Scroll Text - Order of the Silver Crescent

Lilias de Cheryngton, now Dona, joined the Order of the Silver Crescent in 2020, during pandemic times. I was honored to be asked to compose the text for her scroll, which speaks to her tireless service in the kingdom, particularly on behalf of the rapier community. The text is based on the Song of Songs (Alternately Song of Solomon or Canticles) from the Bible. We worked from the online Douay-Rheims Translation, massaged the English into the form we wanted, and then translated it back into Latin for the final text on the scroll. In court it was read in both Latin and English.

Working Copy

This is our working copy, with chunks of the original that seemed useful collected as we found them, and then reworked to fit the content

Verse	Latin	Translation	For scroll	pos
5:15	Crura illius columnae marmoreae quae fundatae sunt super bases aureas. Species ejus ut Libani, electus ut cedri.	His legs as pillars of marble, that are set upon bases of gold. His form as of Libanus, excellent as the cedars.	Her acts as pillars of marble, that are set upon bases of gold. Her labors like Atlas, supporting the known world	2
2:1-1	Ego flos campi, et lilium convallium. Sicut lilium inter spinas, sic amica mea inter filias.	I am the flower of the field, and the lily of the valleys. As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.	She is the flower of the East, this Lillias of Cheryngton. As the lily among the thorns, so is our Lady among the Tygers	3
3:7-8	En lectulum Salomonis sexaginta fortes ambiunt ex fortissimis Israel, omnes tenentes gladios, et ad bella doctissimi : uniuscujusque ensis super femur suum propter timores nocturnos.	Behold threescore valiant ones of the most valiant of Israel, surrounded the bed of Solomon? All holding swords, and most expert in war: every man's sword upon his thigh, because of fears in the night.	Behold threescore valiant ones of the most valiant of the East, marshelled with skill and care All holding swords, and most expert in war: every man's sword upon his thigh, without fear in the lists.	no
4:4	Sicut turris David collum tuum, quae aedificata est cum propugnaculis; mille clypei pendant ex ea, omnis armatura fortium.	Thy neck, is as the tower of David, which is built with bulwarks: a thousand bucklers hang upon it, all the armour of valiant men.	Her Strength is as the tower of the East (Pennsic Castle?), which is built with bulwarks; a thousand bucklers hang upon it, all the armor of valiant warriors.	no
6:9	Quae est ista quae progreditur quasi aurora consurgens, pulchra ut luna, electa ut sol, terribilis ut castrorum acies ordinata?	Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in array?	Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the crescent moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in array?	1
8:6	Pone me ut signaculum super cor tuum, ut signaculum super brachium tuum, quia fortis est ut mors dilectio, dura sicut infernus aemulatio : lampades ejus lampades ignis atque flammarum.	Put me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy as hard as hell, the lamps thereof are fire and flames.	Her service is as a seal upon Our Hearts, as a seal upon Our Arms, for Our Love for her is as strong as death.	no
8:9	Si murus est, aedificemus super eum propugnacula argentea; si ostium est, compingamus illud tabulis cedrinis.	If she be a wall: let us build upon it bulwarks of silver: if she be a door, let us join it together with boards or cedar.	If she be a wall: let us decorate it with crescents of silver: if she be a door, let us join it together with boards or cedar. (or..... If she be a roof, let us gather under her shelter)	no

Final Poem

We then combined the sections that worked best into a single poem of praise and that was translated back into Latin

English

Latin

Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising,

fair as the crescent moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in array?

Her acts as pillars of marble, that are set upon bases of gold.

Her labors like Atlas, supporting the known world

She is the flower of the East, this Lillias of Cheryngton.

As the lily among the thorns, so is our Lady among the Tygers

Her Strength is the tower of the East, which is built with bulwarks;

a thousand bucklers hang upon it, all the armor of valiant warriors.

If she be a wall: let us decorate it with inverted crescents of silver

If she be a treasury, let us place an Eastern Crown within her care

Her service is as a seal upon Our Hearts,

as a seal upon Our Arms,

for Our Love for her is as strong as death.

Quae est ista quae progreditur quasi aurora consurgens, pulchra ut luna lunata, electa ut sol, terribilis ut castrorum acies ordinata?

Actiones illia columnae marmoreae quae fundatae sunt super bases aureas. Opera eia ut Atlantis, Mundus Cognitus sustinens.

Ea flos Orientis, illa Lilias Cheryngtonis.

Sicut lilium inter spinas, sic Domina nostrae inter Tygrides.

Sicut turris Orientis vis eia, quae aedificata est cum propugnaculis; mille clypei pendant ex ea, omnis bellatores fortium.

Si murus est, aedificemus super eam lunae argenteae;

si cimeliarchium est, ponamus corona Orientis in cautione sua.

Servicium eiae quam signum in Nostro Cordibus, quam signum in Nostra Armis, quia fortis est ut mors Noster Amor eiae.

Conclusion

Finally we built a brief conclusion, in prose, to include the formal details about the award, the Royalty and the date

It was in those times and with those words that their majesties T and A, in the year of their first Counsulship did, amidst clouds of light, elevate Lillias of Cheryngton to their order of their silver crescent, that she might bear the mark, In pale a crescent inverted argent and an Eastern crown Or, and exercise the powers and responsibilities of that order for ever and ever, vivat

Authors

Scroll text by Gun∂ormr Dengir(that's me!), Ælia Fortunata(my apprentice, Latin translator) and Jerome of Stridon
Calligraphy and Illumination by Aesa Faelinn Jossursdottir

Scroll Text - Order of the Silver Crescent

Working Copy

Final Poem

Conclusion

Authors

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