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For the purposes of the new edition, every poem has been assigned a unique short title. The original short titles, taken eclectically from a number of sources, are retained as alternative short titles.
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CSM Number : 206
Short name: Pope Leo who Cut off his Hand Alternative: Caesarius Cuts His Hand Off [also told of Pope Leo]
Incipit: Quen souber Santa Maria / ben de coraçon amar
Refrain: Quen souber Santa Maria/ ben de coraçon amar/ pero o tent’ o diabo/ nunca o fará  errar.
Summary of narrative
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Setting: Rome Protagonist(s): Pope Leo

While Pope Leo was saying mass, the devil tempted him. He caused him to catch sight of a very beautiful woman.

After the gospel, the woman made her offering and kissed the Pope’s hand. He was so pleased and distracted by the kiss that he paid no more attention to the mass.

When he realised that the woman had made him lose his senses, he decided to cut off his hand.

After he had amputated his hand he could no longer say mass, and the people began to criticise him and ridicule him for his absence.

Pope Leo begged the Virgin to enable him to sing her mass again.

The Virgin appeared to him and applied a balm to his severed limb. The pain went away and then she put his hand back in place. He told the miracle to the people. To convince them, he showed them his hand.

Metrical data
Stanza: 15 15 15 15 Refrain: 15 15
No. of Stanzas: 9
Rhyme scheme: AA | bbba Zejel: Yes
MS locations:
F54, E206
Poncelet reference
Cum quidam papa Leo Romae in S. Maria Maiore (310)
Keywords
amputation, anoint, hand, kissing, limbs (restored), lust, mass, pope, wound
Discography
Click HERE for a list of recordings of this poem
Miracle Collection
Hand Restored to Priest Jean Gobi
Pope Leo cuts off his hand Bartholomew of Trent
(University of Bologna, Codice 1794)
Caesarius Cuts His Hand Off [also told of Pope Leo] Cornell Mariale
(Cornell, MS B.14)
Caesarius Cuts His Hand Off [also told of Pope Leo] Li Miracoli de Senta Maria
BITAGAP ID
3959
Bibliography
Cantigas de Santa Maria do rei don Alfonso
Alfonso X , o Sábio
Cantigas de Santa Maria — El Cantar de los cantares — Sonetos — Coplas que hizo por la muerte de su padre D. Rodrigo
Alfonso X el Sabio and others
La música de las Cantigas de Santa María del rey Alfonso el Sabio. Facsímil, transcripción y estudio crítico vol. III
Anglés, Higinio
Sources of the Cantigas of Alfonso el Sabio [AC]
Dexter, Elise Forsythe
Entre Ave y Eva: las mujeres de las Cantigas de Santa María. II. Las trabajadoras. III. Las Evas
Fidalgo, Elvira
Viaje a Italia a través de las Cantigas Historiadas de Alfonso X el Sabio
Molina López, Laura
Textos de literatura portuguesa. I: Afonso X, o Sábio
Rodrigues Lapa, Manuel