Laude LXIV. O novo canto / A new song

Clement A. Miles, in his book Christmas in Ritual and Tradition, Christian and Pagan (1912) wrote:  

Not till the close of the thirteenth century do we meet with any vernacular Christmas poetry of importance ... The first real outburst of Christmas joy in a popular tongue is found in Italy, in the poems of that strange “minstrel of the Lord,” the Franciscan Jacopone da Todi…

An “outburst of Christmas joy” perfectly describes this laude, which is effectively a Christmas carol, written before Christmas carols were known.   Recently, Federica Franzè has described it as “a song full of celestial love”.  The rhythm of the poem, the rhymes and pauses, generate an extraordinary musical effect and it is almost certain that Jacopone set it to music and intended it to be sung.  No further commentary is necessary: simply read and enjoy it.

English language version click here

Italian language version click here