trance tal.

Y aquí el coro cantaba el estribillo: Librad de la mala gente / este sayal.

2ª estrofa:
Inquieta este mal ganado / en la oración / El ánimo mal fundado / en devoción./ Mas en Dios el corazón / tened igual.

Y el coro volvía a repetir: Librad de la mala gente / este sayal

Y seguía la tercera estrofa:
Pues vinisteis a morir / no desmayéis / y de la gente incivil / no temeréis.

Se repetía por tercera vez el estribillo. La poesía trermina con los mismos versos del principio
Pues nos dais vestido nuevo / ¡ Rey celestial ¡/ librad de la mala gente este sayal.

Han pasado ya más de quinientos años y las monjas del Convento de San José no han vuelto a tener piojos, desde que el Señor oyera su petición.



(thanks to Vee8 who found the verses on line for me http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/smile.png )

Ok, as a Spanish major, I find this to be hilarious. I now have it running through my head to a really corny tune.

Her poetry loses so much of her voice when translated. I'm really glad I was first exposed to her in Spanish. I think it has a lot more simplicity in Spanish, and the translators embellish it.

[VeniJesuAmorMi]

Praised be Jesus Christ! I've been meaning to post this forever! After you posted this last year, I was looking for this song... :detective: At first I found an opera-like version sung by Kathleen Ferrier here, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0011B5LG0/ref=dm_mu_dp_trk5 but felt like that couldn't have been it (can't imagine Carmelite nuns singing that :smile3:)

 

Then I found this which was composed in 2010, http://www.scoreexchange.com/scores/89408.html  There's an mp3 file there. Is this the tune you remember singing to? You can buy the sheet music for it there. I found the composer's youtube page, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsnmcS55TkHLTV59MZyzBSA and sent him a message asking if he knew of any other recordings of this. He said he would look, and then said no unfortunately he didn't know of any in existence. He said they had sung this recently though at the Pittsburgh cathedral I believe it was.

 

Anyway, just wanted to share this :like:

 

Praised be Jesus Christ! Now and forever. :)

 

Thanks for sharing Chiqui! I was really interested to hear the song, but the mp3 won't work on this laptop (it's new and maybe it doesn't have the software to play.) I have the tune in my head so I'll have to do some searching and see what I can find, but I know its very limited with what they have out there. It certainly wasn't the opera one. :lol:  The version we used really sounded like how Our Holy Mother would have sang it. Its very beautiful (not that opera isn't.) I'll see what I can find!

[Chiquitunga]

Perhaps it wasn't the one by Robert Farrell then, as it does sound a bit more contemporary, though beautiful. It is very polyphonic too, if I'm using that word in the right context. 

 

Speaking of, I know in St. Teresa's Constitutions she writes that the singing (or "chants" it is called in the 1990s) should never harmonize, although I think this applies only to the Liturgy. I have heard the Valparaiso nuns harmonize/sing polyphony on a few occasions, in some videos that were temporarily on youtube of them. One was after the Mass and one after an entrance (that most recent one that was up, the Magnificat sung after the O Gloriosa was polyphony) I cannot remember if the other one was after the Mass or not. Anyway, I would guess different Carmels have different customs on this. 

 

I would guess during recreation though, harmonizing wouldn't be a problem. I can think of at least one other occasion outside of the Liturgy where OCD nuns were harmonizing. 

[Chiquitunga]

Here they are in Canyon, CA singing polyphony after Mass. This must be allowed (perhaps a new/or old custom) as it is technically after/outside the Liturgy. They sound beautiful, btw :harp:

[FutureSister2009]

Ok, I'm going to have to get the google translater out for the "flea poem." My favorite is not a poem, but her bookmark.

Let nothing disturb you; Let nothing frighten you.

All things are passing. God never changes.

Patience obtains all things. Nothing is wanting to him who possesses God.

God alone suffices.

 

I added this quote to my favorite quotes page on Facebook. I have so many Saints quotes and Bible verses on there. If I could fit all my favorite Bible verses on there, it would be almost the whole Bible!

[domenica_therese]

Oh, I had assumed when I read through it that "sayal" meant flea, not sackcloth. It's considerably less funny now. :P