La guarda ribera

“Ríu Ríu Chíu” is a Spanish carol in the villancico style popular from the 15^th to the 18^th centuries. This one was first published in 1556, in Venice, and it makes the rounds at Christmas concerts here in the Bay Area. It’s about the Immaculate Conception and the Nativity.

I’ve got it on a number of CDs (because I have about…a lot of Christmas CDs). It’s lively, with an intricate harmonic pattern, and even if you don’t understand ancient Catalan, it’s lovely to listen to. Here are the lyrics, with translation courtesy of Wikipedia:

El lobo rabioso la quiso morder

Mas Dios Poderosa la supo defender

Quíso la hacer que no pudiese pecar

Ní aun original esta virgin no tuviera

The raging wolf sought to bite her, but God Almighty knew to defend her; He chose to make her so that she could not sin; no original sin was found in that virgin

Éste que es nacido es el Gran Moncara

Cristo Patriarca de carne vestido

Ha nos redimido con se hacer chiquito

Aúnque era infinito finite se hiciera

This one that is born is the Great King, Christ the Patriarch, clothed in flesh. He redeemed us when He made himself small, though He was Infinite He would make himself finite.

Yo vi mil Garzones que andavan cantando

Por aquí volando hacienda mil sones

Diciendo a gascones Gloria sea en el Cielo

Y paz en el suelo pues Jesús nasciera.

I saw a thousand boys (angels) go singing, here making a thousand voices while flying, telling the shepherds of glory in the heavens, and peace to the world since Jesus has been born.

The chorus is the sound of a kingfisher scaring away the wolf from Mary (sparing her from Original Sin):

Ríu, ríu, chíu, la guarda ribera

Dio guardó el lobo de nuestra cordera.

The very first time I ever heard “Ríu Ríu Chíu”, it was performed on TV by a group that would not have appeared anywhere near the top of your list of interpreters of Renaissance classics. Nonetheless, they do a bang-up job.