Riu riu chiu - Cancionero de Upsala

Cancionero de Upsala/Cancionero del Duque de Calabria

(Atríbuido a Mateo Flecha el Viejo)

Riu, riu, chiu, la guarda ribera
Dios guardó el lobo de nuestra cordera.
Riu, riu, chiu, la guarda ribera
Dios guardó el lobo de nuestra cordera.

El lobo rabioso la quiso morder
Mas dios poderoso la supo defender.
Quisola hazer que no pudiese pecar
Ni aun original esta virgen no tuviera.

Este qu'es nacido es el gran monarcha
Christo patriarca de carne vestido.
Hanos redimido con se hazer chiquito
aunque era infinito, finito se hiziera.

(Muchas profecías lo han profetizado
y aún en nuestros días lo hemos alcançado
a Dios humanado vemos en el suelo
y al hombre en el cielo porque Él lo quisiera.

Yo vi mil garçones que andavan cantando,
por aquí volando haziendo mil sones,
diziendo a gascones, gloria sea en el cielo,
y paz en el suelo pues Jesús nasciera.

Este vino a dar a las nuestras vidas,
y viene a reparar de todo la cayda;
es la luz del día aqueste moçuelo
este es el cordero que San Juan dixera.

Mira bien que os cuadre que ansina lo oyera,
que Dios no puediera hazerla más que madre;
El qu'era su Padre, hoy d'ella nasció
y el que la crió su hijo se dixer.)

Pues que ya tenemos lo que deseamos,
todos juntos vamos, presentes llevemos
todos le daremos nuestra voluntad,
pues a se igualar con el hombre viniera.




Ríu, ríu chíu, the river bank protects it,
as God kept the wolf from our lamb.

The furious wolf tried to bite her,
but God Almighty knew how to help her;
He wishes to create her against sin,
nor was this maid to embody original sin.

He who is born is the great King,
Christ, God made flesh;
He has saved us by making Himself a child,
lthough everlasting, he made Himself finite.

Many prophecies foretold his coming,
and now in our time we have seen them fulfilled.
God became man -we see Him on earth-
and we see man in heaven because God loved him.

A thousand, singing herons I saw passing,
flying overhead, sounding with a thousand voices,
exulting, "Glory be in the heavens,
and peace on Eart, for Jesus has been born!"

Intérpretes/Perfomers: Capella de Ministrers (Carles Magraner)

[danielalmeida]

one of the first renditions with impressive pronunciation.

[joshscores]

Rihu rihu cihu la gôhard ribere,
Dans gôhard le lob de nôstra cordere.

Le lob rabans la côhis mordere, mas Dans poderes la sup defendere. Côsol hacere cô non pudense pecare, ni'ahun original est virgen no tuvenra.

Est côh'es nacid es le gran monarç Christ patriarc de carne vestid hanes redimid con se hacere cicôhit, auncô er infinit, finit se hicenra.

[jg-reis]

I don’t understand the lyrics. I once sang this in choir and we would sing, “Dios guardó del lobo a nuestra cordera”, meaning “God kept our female lamb from the wolf”.
The lyrics we have here, “Dios guardó el lobo de nuestra cordera” would mean “God saved the wolf from our lamb”, as if the wolf needs saving from the lamb. (The lamb being the Virgin Mary, from context.) Help, please?

[antonioaguilar]

Spanish is one of the most complex languages ​​that exist. English is much rougher.

[Nancy]

The original lyric is in old Spanish that's why the spelling is somewhat different than modern Spanish. The singers do have a germanic accent but they do a pretty good job. Ríu, ríu, chíu is meant to represent the sounds a nightingale makes.

[WilliamFord]

¿Se pronunciaría «aunque era» como «aunqu'era» en este caso?

[Nancy]

Catalán (a Romance language in its own right) and Aragonese (a dialect of Castilian) are not "unknown" in the Iberian Peninsula! They are very well known by the Spaniards! They may not be as well known in other countries. Perhaps that's what you meant to say.

[luisgerardomoralescienfueg]

Dios guardó del lobo A nuestra cordera.
No deberían cantar DE nuestra cordera.

Y nuestra cordera no tiene un lobo.

Qué vergüenza.