The words in red appear on the mantle of the Virgin in the Rolin Madonna
1 Wisdom shall praise her own self, and shall be honoured in God, and shall glory in the midst of her people, | sapientiae laus sapientia laudabit animam suam et in Deo honorabitur et in medio populi sui gloriabitur |
2 And shall open her mouth in the churches of the most High, and shall glorify herself in the sight of his power, | et in ecclesiis Altissimi aperiet os suum et in conspectu virtutis illius gloriabitur |
3 And in the midst of her own people she shall be exalted, and shall be admired in the holy assembly. | in medio populo exaltabitur et in plenitudine sancta admirabitur |
4 And in the multitude of the elect she shall have praise, and among the blessed she shall be blessed, saying: | in multitudine electorum habebit laudem et inter benedictos benedicetur dicens |
5 I came out of the mouth of the most High, the firstborn before all creatures: | ego ex ore Altissimi prodivi primogenita ante omnem creaturam |
6 I made that in the heavens there should rise light that never faileth, and as a cloud I covered all the earth: | ego in caelis feci ut oriretur lumen indeficiens et sicut nebula texi omnem terram |
7 I dwelt in the highest places, and my throne is in a pillar of a cloud. | ego in altis habitavi et thronus meus in columna nubis |
8 I alone have compassed the circuit of heaven, and have penetrated into the bottom of the deep, and have walked in the waves of the sea, | gyrum caeli circuivi sola et in profundum abyssi penetravi et in fluctibus maris ambulavi |
9 And have stood in all the earth: and in every people, | et in omni terra steti et in omni populo |
10 And in every nation I have had the chief rule: | et in omni gente primatum habui |
11 And by my power I have trodden under my feet the hearts of all the high and low: and in all these I sought rest, and I shall abide in the inheritance of the Lord. | et omnium excellentium et humilium corda virtute calcavi et in his omnibus requiem quaesivi et in hereditate eius morabor |
12 Then the creator of all things commanded, and said to me: and he that made me, rested in my tabernacle, | tunc praecepit et dixit mihi creator omnium et qui creavit me requievit in tabernaculo meo |
13 And he said to me: Let thy dwelling be in Jacob, and thy inheritance in Israel, and take root in my elect. | et dixit mihi in Iacob inhabita et in Israhel hereditare et in electis meis ede radices |
14 From the beginning, and before the world, was I created, and unto the world to come I shall not cease to be, and in the holy dwelling place I have ministered before him. | ab initio ante saeculum creata sum et usque ad futurum saeculum non desinam et in habitatione sancta coram ipso ministravi |
15 And so was I established in Sion, and in the holy city likewise I rested, and my power was in Jerusalem. | et sic in Sion firmata sum et in civitate sanctificata similiter requievi et in Hierusalem potestas mea |
16 And I took root in an honourable people, and in the portion of my God his inheritance, and my abode is in the full assembly of saints. | et radicavi in populo honorificato et in parte Dei mei hereditas illius et in plenitudine sanctorum detentio mea |
17 I was exalted like a cedar in Libanus, and as a cypress tree on mount Sion. | quasi cedrus exaltata sum in Libano et quasi cypressus in monte Sion |
18 I was exalted like a palm tree in Cades, and as a rose plant in Jericho: | et quasi palma exaltata sum in Cades et quasi plantatio rosae in Hiericho |
19 As a fair olive tree in the plains, and as a plane tree by the water in the streets, was I exalted. | quasi oliva speciosa in campis et quasi platanus exaltata sum iuxta aquam in plateis |
20 gave a sweet smell like cinnamon, and aromatical balm: I yielded a sweet odour like the best myrrh: | sicut cinnamomum et aspaltum aromatizans odorem dedi quasi murra electa dedi suavitatem odoris |
21 And I perfumed my dwelling as storax, and galbanum, and onyx, and aloes, and as the frankincense not cut, and my odour is as the purest balm. | et quasi storax et galbanus et ungula et gutta et quasi libanus non incisus vaporavi habitationem meam et quasi balsamum non mixtum odor meus |
22 I have stretched out my branches as the turpentine tree, and my branches are of honour and grace. | ego quasi terebinthus extendi ramos meos et rami mei honoris et gratiae |
23 As the vine I have brought forth a pleasant odour: and my flowers are the fruit of honour and riches. | ego quasi vitis fructificavi suavitatem odoris et flores mei fructus honoris et honestatis |
24 I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope. | ego mater pulchrae dilectionis et timoris et agnitionis et sanctae spei |
25 In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue. | in me gratia omnis vitae et veritatis in me omnis spes vitae et virtutis |
26 Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits. | transite ad me omnes qui concupiscitis me et a generationibus meis implemini |
27 For my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb. | spiritus enim meus super melle dulcis et hereditas mea super mel et favum |
28 My memory is unto everlasting generations. | memoria mea in generatione saeculorum |
29 They that eat me, shall yet hunger: and they that drink me, shall yet thirst. | qui edunt me adhuc esurient et qui bibunt me adhuc sitient |
30 He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. | qui audit me non confundetur et qui operantur in me non peccabunt |
31 They that explain me shall have life everlasting. | qui elucidant me vitam aeternam habebunt |
32 All these things are the book of life, and the covenant of the most High, and the knowledge of truth. | haec omnia liber vitae testamentum Altissimi et agnitio veritatis |
33 Moses commanded a law in the precepts of justices, and an inheritance to the house of Jacob, and the promises to Israel. | egem mandavit Moses in praeceptis iustitiarum et hereditatem domui Iacob et Israhel promissionis |
34 He appointed to David his servant to raise up of him a most mighty king, and sitting on the throne of glory for ever. | posuit David puero suo excitare regem ex ipso fortissimum in throno honoris sedentem in sempiternum |
35 Who filleth up wisdom as the Phison, and as the Tigris in the days of the new fruits. | qui implet quasi Phison sapientiam et sicut Tigris in diebus novorum |
36 Who maketh understanding to abound as the Euphrates, who multiplieth it as the Jordan in the time of harvest. | qui adimplet quasi Eufrates sensum qui multiplicat quasi Iordanis in tempore messis |
37 Who sendeth knowledge as the light, and riseth up as Gehon in the time of the vintage. | qui mittit disciplinam sicut lucem et adsistens quasi Geon in die vindemiae |
38 Who first hath perfect knowledge of her, and a weaker shall not search her out. | qui perficit primus scire ipsam et infirmior non investigavit eam |
39 For her thoughts are more vast than the sea, and her counsels more deep than the great ocean. | a mari enim abundavit cogitatio eius et consilium illius abysso magna |
40 I, wisdom, have poured out rivers. | ego sapientia effudi flumina |
41 I, like a brook out of a river of a mighty water; I, like a channel of a river, and like an aqueduct, came out of paradise. | ego quasi tramis aquae inmensae de fluvio ego quasi fluvius Doryx et sicut aquaeductus exivi a paradiso |
42 I said: I will water my garden of plants, and I will water abundantly the fruits of my meadow. | dixi rigabo meum hortum plantationum et inebriabo pratus mei fructum |
43 And behold my brook became a great river, and my river came near to a sea: | et ecce facta est mihi tramis abundans et fluvius meus propinquavit ad mare |
44 For I make doctrine to shine forth to all as the morning light, and I will declare it afar off. | quoniam doctrinam quasi antelucanum inlumino omnibus et enarrabo illam usque in longinquo |
45 I will penetrate to all the lower parts of the earth, and will behold all that sleep, and will enlighten all that hope in the Lord. | penetrabo inferiores partes terrae et inspiciam omnes dormientes et inluminabo sperantes in Deo |
46 I will yet pour out doctrine as prophecy, and will leave it to them that seek wisdom, and will not cease to instruct their offspring even to the holy age. | adhuc doctrinam quasi prophetiam effundam et relinquam illam quaerentibus sapientiam et non desinam in progenies illorum usque in aevum sanctum |
47 See ye that I have not laboured myself only, but for all that seek out the truth. | videte quoniam non soli mihi laboravi sed omnibus exquirentibus veritatem |