Riu, riu, chiu

Mateo Flecha

Riu, riu, chiu
La guarda ribera:
Dios guardo el lobo
De nuestra cordera.

El lobo rabioso
La quiso morder,
Mas Dios poderoso
La supo defender;
Quisole hazer que
No pudiesse pecar,
Ni aun original
Esta Virgen no tuviera.

Este ques naçido
Es el gran Monarcha,
Christo patriarca
De carne vestido;
Ha nos redimido
Con se hazer chiquito:
Aunque era infinito
Finito se hiziera.

Muchas profecias
Lo han profetizado;
Y aun en nuestros dias
Lo hemos alcançado.
A Dios humanado
Vemos en el suelo
Y al hombre en el cielo
Porque el le quisiera.

Puer que ya tenemos
Lo que deseamos,
Todos juntos vamos,
Presentes llevemos;
Todos le daremos
Nuestra voluntad,
Pues a se igualar
Con el hombre viniera.
'Riu, riu, chiu' cried the shepherds by the riverside.
God kept the wolf [Satan] away from our lamb [the Virgin Mary].

The raging wolf wanted to bite her,
but the more powerful God knew how to protect her.
He wanted to make her incapable of sin,
and this Virgin did not even have original sin.

He who is born is a great King,
Christ the Patriarch clothed in human flesh.
He has redeemd us by making himself a child:
Although he is immortal, he made himself mortal.

Many prophesies have foretold it;
And in our time we have seen it fulfilled.
We see God in human form here on earth,
and man raised to heaven because God loved him.

Since now we have our hearts' desire,
let us all go together bearing gifts;
we shall all submit our will to him,
because he came to make himself equal with man.

Notes

Mateo Flecha the elder (1481-1553)