Sunday Office of Readings Even Week diurno

Today's hymn is a barn burner. The melody goes quite high and varies like a sequence. For those who are not familiar with the structure of the melody in a sequence such as Victimae Paschali Laudes at Easter or Lauda Sion at Corpus Christi, the verses are grouped in twos. Verses one and two have the same melody. Verses three and four then share a different melody from verses one and two, and so on through the end of the piece. It helps if you don't know the piece to listen to the odd-numbered verses and sing only the even-numbered verses. Try it!

mp3
Triumphal day of the Resurrection

Salve dies, diérum glória,
Hail the day, the glory of days,
dies felix Christi victória,
happy day of Christ's victory,
dies digna iugi lætitia,
day worthy of overflowing joy,
dies prima.
the first day.

HAIL, day, the glory of all days, to thee !
Thrice happy day, Christ's day of victory !
The first day ! day most fit continually
Our joy to show !

2. Lux divína cæcis irrádiat,
Light divine beams forth upon the blind,
in qua Chrístus inférnum spóliat,
by which Christ despoils hell,
mortem vincit et reconcíliat
conquers death and reconciles
summis ima.
from top to bottom.

2. This day divine illuminates blind eyes,
Upon which Christ of hell's dark realms makes prize,
O'ercometh death and joins in one the skies
And earth below.

3. Sempitérni regis senténtia
The sentence of the eternal King
sub peccáto conclúsit ómnia;
has confined all men under sin;
ut infirmis supérna grátia
but so that heavenly grace the weak
subveníret,
might rescue,

3. The judgment of the everlasting King
Hath under sin concluded everything,
That heavenly grace the weak and wavering
Might come to aid.

4. Dei virtus et sapiéntia
God's strength and wisdom
temperávit iram cleméntia,
has tempered wrath with mercy,
cum iam mundus in præcipítia
when already the world headlong over a cliff,
totus iret.
the whole, was marching.

4. God's goodness and His wisdom from on high
His wrath hath tempered with His clemency,
Now when all earth was being rapidly
In ruin laid.

9. Resurréxit liber ab inferis
He has risen, free from death
restaurátor humáni géneris,
Renewer of the human race,
ovem suam repórtans úmeris
His sheep carrying back on His shoulders
ad supérna.
to heaven.

9. Free hath He risen from depths of hell below,
Who hath the human race re-fashioned so,
And, on His shoulder borne, His sheep He now
To heaven doth raise.

10. Angelórum pax fit et hóminum,
Peace arises among angels and men,
plenitúdo succréscit órdinum,
its fullness swells up through the ranks,
triumphántem laus decet Dóminum,
praise befits our triumphant conquering Lord,
laus ætérna.
praise eternal.

10. 'Twixt men and angels is there perfect peace ;
The ranks of heaven now swell to full increase ;
Praise to the Lord Who maketh wars to cease,
Eternal praise !

11. Harmoníæ cæléstis pátriæ
With the melodies of our heavenly fatherland
vox concórdet matris Ecclésiæ,
let the voice of Mother Church harmonize,
« Allelúia » frequéntet hódie
let the faithful people sing today repeatedly
plebs fidélis.
"Alleluia."

11. O let the voice of Mother-Church agree
With heaven, our fatherland's, bright harmony,
And alleluias from the faithful be
Countless to-day !

12. Triumpháto mortis império,
Having completely conquered the regime of death,
triumpháli fruámur gáudio;
let us enjoy triumphal delight;
in terra pax, et iubilátio
on earth, peace, and rejoicing
sit in cælis.
let be in heaven.

12. The power of death o'ercome effectually,
Let us enjoy the joys of victory :
On earth be peace and jubilee on high
In heaven for aye !
Non dicitur Amen in fine.
The "Amen" is not said at the end.
Very probably composed by Adam of St. Victor (d. after 1150).

These are verses 1-4 and 9-12 of a longer hymn. Lentini calls it a "splendid composition" which could also serve well at the Paschal time.

I personally first came in conscious contact with the hymns of Adam of St. Victor through the recording The Age of Cathedrals done by Theatre of Voices directed by Paul Hilliard. Reading the liner notes of the CD while listening to the recording make you feel like you are standing in Notre Dame cathedral with sunlight pouring through the stained-glass windows, your heart filled with holy joy as you listen to the glorious chant. Adam of St. Victor's hymns were especially vivid and filled with wonderful images. I love the triumphant melodies of today's hymn.

Poking around online I found that the entire text (look on page 64) of The Liturgical Poetry of Adam of St. Victor By Adam L. Gautier on Google Books! That is the source of the metrical translation above. Included below are the four "missing" verses with their metrical translations. [The text on Gautier's book included an "Amen" at the end, so I'm interested to know why Lentini omitted it.]

5. Insultabat nostrae miseriae,
Vetus hostis, auctor malitiae,
Quia nulla spes erat veniae
De peccatis ;

5. The father of all lies, man's ancient foe,
Was trampling on us in our bitter woe,
Because no hope of pardon here below
For sin was left ;

6. Desperante mundo remedium,
Dum tenerent cuncta silentium,
Deus Pater emisit Filium
Desperatis.

6. When thus the earth despaired of cure for sin,
And silence reigned o'er it and all therein,
Forth God the Father sent His Son to men
Of hope bereft.

7. Praedo vorax, monstrum tartareum,
Carnem videns, nec cavens laqueum,
In latentem ruens aculeum
Aduncatur ;

7. The insatiate robber, monster hell did bear,
Seeing the bait, but heedless of the snare,
Rushing upon the hook's point hidden there,
On it is caught ;

8. Dignitatis primae conditio
Reformatur nobis in Filio
Cujus nova nos resurrectio
Consolatur.

8. The dignity of man, as first begun,
Is now re-fashioned for us in the Son,
By Whose new resurrection to each one
Comfort is brought.

I'd sure like to know the melodies for these verses as well!

UPDATE: here is a recording with mostly different melodies (different from what's in Liber Hymnarius) for you to listen to if you have a "Rhapsody 25" account. It has all twelve verses though.