I recently heard of a young monk whose monastery is situated on a rugged, north Atlantic coast, that the monastery's Jersey cows give more milk when he sings the Salve Regina to them during the twice a day milking. Jersey cows by the way are not cows from New Jersey, USA, but from the Island of Jersey off the Normandy coast. Just imagine, if the Salve can help to keep cows calm, think of what it might do for us, so stressed, fearful and tempted to negativity and bitter hopelessness.
We might learn the Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen) to re-focus ourselves, to restore inner balance and clarity in difficult times. It is said that the medieval monk who wrote this hymn to the Mother of God was afflicted with what we'd today call polio or spina bifida. So the poor fellow understood sorrow and suffering.
Here's a beautiful link to the monks of Notre Dame Fontgombault singing the Salve (Sal-vay). Listen and sing along for a week and you'll know it by heart. The Latin words are printed below with an English sense-translation.
Salve Regina, Hail Queen of Heaven
mater misericordiae: hail, our Mother compassionate
Vita, dulcedo true life and comfort
et spes nostra salve. our hope, we greet you.
Ad te clamamus, To you we exiles
exsules filii Hevae. children of Eve, raise our voices.
Ad te suspiramus, We send up sighs to you,
gementes et flentes as mourning and weeping,
in hac lacrimarum valle. we pass through this vale of sorrow.
Eia ergo Then turn to us,
advocata nostra, O most gracious Woman,
ill tuos misericordes oculos
ad nos converte. your eyes filled with loving tenderness.
Et Jesum benedictum And grant us after these, our days of
fructum ventris tui, lonely exile, the sight of your blest Son
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende and Lord, Christ Jesus.
O clemens, O gentle,
O pia, O loving,
O dulcis, Virgo Maria. O holy, sweet Virgin Mary.
Salve Regina, Hail Queen of Heaven
mater misericordiae: hail, our Mother compassionate
Vita, dulcedo true life and comfort
et spes nostra salve. our hope, we greet you.
Ad te clamamus, To you we exiles
exsules filii Hevae. children of Eve, raise our voices.
Ad te suspiramus, We send up sighs to you,
gementes et flentes as mourning and weeping,
in hac lacrimarum valle. we pass through this vale of sorrow.
Eia ergo Then turn to us,
advocata nostra, O most gracious Woman,
ill tuos misericordes oculos
ad nos converte. your eyes filled with loving tenderness.
Et Jesum benedictum And grant us after these, our days of
fructum ventris tui, lonely exile, the sight of your blest Son
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende and Lord, Christ Jesus.
O clemens, O gentle,
O pia, O loving,
O dulcis, Virgo Maria. O holy, sweet Virgin Mary.
