CANTIGA XXIII

This is how Holy Mary replenished the wine in the cask out of love for the good lady of England.

"As God made wine from water before the governor of the feast           (John 2:1-11/the marriage of Cana),
so on another occasion His Mother replenished the wine."

Of this, I shall tell a miracle which Holy Mary
performed in England for a gentle lady whom God
had endowed with good habits and seemly manners,
for He wished her for one of His own.

Of all the good qualities that she had,
the best was that she sincerely trusted in Holy Mary,
who saved her from shame before the king one day
when he chanced to stop over at her house.

The lady bustled about to serve him
and gave him meat and fish and bread and barley,
but she was very short of good wine,
for she had only a little in a small cask.

Her plight was redoubled, for although she tried to get some,
there was none in the land to be had for money
or any other possession she might give.
Her only recourse was the aid of the Mother of the Father and Son.

With this hope, she went to the church
and said: "Oh, Holy Mary, please have mercy
and spare me this great shame. If not,
I shall never again wear wool or linen."

At one the lady's prayer was heard,
and the king and all his company were well supplied with good wine,
and the wine cellar did not run so low that rich
and poor could not find plenty there.