D
domNoah
Guest
They most defnietly and beyond a doubt refer to the Virgin Mary, here is how those words where added to the original prayer.
"The procession advanced from the great door of the cathedral to the choir, chanting joyfully the hymn to the Queen of Heaven, * Salve Reginae St Bernard, conducted by the emperor himself, walked in the middle of the procession, surrounded by crowds of people, and deeply moved on beholding the interior of the majestic basilica ; but when the last accents of the hymn to the Virgin had died away through the sacred aisles, after these words, ‘ FUium tuum nobis post hoc exilium ostende P the holy abbot, transported by his en-thusiasm, added a threefold aspiration, ‘ O clemens! O pia! O dulcis Virgo Maria!
These sweet and tender words, which flowed spontaneously from St. Bernard’s heart, were thenceforth added to the hymn “Salve Reginae” and completed its sublime poetry. They are still sung in all Catholic churches, at the appointed seasons; but, in the Cathedral of Spires, the “Salve Reginae” is solemnly chanted every day in the year, in honor of St. Bernard; and this custom still exists. Plates of brass were laid down in the pavement of the church, to mark the footsteps of the man of God to posterity, and the places where he so touchingly implored the clemency, the mercy, and the sweetness of the Blessed Virgin Mary"
Source
alleluiaaudiobooks.com/saint-bernard-the-wonderworker-part-5-miracles-at-christmastide/
However, the words in and of themselves can be applied to either Jesus or Mary, if you are interested of learning about in detail about that, you might consider listening The Chapter: Power of the Divine Motherhood, in The Divine Motherhood of Mary available here
alleluiaaudiobooks.com/catholic-audiobook-the-divine-motherhood-of-mary/