The little poor man of Assisi and the sun

The little poor man of Assisi and the Sun

“Praised be You, my Lord with all Your creatures
Especially our brother, Master Sun
Who brings the day and the light
that warms us he that is beautiful and radiant
In all his splendour!
He brings meaning of You, O Most High…
Praised be You, my Lord
For Sister Moon and the Stars;
In the heavens You have made them
Precious and beautiful.”

The Canticle of the Sun, also known as the Canticle of the Creatures or “Laudes Creaturarum” (Praise of the Creatures) was composed by Saint Francis of Assisi who wrote it in an Umbrian dialect of Italian but has since been translated into many languages.

It is believed to be among the first works of literature, if not the first, written in the Italian language.
The main characters of his Canticle are “Brother Sun” and “Sister Moon”.
As in many medieval texts, numerology plays a key structural role in fact he mentions the four elements: wind, water, fire and earth.

Astrology has an important role, too; he focuses on the sun, the moon and the stars.
His intellectual eclecticism brings him to give strong suggestions about environment, economy and of course, spirituality.
According to Saint Francis, beauty is in the simplicity of nature. Many of the stories that surround his life say that he has a great love for the environment and animals.
His main suggestion is not to behave like predators where nature is concerned, but to assume responsibility for it taking care so everything stays healthy and integrated in order to offer a welcoming and friendly environment to the future generations.
Nothing more modern….

St. Francis argues against the mercantile mentality that was rapidly spreading in his time and for which nature was to be exploited for economic purposes.
Even the Italian music did not remain insensitive to the charming personality of St Francis: the singer Angelo Branduardi sang “Cantico delle creature” getting a resounding success.

Many of the most famous songs of Angelo Branduardi are inspired by songs and poems of a distant past and often forgotten. Branduardi proposes a rediscovery of the ancient musical heritage not only national but also European and to this was, and still is, popular in Germany (where he led the tour in “Lauda Francis”), France, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland and other European countries and beyond.
Other very famous singers all over the world such as Joan Baez, Violeta Parra and Mercedes Sosa sang a song where there is a strong reference to the “Canticle of Brother Sun” named “ Thanks to life”.

Angelo Branduardi – “Cantico Delle Creature”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYdepwbwbeY

made by the School of Bitonto/ Italy