En Todo Nos Faz Merçee is a song about a royal scribe who has a prized horse
that falls ill and is near death. Having recourse to Our Lady, the scribe prays
for mercy, and Our Lady quickly restores the beast to health. This story
demonstrates how we should resort to Our Lady in all things, for She is ready to aid us even in our
simple temporal troubles if we have recourse to her.
En Todo Nos Faz Merçee is number 375 of the 420 poem-songs – Cantigas de Santa Maria – written under the aegis of King Afonso X the Wise in honor of Our Lady. Written in the 13th century, these cantigas are sung in the Galician dialect, which is still to be found in some areas of the Northwest Spain and Northern Portugal.
It is here sung by the Eduardo Paniagua, Enrique De La Fuente, et al.
Listen to En Todo Nos Faz Merçee
Lyrics:
En todo nos faz merçee a Sennor qu todo vee.
Merçee por humildade nos faz, e por sa bondade,
Acorre con piadade a quen lle pede merçee,
Seques enas bestias mudas no mostra muitas ajudas,
Grandes e mui connoscudas a Sennor que todo vee.
En todo nos faz merçee a Sennor qu todo vee.
En todo nos faz merçee a Sennor qu todo vee.
E de tal razon fremoso miragre maravilloso,
A Madre do Glorioso fez; e comprida mercee,
Na cibdade de Sevilla, que e grand a maravilla.
Mostrou a Madr' e a filla de Deus qu nos senpre vee.
A Bonamic que avia seu caval e lle morria,
Porend a Santa Maria do Porto pidiu mercee,
Qu se ll' o covalo desse vivo, porende posesse,
Un de cera qu servesse ant' ela que todos vee.
En todo nos faz merçee a Sennor qu todo vee.
En todo nos faz merçee a Sennor qu todo vee.
Este escrivan de Rey era, que do cavalo presera,
Mui gran coita e soubera qu morria; e mercee,
Pidiu aa Gloriosa que e Sennor piadosa,
Que de llo dar poderosa e, ca nossas coitas vee.
E u jazia tendudo ja come mort' e perdudo.
Fez-llo a qu noss' escudo e viver por sa mercee
E tan toste deu levada e comeu muita cevada,
E porem foi mui loada a Sennor qu todo vee.
En todo nos faz merçee a Sennor qu todo vee.
English translation:
In everything she shows us mercy, the Lady who sees all,
She shows mercy by her humility and her goodness,
She rushes with piety to help whoever begs mercy,
Also she comes to their aid of dumb
animals,
Great and renowned, the Lady who sees all.
In everything she shows us mercy, the Lady who sees all.
In everything she shows us mercy, the Lady who sees all.
And in this regard an astounding miracle took place,
The Mother of the Glorious One showed her mercy,
In the city of Seville, a great marvel.
The Mother & Daughter of God who always sees usl.
A good friend had a dying horse.
But he asked the mercy of Santa Maria do Porto,
[Telling her] that if she would save his horse, he would replace it,
With one made of wax to place before her who sees all.
In everything she shows us mercy, the Lady who sees all.
In everything she shows us mercy, the Lady who sees all.
This King's notary who owned the horse,
Had a great sorrow when he realized his horse was
dying; and mercy
He asked of the Glorious Virgin who is a pious Lady,
That she
deign to restore it, she who sees all our sufferings,
And that horse which
was lying down almost dead and lost.
She made it live and be his shield by her mercy,
And soon the horse rose up and ate a lot of oats.
And she
received much praise, the Lady who sees all.
In everything she shows us mercy, the Lady who sees all.
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