Flete Viri

Flete viri, lugete proceres resolutus est Rex in cineres Rex editus de magnis regibus Rex Guillelmus bello fortissimus Rex Anglorum et Dux Normanniae Cenomanis dominus patriae	Weep, O men; lament, ye nobles; the King is turned to ashes: a king descended from great kings, King William, most mighty in war, King of England and Duke of Normandy, Lord of the homeland of the Cenomani. [1]
In omnibus quae sibi subdidit et in quibus se cunctis praetulit Plus debetur virtuti propriae quam millibus suae militiae Magna virtus et sapientia qua regebat tot unus millia	In all matters which he undertook and in all of which he revealed himself, more is owed to his own prowess than to the thousands of his troops: great the strength and wisdom by which one man ruled so many thousands.
Rex Guillelmus potens et nobilis facta probant quod es laudabilis Scribi debet in signum posteris qua virtute praestabas ceteris Si quis stilus aut quae facundia possent ire per tot insignia	King William, powerful and high-born, thy deeds show why thou art praiseworthy. It ought to be written as a sign for posterity by what virtue you excelled all others, if only some pen or some eloquence were able to enumerate so many honours.
In feroci monstratur Anglia praeter mille miranda proelia Qualis comes in Cenomania quantus esset dux in Normannia Rex de Duce se fecit postea dignissimum Romana laurea	It was shown to headstrong England in more than a thousand admirable battles what sort of count he was in Maine, how great a duke he was in Normandy. From Duke he made himself King thereafter, most worthy of Roman laurels.
Gens Anglorum turbastis principem qui virtutis amabat tramitem Vos sensistis quid posset facere qui solebat per arma vincere Magnum fuit vobis exitium sed ob vestri regis perjurium	O race of Englishmen, you brought trouble upon a prince who loved the path of virtue. You have perceived what he was able to accomplish, who was accustomed to prevail in battle. He was a great scourge to you, but only because of the false oath of your king. [2]
Rex Guillelme te claudit tumulus sed per orbem te plangit populus Plangent omnes facta mirifica largitates, bella pacifica Quanto magis labuntur tempora tanto duce suspirant pectora	O King William, the grave encloses thee, but throughout the world the people lament for thee. All bewail thy marvellous deeds, generosity and peacemaking wars. [3] The more time that passes, the more sighs are breathed [4] for the leader.
Heu post tanti principis obitum summus honor tendit ad exitum Casus ille plangendus nimium qui honori praestat exilium Terra suis orbata viribus pressa jaces longis moeroribus	Alas that after the death of so great a prince, the greatest honour attaches to the manner of his death. That fall, which is greatly to be lamented, is more praiseworthy than exile. [5] Thou art fallen, while the land is bereft of its menfolk and burdened by long-standing sorrows.
Sancte fuit rector ecclesiae spes pupilli defensor viduae Rex Guillelme sit Deo placitum quod hoc opus non fiat irritum Expurgatum de luto saeculi te perducant ad Coelos angeli	That he has devoutly been a patron of the church, a succourer of orphans and a defender of widows, [6] O King William, may this be the judgement of God, because this work has not been in vain. [7] Cleansed of Earthly impurity, [8] the angels conduct thee to Heaven.

The Latin text is taken from the sleeve of 'Chant Gregorien', performed by the Deller Consort and published by Harmonia Mundi. The following information is also supplied: "Both text and melody for the elegy for the most celebrated of Norman Dukes, William the Conqueror, who was crowned King of England in 1066 and who died on 9th September 1087, have been preserved thanks to a manuscript bearing alphabetic notation. This piece, of a noble and restrained solemnity, was sung at Westminster at Christmas 1966, in celebration of the ninth centenary of the Coronation."

The source text contains some minor transcription errors which I have sought to correct. Translating Latin into natural English is not a straightforward task, as the languages differ in structure and idiom. My aim has been to render a translation that does not stray too far from the literal meaning, yet will be comprehensible to the reader.

[2] The Normans claimed that Harold had sworn a sacred oath to support William's claim to the English throne.

[3] I believe this is an oxymoron, with 'bella' meaning 'wars'. Alternatively, 'mirifica', 'bella' and 'pacifica' could all be describing 'facta': 'marvellous, fine and peace-loving deeds'.

[5] King William died from wounds received when his horse stumbled during a siege on the town of Mantes. These lines seem to indicate that the most praiseworthy thing that could be said about the Conqueror was that he died from a battle injury, rather than being defeated.

[7] 'This work' being the elegy, the performance of which is intended to shorten the time the king's departed soul must spend in Purgatory to atone for his sins.

[8] 'Lutum' = 'mire, mud, clay'. I believe this phrase means not only 'freed from your imperfect mortal body', but also 'redeemed of the sins committed during your lifetime'. Following on from the previous line, 'expurgatum' strongly suggests a reference to Purgatory.

Permission is given to copy this work, provided it is unaltered and this copyright notice remains attached.

FLETE VIRI