Hymnos Debitos Canamus

Baptism of the Lord: 1st Vespers

2010-01-09T08:35:00.001-08:00

This is an alphabetic hymn. Both of the first two lines begin with "A" but then the next lines pretty consistently begin with the next letter of the alphabet, which I have highlighted in red. The third line of the third strophe starts with "clarumque" where "j" and "k" would be in the English alphabet, but I am assuming Latin has no "j" or "k" in its alphabet. (I have seen sometimes "i" written as "j" in older Latin chants; for example "eius" is written as "ejus", but late 20^th-century editors seem to have suppressed the "j".) The alphabetical-ness keeps happening through the first four verses, but then ceases in the last verse, the doxology. Father Lentini also points out that this hymn has frequent "assonance:"

Assonance, (or medial rime) is the agreement in the vowel sounds of two or more words, when the consonant sounds preceding and following these vowels do not agree. Thus, strike and grind, hat and man, 'rime' with each other according to the laws of assonance."
(J.W. Bright, Elements of English Versification, 1910)

I don't really see this kind of assonance in this hymn, but maybe somebody could demonstrate what Lentini could have meant when he pointed this out

A Patre Unigénite,
From the Father Thou comest
ad nos venis per Vírginem,
to us, Only-Begotten, through a Virgin,
baptísmi rore cónsecrans
consecrating all by the dew of baptism
cunctos, fide regénerans.
regenerating them by faith.

De cælo celsus pródiens
Down from high heaven proceeding
éxcipis formam hóminis,
Thou receivest the form of man,
factúram morte rédimens,
redeeming by your deaththose whom you made
gáudia vitæ lárgiens.
bestowing on them the everlasting blessedness of life.

Hoc te, Redémptor, quáesumus:
Redeemer, for this we beseech Thee:
illábere propítius,
Flow with mercy (well-disposed)
clarúmque nostris córdibus
into our hearts, Thy bright and
lumen præbe deíficum.
divinizing Light supply/produce there.

Mane nobíscum, Dómine,
Remain with us, O Lord
noctem obscúram rémove,
the nightly darkness take away,
omne delíctum áblue,
all sinwash away,
pie medélam tríbue.
the holy remedy grant to us.

O Christe, vita, véritas,
O Christ, our Life and our Truth,
tibi sit omnis glória,
to Thee be the glory of all,
quem Patris atque Spíritus
Thou whom the brilliance of Father and the Spirit
splendor revélat cáelitus. Amen.
reveal from heaven.

The author of this circa 10^th-century hymn is unknown.

Epiphany of Our Lord: 1st Vespers and Lauds

2010-01-02T10:05:00.001-08:00

This hymn comes from the Cathemerinon, which I have mentioned here in a previous blog post, where I told a little bit about the author Prudentius. This particular hymn comes from Chapter XII, Hymns for the Epiphany. I will include the English translation found in that first link, which is the Gutenberg e-book website version of that collection of hymns.

Quicúmque Christum quæritis,
All you, whoever seeks the Messiah
óculos in altum tóllite:
raise your eyes on high:
illic licébit vísere
in that place you will be permitted to see
signum perénnis glóriæ.
the sign of perennial glory.

Hæc stella, quæ solis rotam
This star, which defeats the wheel of the sun
vincit decóre ac lúmine,
in both beauty and in luminescence
venísse terris núntiat
announces to the earth He has come
cum carne terréstri Deum.
[clothed] with earthly flesh [yet who is] God.

En, Pérsici ex orbis sinu,
Lo, Persian Magi from the bosom of the world
sol unde sumit iánuam,
from the door where the sun rises [the East]
cernunt períti intérpretes
they discern as expert interpreters
regále vexíllum magi.
the regal flag, the royal banner.

«Quis iste tantus — ínquiunt —
"Who is this who is so great—the y ask---
regnátor astris ímperans,
a king who commnds the stars,
quem sic tremunt cæléstia,
before whom the heavens tremble,
cui lux et æthra insérviunt?
to whom the stars and planets are submissive?"

Illústre quiddam cérnimus
"Something brilliant we discern
quod nésciat finem pati,
which can know no limit,
sublíme, celsum, intérminum,
raised on high, lofty, without boundaries
antíquius cælo et chao.
more ancient than the sky, than primordial chaos!"

Hic ille rex est géntium
"This is He who is King of the nations
populíque rex Iudáici,
and King for the people of the Jews as well
promíssus Abrahæ patri
the One promised to Abraham the father
eiúsque in ævum sémini».
and to his seed for ages to come."

Iesu, tibi sit glória,
Jesus, to Thee be glory
qui te revélas géntibus,
Who doth reveal Thyself to the nations
cum Patre et almo Spíritu,
with the Father and the gentle Spirit,
in sempitérna sæcula. Amen.
unto uncountable ages.

Prudentius, died circa 405.

Lift up your eyes, whoe'er ye be
That fare the new-born Christ to see:
For yonder is the shining sign
Of grace perennial and divine.

What means this star, whose piercing rays
Outshine the sun's resplendent blaze?
'Tis token sure that God is come
In mortal flesh to make His home.

Lo! from the regions of the morn
Wherein the radiant sun is born,
The Persian sages see on high
God's ensign shining in the sky.

Who is this sovereign (they enquire)
That lords it o'er the ethereal choir?
'Fore whom the heavens bow down afraid,
Of all the worlds of light obeyed?

Sure 'tis the sign most reverend
Of Being that doth know no end:
Of One in state sublime arrayed
Ere sky and chaos yet were made.

This is the King of Israel,
Of all in Gentile lands that dwell:
The King to Abram and his seed
Throughout all ages erst decreed.

Translation by R. Martin Pope, 1905

Octave of Christmas: Mary, Mother of God, Lauds

2010-01-01T18:33:00.001-08:00

Fit porta Christi pérvia
The gate of Christ [Mary] has become passable
omni reférta grátia,
she is overflowing with all graces
transítque rex, et pérmanet
and the King has crossed over, yet the Gate
clausa, ut fuit, per sæcula.
remains closed, as it has been, and will be forever.

Summi Paréntis Fílius
The most high Father's Son
procéssit aula Vírginis,
procedes from the royal chamber of the Virgin,
sponsus, redémptor, cónditor
as Bridegroom, Redeemer, Maker
suæ gigas Ecclésiæ:
and Giant of His holy Church.

Honor matris et gáudium,
The honor and joy of His Mother [He is]
imménsa spes credéntium,
the infinitely great hope of those who believe, [He is]
lapis de monte véniens
the stone rolling down from the mountain [He is]
mundúmque replens grátia.
and filling the world with grace.

Exsúltet omnis ánima,
Let the souls of every being exalt,
quod nunc salvátor géntium
for now the Savior of the nations
advénit mundi Dóminus
the Lord of the earth has come
redímere quos cóndidit.
to redeem those whom He has made.

Christo sit omnis glória,
To Christ be all glory,
quem Pater Deum génuit,
God whom the Father has begotten,
quem Virgo mater édidit
Whom the Virgin Mother did bear
fecúnda Sancto Spíritu. Amen.
she who was made fruitful by the Holy Spirit.

Author unknown, 9^th c.. Much used in ancient times for various feast of the Blessed Virgin, perhaps part of an alphabetical hymn. Other verses have been omitted for brevity.

Octave of Christmas: Mary, Mother of God, Office of Readings

2010-01-01T14:31:00.001-08:00

Radix Iesse flóruit
The root of Jesse has blossomed
et virga fructum édidit;
and the sprout has borne fruit;
fecúnda partum prótulit
A fruitful woman has brought forth a child
et virgo mater pérmanet.
and the mother remains a virgin.

Præsæpe poni pértulit
He allowed Himself to be placed in a manger
qui lucis auctor éxstitit;
The Author of light has appeared;
cum Patre cælos cóndidit,
with the Father the heavens He created
sub matre pannos índuit.
beneath His mother he is wrapped in rags.

Legem dedit qui sæculo,
He who gave the universe its law,
cuius decem præcépta sunt,
from Whom the ten commandments came,
dignándo factus est homo
condescended to be made man
sub legis esse vínculo.
and to be subject to these laws.

Iam lux salúsque náscitur,
Now Light and Salvation has been born,
nox díffugit, mors víncitur;
night has run away, death has been conquered
veníte, gentes, crédite:
Come, peoples, believe
Deum María prótulit.
that Mary has brought forth God.

Iesu, tibi sit glória,
Jesus, to Thee be glory,
qui natus es de Vírgine,
Thou who are born of a Virgin
cum Patre et almo Spíritu,
with the Father and the nourishing Spirit,
in sempitérna sæcula. Amen.
unto eternal ages.

Author unknown. 7^th-8^th c. Fortunato? These are verses 4, 5, 7 & 8 of the hymn Agnócat omne saeculum sung at the Vespers of Annunciation, March 25.

Octave of Christmas: Mary, Most Holy Mother of God, Vespers

2009-12-30T21:26:00.001-08:00

Here is the source of the beautiful hymn Of The Father's Love Begotten. I have no idea where they get the "evermore and evermore" which they stick in at the end of each verse, because it doesn't seem to be in the Latin.

I notice that most modern versions use the great J.M. Neale's translation of this hymn as the basis for Of The Father's Love Begotten. Neale seems to have left out the second verse "Corporis formam caduci" which is about Christ redeeming Adam's descendants from sin and death by taking on the form of a body with "limbs liable to death." Too bad, it was my favorite verse to translate. I hope I did it justice!

Corde natus ex Paréntis
Begotten from the heart of the Father
ante mundi exórdium,
before the beginning of the world,
Alpha et Omega vocátus,
Alpha and Omega named
ipse fons et cláusula
He Himself the source and conclusion
ómnium quæ sunt, fuérunt
of all things which exist, have existed
quæque post futúra sunt.
and whatever will exist afterwards.

Córporis formam cadúci,
In the form of fallen man's body,
membra morti obnóxia
with limbs liable to death
índuit, ne gens períret
He clothed Himself, lest His people perish
primoplásti ex gérmine,
which from the first-made's [Adam's] sprout did spring
mérserat quam lex profúndo
those whom the law of sin and death had drowned
noxiális tártaro.
held captive by deepest hell.

O beátus ortus ille,
O how blessed that birth
Virgo cum puérpera
when the Virgin delivered a child
édidit nostram salútem
she brought forth our salvation
feta Sancto Spíritu,
made fruitful by the Holy Spirit
et puer redémptor orbis
and the Child the Redeemer of the earth
os sacrátum prótulit.
presented His Holy face.

Ecce, quem vates vetústis
Behold, Him whom ancient sages
concinébant sæculis,
did chant about in olden times,
quem prophetárum fidéles
the One whom the faithful pages
páginæ spopónderant,
of the prophets had promised,
émicat promíssus olim:
He appears! the One promised once long ago:
cuncta colláudent eum!
Let all things praise Him!

Glóriam Patri melódis
Songs of the Father's glory
personémus vócibus;
let us ring out with our voices;
glóriam Christo canámus,
Let us sing as well the glory of Christ
matre nato vírgine,
born of the Virgin Mother,
inclitóque sempitérnam
and also renowned forever
glóriam Paráclito. Amen.
let us sing the glory of the Paraclete.

Prudentius, d.405.

Octave of Christmas: Vespers

2009-12-30T10:29:00.001-08:00

Christe, redémptor ómnium,
Christ, redeemer of all men,
ex Patre, Patris Unice,
who from the Father, the Only-Begotten of the Father
solus ante princípium
alone, before the beginning of all things,
natus ineffabíliter,
is born in an ineffable way.

Tu lumen, tu splendor Patris,
Thou art Light, Thou art the brilliance of the Father,
tu spes perénnis ómnium,
you are the eternal hope of all men,
inténde quas fundunt preces
Hear Thou the prayers they pour out to Thee,
tui per orbem sérvuli.
those who serve Thee worldwide.

Salútis auctor, récole
Author of salvation, recall
quod nostri quondam córporis,
that at one moment in time Thou didst take unto Thyself,
ex illibáta Vírgine
being born of a spotless Virgin,
nascéndo, formam súmpseris.
the very form of our body.

Hic præsens testátur dies,
This present day testifies,
currens per anni círculum,
running through the course of the whole year,
quod solus a sede Patris
that you have arrived from the Father's throne
mundi salus advéneris;
as the sole salvation of the world.

Hunc cælum, terra, hunc mare,
In this heaven, on the earth and in this ocean,
hunc omne quod in eis est,
every being which is in them
auctórem advéntus tui
praise the Author of Thy coming,
laudat exsúltans cántico.
with exsultant song.

Nos quoque, qui sancto tuo
We also, who are redeemed
redémpti sumus sánguine,
by Thy holy blood,
ob diem natális tui
because of the day of Thy birth,
hymnum novum concínimus.
join in singing a new hymn to Thee.

Iesu, tibi sit glória,
Jesus, to Thee be glory,
qui natus es de Vírgine,
who art born of a virgin,
cum Patre et almo Spíritu,
with the Father and the nourishing Spirit,
in sempitérna sæcula. Amen.
for eternal ages.

The sixth century author of this hymn is unknown.

Octave of Christmas: Lauds

2009-12-29T21:39:00.001-08:00

A solis ortus cárdine
From the pole of the risen sun [the East Pole?]
adúsque terræ límitem
all the way to the ends of the earth
Christum canámus príncipem,
let us sing to Christ our supreme Prince
natum María Vírgine.
born of Mary the Virgin.

Beátus auctor sæculi
Blessed Author of the universe
servíle corpus índuit,
takes on Himself the body of his slaves
ut carne carnem líberans
so that freeing flesh by means of flesh
non pérderet quod cóndidit.
He might not lose what He made.

Clausæ paréntis víscera
Into the closed [intact] womb of His mother
cæléstis intrat grátia;
heavenly grace enters
venter puéllæ báiulat
this young woman's belly carries
secréta quæ non nóverat.
the Secret which she had not known.

Domus pudíci péctoris
The humble abode of her chaste breast
templum repénte fit Dei;
has suddenly become the very temple of God;
intácta nésciens virum
untouched, known carnally by no man
verbo concépit Fílium.
by one word of assent she conceived the Son.

Eníxa est puérpera
Brought forth a Child, this woman in labor
quem Gábriel prædíxerat,
Whom Gabriel had foretold,
quem matris alvo géstiens
Who exulted in the womb of His mother
clausus Ioánnes sénserat.
when the enclosed John He had sensed.

Feno iacére pértulit,
To be laid in the straw He allowed Himself
præsépe non abhórruit,
the manger He did not shrink from
parvóque lacte pastus est
and a little bit of milk He was fed
per quem nec ales ésurit.
from Whom even the bird assuages hunger.

Gaudet chorus cæléstium
Rejoices the chorus of heaven
et ángeli canunt Deum,
and the angels sing to God,
palámque fit pastóribus
and in the open appears to the shepherds
pastor, creátor ómnium.
the Shepherd, the Creator of all things.

Iesu, tibi sit glória,
Jesus, to you be glory,
qui natus es de Vírgine,
for you are born of the Virgin,
cum Patre et almo Spíritu,
with the Father and the kind Spirit,
in sempitérna sæcula. Amen.
unto everlasting ages.

Sedulius, d. 450. Alphabetical hymn, the stanzas of which begin with successive letters of the alphabet, continued for four more stanzas in the Vespers hymn for Epiphany

Octave of Christmas Office of Readings

2009-12-29T06:29:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas! I have a little time over Christmas break and I thought I would post a few of the Christmas hymns from the Liturgy of the Hours.

The matins hymn for the Octave of the Nativity of Our Lord is a new hymn written by Benedictine Father Anselmo Lentini.

Candor ætérnæ Deitátis alme,
Nourishing purity of the eternal Godhead,
Christe, tu lumen, vénia atque vita
O Christ, as Light, Pardon and Life
ádvenis, morbis hóminum medéla,
Thou comest, for the vices of men, as the Cure
porta salútis.
the very Gate of Salvation.

Intonat terræ chorus angelórum
Thunders on the earth the chorus of angels,
cælicum carmen, nova sæcla dicens,
the heavenly song, declaring the new generation,
glóriam Patri, generíque nostro
the Father's glory, and to our race
gáudia pacis.
the joys of peace

Qui iaces parvus dóminans et orbi,
Thou liest sleeping, little Baby, and also ruling the world
Virginis fructus sine labe sanctæ,
fruit of the holy virgin without blemish Thou art,
Christe, iam mundo potiáris omni,
Messiah, now over all the earth Thou hast become the Master
semper amándus.
always to be loved.

Násceris cælos pátriam datúrus,
Born to be giving us the heavens as our Fatherland
unus e nobis, caro nostra factus;
Thou art one of us, from our flesh formed
ínnova mentes, trahe caritátis
renew our minds, draw our hearts to Thee
péctora vinclis.
with chains of love.

Cœtus exsúltans canit ecce noster,
Behold now our assembly sings with exaltation.
ángelis læto sociátus ore,
joined by the very mouths of rejoicing angels,
et Patri tecum parilíque Amóri
both to the Father and with Thee, equally Beloved
cántica laudis. Amen.
a song of praise.

Anselmo Lentini, 1982

Lauds Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Sept 8

2009-09-07T19:07:00.000-07:00

I'm back! It's been just over a year since my last post. I have included with this post the notes in the Liber Hymnarius, using my own notation. If you would like to learn how to sing it, see below.

6 6.5 32 5 68 87 67 7.

O sancta mundi dómina,

O holy lady ruling over the world
9 98 7 87 6 76 56 6.

regína cæ-li ín-cli-ta,
O queen of heaven renowned
9 9 7 9 9109 8 7 6765.

o stella maris fúlgida,
O star of the sea, bright & shining
7 89 7 87 6 76 56 6.

virgo mater mirí- fi-ca,

O virgin mother most wonderful

6 6.5 32 5 68 87 67 7.

Appáre, dulcis fí – li -a,
Appear to us, sweet daughter

9 98 7 87 6 76 56 6.

nitésce iam, virgúncula,
shine forth now, young maiden
9 9 7 9 9109 8 7 6765.

florem latúra nóbilem,
as the one carrying noble offspring
7 89 7 87 6 76 56 6.

Christum Deum et hóminem.

the Christ-child, God and man.

6 6.5 32 5 68 87 67 7.

Natá - lis tu - i án-nu-a
Your birthday each year
9 98 7 87 6 76 56 6.

en cólimus sollémnia,
we mark with solemnity
9 9 7 9 9109 8 7 6765.

quo stirpe delec-tíssima
when most highly favored of our race
7 89 7 87 6 76 56 6.

mundo fulsísti gé-ni-ta.

you shone forth to the world at your birth.

6 6.5 32 5 68 87 67 7.

Per te sumus, terrí-ge-næ
Through you we are, though born of earth
9 98 7 87 6 76 56 6.

simúlque iam cælígenæ,
now at the same time born of heaven
9 9 7 9 9109 8 7 6765.

pacáti pace nó-bi-li,
granted rest by that well-known peace
7 89 7 87 6 76 56 6.

more non æstimá-bi - li.

in a manner beyond all reckoning.

6 6.5 32 5 68 87 67 7.

Sit Trini - tá-ti gló - ri - a
All glory be to the Trinity
9 98 7 87 6 76 56 6.

per sæculórum sæcula,
throughout ages of ages

9 9 7 9 9109 8 7 6765.

cuius vocáris múnere
by whose gift you are called
7 89 7 87 6 76 56 6. 676 5.6.

mater beáta Ecclésiæ. Amen.

the blessed Mother of the Church. Amen.

The tenth century author is unknown.

OK, the real reason for this blog is that I wanted to place these hymns in my handy little digital device because I find it difficult to pray sitting in front of the computer screen. For whatever reason, I don't have the same problem holding an iPod or Palm, (perhaps because holding a PDA-type-thing is sort of like holding a small book.). SO I wanted to start putting in the hymns of the Latin Liturgia Horarum in an easy convenient form so I don't have to haul a Liber Hymnarius everywhere I want to be praying. But I also wanted my mind to be more aware of what words I was actually praying, hence the need for these (pretty so-so) translations. The method of notation the melodies is something I came up with years ago; here's how it works:

If you are not familiar with Gregorian chant already, this might be difficult. Those who are familiar know that there is always a clef which indicates "do" or the tonic. I call that note "8" and then just sign down the major scale: "8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1", then since this hymn starts on "6" I sing the downward scale once again, but this time I stop at 6. The hymn then can be sung "by the numbers" by singing the pitch corresponding to the number in the downward scale I sang before.

Just a few other rules of the notation:

When numbers are NOT seperated by a space, they indicate a single neume, that is one syllable is sung for more than one note.

When a number is followed by a "." (period or dot) that indicates a slight holding of that note longer than the others.

I have tried as much as possible to space the numbers so that they are over the VOWELS on which they are sung. In order to line up the numbers with the correct vowels I occasionally had to put dashes in the text. I composed this in MSWord and pasted it into Blogger, so if it doesn't come out right, it's Blogger's fault and the numbers are pretty useless.

One thing about hymns: most hymns (including this one) repeat the same melody for each verse, so once you have the simple melody in your head, the numbers become easier to follow. Sometimes when I am going to sing a hymn I haven't sung in a while, I will just sing the actual numbers through once to get the melody in my head, then sing verse one really slowly with the melody, and usually by verse 2 the singing is more fluent. Good luck to you if you are going to try it. Some day I may add a sound file so you can check to see if you are doing it correctly.

Tuesday Lauds Even Week revisited

2008-09-02T04:15:00.000-07:00

Back in June when I translated this one, I said I'd like to know who wrote it. Now I know where to look. The translation is a bit improved now.

We attend to the works of virtue

Ætérne lucis cónditor,
Eternal creator of light
lux ipse totus et dies,
Light itself wholly and the complete day
noctem nec ullam séntiens
nor dost Thou feel any darkness
natúra lucis pérpeti,
given the nature of light eternal

2. Iam cedit pallens próximo
So the night cedes to the nearing pale dawn
diéi nox advéntui,
of the coming day
obtúndens lumen siderum
dimming the light of the stars
adest et clarus lúcifer.
as the gleaming morning star draws near.

3. Iam stratis læti súrgimus
So from our beds rejoicing we arise
grates canéntes et tuas,
and singing Thy glad thanks
quod cæcam noctem vicerit
for the sun has conquered the blind night
revéctans rursus sol diem.
and carried back the day once again.

4. Te nunc, ne carnis gáudia
Now we beg Thee, let no fleshly pleasures
blandis subrépant áestibus,
with alluring passions sneak up on us
dolis ne cedat sáeculi
let our mind not yield to the tricks of the age
mens nostra, sancta quáesumus.
we ask Thee, O Holy One.

5. Ira ne rixas próvocet,
Let anger not provoke violence
gulam ne venter íncitet,
nor the belly incite gluttonous appetite
opum pervértat ne famis,
let neither influence of hunger pervert
turpis ne luxus óccupet,
nor base luxury capture [our minds].

6. Sed firma mente sóbrii,
Rather with constant, sober hearts,
casto manéntes córpore
remaining chaste in body
totum fidéli spíritú
completely faithful in spirit
Christo ducámus hunc diem.
let us regard this day with Christ

7. Præsta, Pater piísime,
Patríque compare Unice,
cum Spíritu Paráclito
regnans per omne sáeculum. Amen.

The author of this 5th or 6th century hymn is unknown. It is recorded in the Rule of St. Aurelio.

Monday Lauds Even Week, revisited

2008-09-01T06:28:00.000-07:00

Today I return to this hymn in light of what I read in Fr. Lentini's Te Decet Hymnus: The Hymns of the Liturgy of the Hours. There is not a lot of new info on this hymn, but I would like to improve the translation if possible.

mp3
Thou, Christ, art the true light

Lucis largítor spléndide,
Splendid Giver of light
cuius seréno lúmine
by whose serene lamp
post lapsa noctis témpora
after the night time has slipped away
dies refúsus pánditur,
the returning day is spread out

WONDROUS giver of the light!
By whose eternal ray serene,
After the lingering hours of night,
The glory of the morn is seen,

2. Tu verus mundi lúcifer,
Thou true morning star of the world
non is qui parvi síderis
Thou dost not pass like the lesser star (the sun)
ventúræ lucis núntius
though herald of the coming Light
angústo fulget lúmine,
shines scanty light,

Bringer of light indeed art thou;
Not like the common sun of day
That o'er the world is rising now
And shining with a narrow ray;

3. Sed toto sole clárior,
But more brilliant than the sun in all its glory,
lux ipse totus et dies,
Thou art light itself and complete day
intérna nostri péctoris
[brightening] our inmost soul
illúminans præcórdia.
illuminating our heart of hearts

Nay, brighter than the solar beam,
Thyself the sun and perfect light,
And in the breast thy tender gleam
Illumes with glory pure and bright.

4. Evíncat mentis cástitas
Let chastity of the mind overcome
quæ caro cupit árrogans,
those things the flesh desires amiss
sanctúmque puri córporis
a holy and chaste body
delúbrum servet spíritus.
may it keep as a temple of the spirit

Let not our minds be overcome
By false desire or deed of shame,
And be our hearts a shrine and home
Wherein shall burn thy holy flame.

5. Sit, Christe, rex piísime,
tibi Patrique glória
cum Spíritu Paráclito,
in sempitérna saécula. Amen.

In my previous post on this hymn, I said this hymn was written by St. Hilary of Potiers, but Lentini says the author of this 6th century hymn is unknown. These are verses 1, 2, 3, and 7 (plus the doxology) of a longer hymn, the rest of which is sung at the Office of Readings on Friday diurno (when it is celebrated during the day as opposed to at night or very early morning).

Lentini also discloses that he changed the first two lines of verse 4. The original text was

Probrosas mentis castitas
Let the chastity of the mind the shameful
carnis vincat libidines,
lusts of the flesh defeat,

which Lentini says is un po' cruda, "a bit raw." Hmmmm.

Beheading of St. John the Baptist Lauds

2008-08-29T23:45:00.000-07:00

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You make smooth the way to follow Christ

O nimis felix meritíque celsi,
O blessed saint, exceedingly deserving of high reward,
nésciens labem nívei pudóris,
knowing no fault, of white, unstained sense of honor,
praépotens martyr eremíque cultor,
very powerful martyr and dweller in the wilderness,
máxime vatum.
greatest of the prophets.

O more than blessed, merit high attaining,
Pure as the snow-drift, innocent of evil,
Child of the desert, mightiet of Martyrs,
Greatest of Prophets.

2. Nunc potens nostri méritis opímis
Now powerful for us by your rich merits
péctoris duros lápides repélle,
drive away the hard stones of [our] hearts,
ásperum planans iter, et refléxos
make smooth our rough road, and our bent
dírige calles,
rocky paths make straight,

2. O may the virtue of thine intercession,
All stony hardness from our hearts expelling,
Smooth the rough places, and the crooked straighten
Here in the desert.

3. Ut pius mundi sator et redémptor,
That the holy Founder and Redeemer of the world,
méntibus pulsa mácula polítis,
into our polished hearts, stains having been driven out,
rite dignétur véniens sacrátos
solemnly may deign, when He comes, to direct
pónere gressus.
His holy footsteps.

3. Thus may our gracious Maker and Redeemer,
Seeking a station for His hallowed footsteps,
Find, when He cometh, temples undefiléd,
Meet to receive Him.

4. Láudibus cives célebrant supérni
With praise let the citizens of heaven extol
te, Deus simplex paritérque trine;
Thee, God one and equally three;
súpplices ac nos véniam precámur:
suppliantly we pray for pardon:
parce redémptis.
spare Thy redeemed ones.

4. Now as the Angels celebrate Thy praises,
Godhead essential, Trinity co-equal;
Spare They redeemed ones, as they bow before THee,
Pardon imploring.

Attributed, with some doubt, to Paul the Deacon (720-799). Metric translation by M. J. Blackner and G. H. Palmer, found in Britt p 260. These are verses 9, 11, 12 and 13 of the hymn Ut queant laxis where we get Ut, re, mi or as we know it in America, do, re, mi...anyways, it comes from the beginning syllables of certain words in the first staza of the hymn, which is traditionally sung at Vespers on June 24, the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. Since the hymn is so long, it is usually chopped up and sung at other hours. (verses 5-8 are sung at Matins under the title Antra desérti.

You may well wonder what happen to verse 10. Well, Fr. Lentini thought it was "a bit complicated" and so omitted it from the modern breviary. Thanks to Fr. Britt we still have it:

Serta ter denis álios corónant
Crowns thirty-fold crown some
Aucta creméntis, duplicáta quosdam;
enriched with increase, others double that;
Trina te fructu cumuláta centum
but a triple crown heaped with fruit a hundredfold
Néxibus ornant.
adorns thee.

Thirtyfold increase some with glory crowneth;
Sixtyfold fruitage prize for others winneth;
Hundredfold measure, thrice repeated, decks thee,
Blest one, for guerdon.

To quote Britt: "The stanza plainly refers to the Parable of the Sower, some of whose seed falling on good ground "brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixyfold and some thirtyfold" (Matt 13,8). Our Lord Himself explains the meaning of this parable (Matt. 13, 18-23). The triple crown ascribed to St. John is probably that referred to in the preceding stanza, viz., that of martyr, hermit, and prophet."

For good measure, Britt adds an extra translation of this verse by H. T. Henry (in meter no less):

Some crowns with glory thirtyfold are shining:
Others, a double flower and fruit combining:
Thy trinal chaplet bears an intertwining
Hundredfold fruitage.

I had the privelege of singing the first and last verse of this hymn at mass this morning, after communion.

St. Augustine Lauds and Vespers

2008-08-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

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Admirable convert, monk, bishop and doctor

Fulget in cælis célebris sacérdos,
A celebrated priest shines in the heavens,
stella doctórum rútilat corúsca,
the brilliant star of all wise doctors glows red,
lumen intáctum fídei per orbis
scattering the intact light of faith
clímata spargens.
over every clime of the world.

2. Cive tam claro, Sion o supérna,
Of so illustrious a citizen, O heavenly Zion,
læta dic laudes Dómino salútis,
utter joyful praises to the Lord of salvation
qui modis miris sibi vinxit ipsum
who in His wonderful ways bound this saint
lúmine complens.
perfecting him by light.

3. Hic fidem sacram vigil usque firmat,
This vigilant sentry confirms the holy faith at every point,
arma et errórum súbigit poténter,
and powerfully subjugates the weapons of errors,
sórdidos mores lavat et repéllit
washes and repels sordid habits
dógmate claro.
by clear teaching.

4. Qui, gregis Christi speculátor almus,
Nourishing watcher of Christ's flock,
énites clero monachísque forma,
be an outstanding model of cleric and of monk,
tu Dei nobis fáciem benígnam
make favorable the face of God towards us
fac prece semper.
always by your prayer.

5. Laus, honor, virtus Triádi beátæ,
Praise, honor, power to the blessed Triad,
cuius in terris studuísti amánter
whose glory you lovingly desired on earth
alta scrutári nitidáque in astris
on high to examine carefully in the stars
luce potíris. Amen.
the shining light you have received and grasped.

Attributed to the monk Eckbert of Schönau, 12th century.

You might wonder why Augustine's name does not appear. Fr. Lentini explains: "Not finding a hymn proper to St. Augustine of elevated enough tailoring, this hymn has been used, composed in honor of St. Gregory the Great, but well adaptable with some retouch." Some of the retouch that Lentini did was because the meter was not consistent. However, he defends Eckbert: "The author, a demonstrable expert, has certainly intended to compose a metric hymn; perhaps the metric defects are attributable to later hands."

In the first strophe, I previously translated lumen intáctum as "a lamp untouched," which I noticed was different from the translation of the erudite Jesuit Martin O'Keefe, who opts for "light of faith undiminished". One of the meanings of intáctum is "virgin," which we know Augustine most certainly was not, having fathered a child by a relationship previous to his conversion. But intactum modifies lumen "the light" and not sacérdos or stella. I assume we are to marvel at the mystery of a light which is "scattered" but yet remains "intact."

The last two lines of verse 2 were originally:

iubila, terra, meritis protecta
rejoice, O earth, protect by the merit
praesulis almi.
of so kind a patron.

Lentini changed these lines especially in honor of Augustine. He replaced it with the present text to "mention Augustine attaining to the mysterious ways of God."

The doxology (last verse) is new as well, "the intent of which is to recall the admirable writings of the Saint on the august mystery of the Trinity."

Wednesday Office of Readings Odd Week diurno

2008-08-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

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Chosen sheep, not rejected

Scientiárum Dómino,
To the Lord of knowledge,
sit tibi iubilátio,
to Thee be glad rejoicing,
qui nostra vides íntima
who sees our inmost secrets
tuáque foves grátia.
and still favors us with Thy grace.

Qui bonum, pastor óptime,
Thou art good, Shepherd most kind,
dum servas, quæris pérditum,
while Thou watchest over us, Thou seekest the lost,
in páscuis ubérrimis
in rich pastures
nos iunge piis grégibus,
unite us with Thy faithful flocks,

Ne terror iræ iúdicis
Let not the terror of an angry judge
nos hædis iungat réprobis,
consign us to the rejected goats,
sed simus temet iúdice
but rather let us, with Thee Thyself as our judge,
oves ætérnæ páscuæ.
be sheep in Thy eternal pasture.

Tibi, Redémptor, glória,
To Thee, Redeemer, be glory,
honor, virtus, victória,
honor, strength, victory,
regnánti super ómnia
to Thee reigning over all things
per sæculórum saécula. Amen.
throught all time.

The author of this 8th or 9th century hymn is unknown.

Lentini changed the original text in two places, one is insignificant (ætérnæ for tuæ in verse 3, to supply a syllable) and one is kind of funny. In the third verse, the orignal 2nd line was
nos hædis iungat faetidis,
consign us to the stinky goats

I am not around goats a whole lot, but I can imagine that being consigned to being a stinky goat is a fate worse than death.

With this hymn, I have looked at each of the hymns assigned to Lauds, Vespers and the Office of Readings (both noctu and diurno) during Ordinary Time, 14 of each, 56 in all. I have reached my goal of doing this in the summer. I would like to be able to now supply each one with a sound file. We will see if my busy school-teaching schedule which begins soon will allow me to add that.

I owe a special debt of thanks to Figulus, who by brief but informative comments has greatly helped me raise the level of these translations.

Tuesday Lauds Odd Week, revisited

2008-08-26T05:08:00.000-07:00

Praying this hymn this morning with my previous translation in view, I realized how jumbled and confused my first attempt was. Now that I have a bit of experience and a few more tools, I'd like to try again:

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Christ true Sun, make us sons of the light

Pergráta mundo núntiat
To the beautiful world the dawn announces
auróra solis spícula,
by the light of the dawn sun's ray
res et colóre véstiens
clothing things with color
iam cuncta dat nitéscere.
the dawn now make all things begins to shine

2. Qui sol per ævum praénites,
Thou shinest forth as the sun through the ages
o Christe, nobis vívidus,
O Christ, giving life to us
ad te canéntes vértimur,
we are turned to Thee chanting praise
te gestiéntes pérfrui.
eagerly exulting to enjoy Thee.

3. Tu Patris es sciéntia
Thou art knowledge of the Father
Verbúmque per quod ómnia
and the Word by which all things
miro refúlgent órdine
shine with wonderful order
mentésque nostras áttrahunt.
and attract our minds towards Thee.

4. Da lucis ut nos fílii
Make us sons of light that
sic ambulémus ímpigri,
we may walk with eagerness
ut Patris usque grátiam
that always the grace of the Father
mores et actus éxprimant.
our habits and actions may express.

5. Sincéra præsta ut prófluant
Grant that pure things may emanate
ex ore nostro iúgiter,
from our mouth continually,
et veritátis dúlcibus
and by the joys of delightful truth
ut excitémur gáudiis.
grant that we may be awakened.

6. Sit, Christe, rex piísime,
Christ, most loving King
tibi Patríque glória
to you and to the Father be glory
cum Spíritu Paráclito,
with the Spirit Paraclete
in sempitérna saécula. Amen.
unto endless ages.

This hymn is modern, written by the editor of the Liber Hymnarius, Dom Anselmo Lentini, of Monte Cassino, to whom I constantly refer in this blog.

Tuesday Office of Readings Odd Week diurno

2008-08-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

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We sing to Thee, O Trinity, in adoration

O sacrosáncta Trínitas,
O most holy Trinity,
quæ cuncta condens órdinas,
Thou dost set in order all things Thou hast made
diem labóri députans
assigning labor to the day
noctem quiéti dédicas,
Thou dost dedicate the night for rest,

2. Te mane, simul véspere,
To Thee in the morning, also at evening,
te nocte ac die cánimus;
To Thee night and day do we sing;
in tua nos tu glória
do Thou in Thy glory
per cuncta serva témpora.
preserve us through all times/hours.

3. Nos ádsumus te cérnui
Here we are bowing before Thee
en adorántes fámuli;
behold Thy servants paying homage;
vota precésque súpplicum
offerings and prayers of suppliants
hymnis adiúnge caélitum.
add Thou to the hymns of the saints.

4. Præsta, Pater piísime,
Patríque compare Unice,
cum Spíritu Paráclito
regnans per onme saéculum. Amen.

Verse 1-2 are from an unknown 11th century author. Verse 3 is from an unknown 10th century author. Verse three was added to this extremely short hymn (2 verses). The third verse was taken from the hymn Adesto, sancta Trinitas, which is sung during the Easter season
(after the octave, ad libitum) at the Office of Readings.

Saturday Office of Readings Even Week diurno

2008-08-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

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The Trinity our love, desire and joy

Deus de nullo véniens,
God coming from nothing,
Deus de Deo pródiens,
God proceeding from God,
Deus ab his progrédiens,
God going forth from these
in nos veni subvéniens.
come among us, rescuing.

2. Tu nostrum desidérium,
Be Thou our desire,
tu sis amor et gáudium;
be Thou our love and delight;
in te nostra cupíditas
May our passion be for Thee
et sit in te iucúnditas.
and may our happiness be in Thee.

3. Pater, cunctórum Dómine,
Father, Lord of all,
cum Génito de Vírgine,
together with He-who-was-begotten-of-a-virgin,
intus et in circúitu
within and all around
nos rege Sancto Spíritu.
direct us by the Holy Spirit.

4. Meménto, sancta Trinitas,
Remember, Holy Trinity,
quod tua fecit bónitas,
what Thy goodness has done,
créando prius hóminem,
first creating man,
recreándo per sánguinem.
then restoring him through Thy blood.

5. Nam quo creávit Unitas,
For that which Unity has created,
redémit Christi cáritas;
the charity of Christ has redeemed;
patiéndo tunc díligens,
may the One who suffered then in His love,
nunc díligat nos éligens.
now love us as His chosen.

6. Tríadi sanctæ gáudium,
To the Holy Triad be joy,
pax, virtus et impérium,
peace, strength and authority,
decus, omnipoténtia,
glory, almighty power,
laus, honor, reveréntia. Amen.
praise, honor, reverence.

The author of this (at least) 14th century hymn is unknown.

One verse was omitted in this hymn, for brevity, but also because Fr. Lentini thought it "plays too much with the words and the alliterations, and it preempts the 5th verse." I'll let you decide:

Regendo clemens corrige
By merciful rule correct us
et corrigendo dirige,
and by correcting direct us
diligendo nos eligas
by holding us dear choose us
et cum electis colligas
and with the chosen unite us

[Yeah, I kinda it was OK to omit that verse...]

Friday Office of Readings Even Week diurno

2008-08-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

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The soul, flood of the Spirit, brings God with itself

Adésto, rerum cónditor,
Be present, Creator of all things,
patérnæ lucis glória,
glory of Fatherly light
cuius amóta grátia
when Thy grace is taken away
nostra pavéscunt péctora.
our souls become alarmed.

Tuóque plena Spíritu,
And (our souls) filled with Thy Spirit,
secum Deum gestántia,
carrying God with them,
nil rapiéntis pérfidi
to nothing of the destroying faithless (one)
diris patéscant fráudibus,
may they be open by awful fraud

Ut inter actus saéculi
That among the deeds of the world
vitæ quos usus éxigit,
which making use of life requires,
omni caréntes crímine
may we be free from all sin
tuis vivámus légibus.
may we live by Thy laws.

Sit, Christe, rex piísime,
tibi Patríque glória
cum Spíritu Paráclito,
in sempitérna saécula. Amen.

The author of the (earlier than) sixth century hymn is unknown, according to Fr. Lentini.

He also says that this hymn is made up of verses 4, 5, and 6 of the hymn Lucis largitor splendide which we sing on Even Mondays at Morning prayer. If you follow that link, you find out that others think this hymn was written by St. Hilary of Potiers.

The 2nd and 3rd stanzas of this hymn were exceedingly difficult. I hope I did them justice. When I go back and read through my translation of the hymn and the thoughts seems to hang together...this makes me think that I got the sense of the writer. Here is a quick schematic of each verse as I see it:

1. Be present O Lord, because our hearts are distressed without your grace,
2. but when you fill them with the Spirit, God is within us and nothing bad can harm us
3. so that even as we go about tasks which may be worldly, we can live by Your principles and stay free from sin.

A very cool prayer on this Queenship of Mary. Fiat, fiat.

Thursday Office of Readings Even Week diurno

2008-08-21T07:23:00.000-07:00

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The felicitous love which thirsts for Truth

1. Amóris sensus érige
Arouse the feelings of love
ad te, largítor véniæ,
toward Thee, O generous Giver of pardon,
ut fias clemens córdibus
that Thou mayest bring about mercy to hearts
purgátis inde sórdibus.
cleansed therein from sin.

5. Extérni huc advénimus
As strangers we come here
et éxsules ingémimus;
and as exiles we groan;
tu portus es et pátria,
Thou art both refuge and fatherland,
ad vitæ duc nos átria.
lead us to Thy palace of life.

6. Felix quæ sitit cáritas
Happy the love that thirsts for Charity
te fontem vitæ, o Véritas;
Thou fountain of life, O Truth;
beáti valde óculi
most blessed the eyes
te speculántis pópuli.
of those who gaze on Thee.

7. Grandis est tibi glória
It is a great glory to Thee
tuæ laudis memória,
the recollection of Thy praise
quam sine fine célebrant
which without ceasing they glorify Thee
qui cor ab imis élevant.
those who raise up their heart from the lowest.

9. Præsta, Pater piísime,
Patríque compare Unice,
cum Spíritu Paráclito
regnans per omne sæculum. Amen.

The author of this (at least) 10th century hymn is unknown. Lentini omitted verses 2-4 and 8 with the comment that they were "less meaningful." I wonder why? Can anyone find these lost verses?

Wednesday Office of Readings Even Week diurno

2008-08-21T07:21:00.000-07:00

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Give us love and faith, victory against Satan

Christe, lux vera, bónitas et vita,
O Christ, true light, goodness and life,
gáudium mundi, píetas imménsa
joy of the world, holiness immeasurable
qui nos a morte vívido salvásti
Thou who hast saved us from a living death
sánguine tuo,
by Thy blood,

2. Insere tuum, pétimus, amórem
Plant thy love, we beg,
méntibus nostris, fídei refúnde
in our minds, pour forth faith's
lumen ætérnum, caritátis auge
eternal light, increase charity's
dilectiónem.
burning love.

3. Procul a nobis pérfidus absístat
May deceitful Satan go far away from us
Satan, a tuis víribus confractus;
by Thy strength destroyed;
Sanctus assístat Spíritus, a tua
Let the Holy Spirit stand by us, from Thy
sede demíssus.
Throne sent down.

4. Glória Deo sit ætérno Patri,
sit tibi semper, Genitóris Nate,
cum quo per cuncta Spíritus æquális
sæcula regnat. Amen.

The author of this (circa) 10th century hymn is unknown. See yesterday's diurno hymn for more details.

Tuesday Office of Readings Even Week diurno

2008-08-20T00:20:00.000-07:00

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Always awaiting Thee with lamps burning

Ad preces nostras deitátis aures,
To our prayers, the divine ears,
Deus, inclína pietáte sola;
O God, incline who alone art holy;
súpplicum vota súscipe, precámur
receive our prayer, offered on bended knee, we beg
fámuli tui.
from thy servants.

Réspice clemens sólio de sancto
Merciful One, gaze from Thy holy throne
vultu seréno, lámpadas illústra
with tranquil face, light up our lamps
ólei nostri, ténebras depélle
filled with our oil, drive away all the darkness
péctore cunctas.
from our hearts.

Crímina laxa pietáte multa,
Forgive our crimes by Thy great love,
áblue sordes, víncula disrúmpe,
wash away the filth, burst our chains,
parce peccátis, réleva iacéntes
spare us our sins, reveal those who lie in ruins
déxtera tua.
bring them to Thy right hand/side.

Glória sit ætérno Patri,
Glory be to the eternal Father,
sit tibi semper, Genitóris Nate,
and always to Thee, O Son of the Father,
cum quo per cuncta Spíritus æquális
who reigns with the equally divine Spirit
sæcula regnat. Amen.
through all ages.

The author of this c. 10th century hymn is unknown. This hymn was very widespread in the middle ages, especially used for Lent, preserved also from the Breviary of Pius V. These are verses 1, 2, 3 and 9 of a longer hymn. Verses 5, 6 and 8 appear in tomorrow's diurno hymn.

Monday Office of Readings Even Week diurno

2008-08-19T09:18:00.000-07:00

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Invocation of help

Vita sanctórum, via, spes salúsque,
Life of the saints, the Way, and Hope of salvation,
Christe largítor probitátis atque
O Christ, generous giver of uprightness and
cónditor pacis, tibi voce, sensu,
Author of peace, to Thee with song and with feeling,
pángimus hymnum:
we compose a hymn:

2. Cuius est virtus manifésta totum
Manifest (O Christ) that it is by your strength
quod pii posunt quod habent, quod ore,
all that the faithful are able (to do), all they have, whether by word,
corde vel factis cúpiunt, amóris
in the heart or by deed they desire,
igne flagrántes.
while burning with the fire of love.

3. Témporum pacem, fídei tenórem,
Peace in our time, steady course of faith
lánguidis curam veniámque lapsis,
cure for the sluggish and pardon for the fallen,
ómnibus præsta páriter beátæ
these grant to all equally, the gifts
múnera vitæ.
of the saintly life.

4. Æqua laus summum célebret Paréntem
Let equal praise honor the highest Father
teque, Salvátor, pie rex, per ævum;
and Thee, Savior, Holy King, through all time;
Spíritus Sancti résonet per omnem
may the glory of the Holy Spirit resound
glória mundum. Amen.
through all the universe.
Text: Walafrid Strabo ['squinter'] German monk and poet, d. 849

This was a difficult hymn to translate, especially the 2nd verse. I wish to acknowledge the help of Fr. Martin O'Keefe, S.J. from his book Exultemus: Rejoicing with God in the Hymns of the Roman Breviary, sent to me most kindly by bluejeepsiamese. [I'll have to get on the stick and send him back his Lentini this week, and start making a copy of the Neale translations he sent me!]

By the way, Walafrid the Squinter, who wrote this hymn, seems like a really interesting character. According to this article by Arthur Remy in the 1912 Catholic Encyclopedia, he penned a popular (in its time) commentary on Scripture, the Glosa Ordinaria, as well as a life of St. Gall. He also wrote a kind of precursor to Dante's Divine Comedy called The Vision of Wettin. All of his [extant]works in Latin can be found here.

Sunday Office of Readings Even Week diurno

2008-08-17T19:16:00.000-07:00

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!

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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.

Saturday Office of Readings Odd Week diurno

2008-08-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

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Final invocation of help

Auctor perénnis glóriæ,
Founder of perennial glory,
qui septifórmis grátiæ
who with seven-fold graces
das Spíritum credéntibus,
Thou dost give the Spirit to believers,
assíste mitis ómnibus.
defend us all with mercy.

Expélle morbos córporum,
Expel the diseases of our bodies,
mentis repélle scándalum,
drive away the stumbling block from our minds,
exscínde vires críminum,
destroy the power of sin,
fuga dolóres córdium.
put to flight the anguish of our hearts.

Serénas mentes éffice,
Produce tranquil minds,
opus honéstum pérfice,
accomplish the upright work,
preces orántum áccipe,
accept our beseeching prayers,
vitam perénnem tríbue.
grant us life eternal.

Septem diérum cúrsibus
Running over the course of seven days
nunc tempus omne dúcitur
all time is now led
octávus ille últimus
that eighth and last one
dies erit iudícii.
will be the day of judgement.

In quo, Redémptor quæsumus,
In view of this, O Redeemer we beg,
ne nos in ira árguas,
lest Thou convict us in Thy wrath,
sed a sinístra libera,
rather absolve us from your left,
ad déxteram nos cólloca,
and position us at your right.

Ut, cum preces suscéperis
So that when Thou receivest the prayers
clemens tuárum plébium,
of Thy people with mercy,
reddámus omnes glóriam
may all of us return the glory
trino Deo per sæcula. Amen.
to our Triune God forever.

The author of this hymn is unknown, and the century of its composition uncertain.

Friday Office of Readings Odd Week diurno

2008-08-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

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The shield with the sign of the cross

Adésto, Christe, córdibus,
Be present, O Christ, to our souls,
celsa redémptis cáritas;
by noble charity redeemed;
infúnde nostris férvidos
pour Thou into us fervent
fletus, rogámus, vócibus.
weeping, we beg, in our song.

Ad te preces, piísime
To Thee prayers, most holy
Iesu, fide profúndimus;
Jesus, with faith we pour out;
dimítte, Christe, quaésumus,
forgive, O Christ, we ask Thee
factis malum quod fécimus.
the evil deeds which we have done.

Sanctæ crucis signáculo,
By the seal of Thy holy cross,
tuo sacráto córpore,
consecrated by Thy body,
defénde nos ut fílios
defend us as sons
omnes, rogámus, úndique.
all of us, we beg, in every place.

Sit, Christe, rex piísime,
tibi Patríque glória
cum Spíritu Paráclito,
in sempitérna saécula. Amen.

Attributed, perhaps in error, to St. Bede the Venerable (d. 735).

Thursday Office of Readings Odd Week diurno

2008-08-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

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Prayer against the passions

Christe, precámur ádnuas
Christ, we pray that Thou wouldst smile upon
orántibus servis tuis,
the prayers of Thy servants,
iníquitas hæc saéculi
lest this iniquity of the world
ne nostrum captívet fidem.
take our faith captive.

Non cogitémus ímpie,
Let us not think wicked thoughts,
invideámus némini,
let us envy no one,
læsi non reddámus vicem,
let us not repay injuries,
vincámus in bono malum.
let us conquer evil with good.

Absit nostris e córdibus
Let (these) be far from our hearts:
ira, dolus, supérbia;
anger, deciet, arrogance;
absístat avarítia,
let greedy avarice depart
malórum radix ómnium.
(greed being)the root of all evils.

Consérvet pacis foédera
Let the bond of peace stay intact
non simuláta cáritas;
with unfeigned charity;
sit illibáta cástitas
let chastity remain intact
credulitáte pérpeti.
with lasting trustfulness.

Sit, Christe, rex piísime,
tibi Patríque glória
cum Spíritu Paráclito,
in sempitérna saécula. Amen.

The author of this 7th-8th century hymn is unknown. This hymn contains verse 4,5,6, & 8 of the hymn Diei luce reddita, most of the rest of which is sung at Lauds on Even Saturdays. Verses 1, 2, 3 & 10. Of the original hymn, verse 7 , "against wine and drunkenness" and verse 9 "against the misuse of goods" were omitted for the modern office. I guess these kinds of passions are either less dangerous to moderns(ha ha), or maybe they still are but the hymn was getting too long.

If anyone wants to work on the Latin subjunctive, let them sing (ha ha) this hymn.

Break

2008-08-04T21:45:00.000-07:00

I have had to take a break from blogging this past week. My plan was to finish up these two weeks of hymns in the diurno section of the Office of Readings, but things are getting too busy at home here, so these might have to get done piecemeal as I have time.

After these were finished, I was planning to go back and add information to each hymn or perhaps revise my translations in light of what I have learned since I last took a look at each one. My responsibilities as a husband and a dad come first, however, so we'll see if I can actually get to this.

In any case, thank you to all who read the blog and especially those who have added comments. It has been a fun summer project. (That makes it sound like it's over. I hope not!!!) Please stop back from time to time.

Monday Office of Readings Odd Week diurno

2008-07-28T15:56:00.000-07:00

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O Truth, O Charity, O Final Goal and Happiness!

Ætérna lux, divínitas,
Eternal light, divinity,
in unitáte Trínitas,
in the unity of Trinity,
te confitémur débiles,
feeble though we be, we confess Thee
te deprecámur súpplices.
Thee we entreat on bended knee.

Eternal Light, Divinity,
O Unity in Trinity,
Thy holy name Thy servants bless,
to Thee we pray, and Thee confess.

2. Summum Paréntem crédimus
We trust in the greatest Father
Natúmque Patris únicum,
and the only Son of the Father,
et caritátis vínculum
and in the bond of charity
qui iungit illos Spíritum.
which joins them with the Spirit.

2.We praise the Father, mighty One;
we praise the sole-begotten Son;
we praise the Holy Ghost above,
who joins Them in one bond of love.

3. O véritas, o cáritas,
O Truth, O Charity,
o finis et felícitas,
O final goal and happiness,
speráre fac et crédere,
cause us to hope and to beleive,
amáre fac et cónsequi.
cause us to love and to follow.

3. O Verity! O Charity!
O Ending and Felicity!
in Thee we hope, in Thee believe,
Thyself we love, to Thee we cleave.

4. Qui finis et exórdium
The end and the beginning
rerúmque fons es ómnium,
and source of all things Thou art,
tu solus es solácium,
Thou alone art consolation,
tu certa spes credéntium.
Thou art the sure hope of the faithful.

4. Thou First and Last, from whom there springs
the Fount of all created things,
Thou art the Life which moves the whole,
sure hope of each believing soul.

5. Qui cuncta solus éfficis
Thou alone accomplishest all things
cunctísque solus súfficis,
Thou alone art sufficient for all,
tu sola lux es ómnibus
Thou are the only light for all,
et præmium sperántibus.
and reward to those who hope in Thee.

5. Thou who alone the world hast made,
art still its one sufficing aid,
the only Light for gazing eyes,
and, unto them that hope, the Prize.

6. Christum rogámus et Patrem,
This we ask of Christ and the Father,
Christi Patrísque Spíritum;
and of the Spirit of Christ and the Father;
unum potens per ómnia,
one God mighty throughout the universe,
fove precántes, Trínitas. Amen.
favor those praying (to Thee), O Trinity.

6. O Father, Source of God the Word,
O Word with Him co-equal Lord,
O Spirit of like majesty,
O Triune God, all praise to Thee. Amen.
Metrical translation by R. F. Littledale (1833-1890)

This hymn's author and date of compostion is unknown, according to Lentini. I wonder how this site knows the hymn is "18th century?" (For all I know it could be.)

Composer Abbie Betinis has recently (2004) set this text (with the verses in a different order: 1, 6, 4, 3, 5, omitting 2 but adding alleluias throughout) for 4-part chorus. Abbie, like me, graduated from St. Olaf --um, yah, yah! She writes about the piece at her site:

Because the text hails the unity of the Trinity, the piece modulates between two
primary tonalities, which combine to form a third. In the end, all modalities
combine into a canon which spirals on, encircling and unifying all voice parts
in its course. The Alleluia refrain is my own addition to this traditional
Catholic text.

That site has a link to an mp3 and also a pdf of the sheet music. It also has an audio intro in which she explains that she wrote this piece after studying counterpoint in Paris "in the tradition of Nadia Boulanger with faculty from Juilliard and the Paris Conservatory." The music is quite angular, ofter frenetic, and does not seem to throw much light on the text. It is paired with an "Angele Dei" (Guardian Angel prayer) with no apparent connection other that they are both Catholic prayers in Latin. It seems like a summer graduate school project to me: it has a disjointed, "here's what I came up with"-feeling to it. She is obviously very talented, but I wonder if she knows (or cares) about the context of this hymn in the Liturgia Horarum?

Sunday Office of Readings Odd Week diurno

2008-07-27T16:30:00.000-07:00

"Diurno" is from the instruction in the Liturgia Horarum which reads: Quando Officium lectionis dicitur diurno tempore. "When the Office of Readings is said during the daytime." For the last two weeks, I have been translating the hymns which were designated Quando Officium lectionis dicitur noctu vel summo mane. "When the Office of Readings is said during the night or early morning." Traditionally, Matins, the office which became the Office of Readings, was always said during the night or early morning. The Second Vatican Council changed this in recognition of the fact that clergy in the 20th century (and beyond) were not required to live the same schedule as monks, who often went to bed at 7pm and rose at 3am. The Council Fathers also wanted to encourage lay people to pray the Liturgy of the Hours as well.

Regular readers of this blog will remember that most of the hymns I have been translating the last two weeks have had a noctural theme or at least written with the idea that the singers of the hymn would be singing in the middle of the night Apparently the Council Fathers envisioned that the Office formerly known as Matins would be able to be said at any other hour of the day, hence another set of hymns is needed. Fr. Anselmo Lentini, the editor of the Liber Hymnarius put together fourteen more hymns (two weeks' worth) in addition to the fourteen I've just translated. I am anxious to look at the character of these hymns.

Here is the first:
Memorial of the Resurrection

Dies ætásque céteris
Over days and other ages
octáva splendet sánctior
the eighth shines out more sacred
in te quam, Iesu, cónsecras,
which, Jesus, Thou consecratest for Thyself,
primítiæ surgéntium.
the first fruits of those who rise(from the dead).

Tu tibi nostras ánimas
Thou to Thee our souls
nunc primo conresúscita;
now first raise together from the dead;
tibi consúrgant córpora
may our bodies rise up also to Thee
secúnda morte líbera.
free from the second death.

Tibíque mox in núbibus,
To Thee also soon in the clouds,
Christe, ferámur óbviam
O Christ, let us be borne on the way
tecum victúri pérpetim:
to be conquering with Thee continually:
tu vita, resurréctio.
Thou our life, our resurrection.

Cuius vidéntes fáciem,
Thou whose face we will be seeing,
configurémur glóriæ;
may we be shaped into that glory;
te cognoscámus sicut es,
may we come to know Thee as Thou art,
lux vera et suávitas.
true Light and Sweetness.

Regnum, cum Patri tráditos,
Thy kingdom, when you deliver us to the Father,
plenos septéno chrísmate,
filled with the seven-fold annointing,
in temet nos lætíficas,
fill us with the joy that is Thee Thyself,
consúmmet Sancta Trínitas. Amen.
may the Holy Trinity bring it (Thy kingdom) to perfection.

This hymn is by a certain Aron of the twelfth century, not well identified. The hymn "concludes a cycle, in which every day one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is celebrated." I wonder whether we will get to see any of the other hymns in the cycle.

It seems to me excellently suited to Sunday, with its resurrection theme. If you look at the noctu hymn for today (found here), you will see that it starts out calling Sunday the "first of all days," whereas this hymn refers to Sunday as the "eighth day." Fr. Z at wdtprs speaks eloquently both in blog entries and in podcasts about octaves being days when time itself is suspended to celebrate a major feast like the Resurrection, the birth of Christ and (until the Council) the Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Seen in this light, there is no confusion: Sunday is both the first day and the eighth day.

Saturday Office of Readings Even Week noctu

2008-07-26T12:33:00.000-07:00

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The light that has no more darkness

Lux ætérna, lumen potens,
Light eternal, Lamp most brilliant,
dies indefíciens,
Day unfailing,
bellátor atræ noctis,
Warrior against the deadly night,
reparátor lúminis,
Renewer of the light,
destructórque tenebrárum,
and the Destroyer of shadows,
illustrátor méntium:
the One who enlightens minds:

2. Quo nascénte suscitámur,
When You come forth we are awakened,
quo vocánte súrgimus;
when You call, we rise;
faciénte quo beáti,
when You act we are blessed,
quo linquénte míseri;
when You depart we are wretched;
quo a morte liberáti,
by You we are freed from death,
quo sumus perlúcidi;
by You we are filled with light;

3. Mortis quo victóres facti,
By you we are made triumphant over death,
nocti atque sáeculi;
over night, and over this age;
ergo nobis, rex ætérne,
therefore to us, O King eternal,
lucem illam tríbue,
bestow that light,
quæ fuscátur nulla nocte,
which darkens no night,
solo gaudens lúmine.
buy only makes glad by light.

4. Honor Patri sit ac tibi
Sancto sit Spirítui,
Deo trino sed et uni,
paci, vitæ, lúmini,
nómini præ cunctis dulci
divinóque númini. Amen.

This hymn, which is the second part of yesterday's hymn is by Gottschalk of Orbais, who died in 869. The doxology (last verse) is the same as yesterday's hymn.

Friday Office of Readings Even Week noctu

2008-07-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

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Christ came to grant us life and light

Galli cantu mediánte
The rooster's song cuts in half
noctis iam calíginem
now the darkness of the night
et profúndæ noctis atram
and of the black depths of the night
levánte formídine,
(the song) alleviating dread (of the night)
Deus alme,te rogámus
we ask Thee, nurturing God,
supplicésque póscimus.
and bring our supplications.

2. Vigil, potens, lux venísti
Watchful, powerful, Light Thou hast come
atque custos hóminum,
and protector of men,
dum tenérent simul cuncta
while all things simultaneously kept
médium siléntium,
the middle-of-night silence
rédderent necnon mortálem
nor did they render human
mórtui effígiem,
the likeness of a corpse,

3. Excitáres quo nos, Christe,
Whence may you awaken us, O Christ,
de somno malítiæ,
from a wicked sleep,
atque gratis liberáres
and may you freely liberate us
noctúrno de cárcere,
from the slavery of night
redderésque nobis lucem
and may you bring back the light to us
vitæ semper cómitem.
forever the companion of life.

4. Honor Patri sit ac tibi,
Honor be to the Father and to Thee
Sancto sit Spirítui,
and to the Holy Spirit
Deo trino sed et uni,
God three but also one,
paci, vitæ, lúmini,
who is peace, life, light,
nómini præ cunctis dulci
whose name is sweet above all
divinóque númini. Amen.
and who is Godhead divine.

This was a rush job. I will have to return to it again. Math League coach's conference today at Macalester college.

Thursday Office of Readings Even Week noctu

2008-07-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

I am bit late posting this today. My son wanted the computer last night at bedtime, and my wife needed the computer early this morning to take a test for her online class. She is studying to become a medical assistant.

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Lentini's title: Rising from sleep to a new life in Christ

Ales diéi núntius
The winged messenger of the day
lucem propínquam praécinit:
proclaims the approaching light:
nos excitátor méntium
to us, the awakener of souls
iam Christus ad vitam vocat.
Christ now calls us to life

The winged herald of the day
proclaims the morn's approaching ray,
and Christ the Lord our soul excites,
and so to endless life invites.

2. «Auférte--clamat,--léctulos
"Take up," he cries, "your bed
aegros, sopóros, désides:
sick ones, sleepy ones, lazy ones:
castíque recti ac sóbrii
you who are chaste, upright and sober
vigiláte, iam sum próximus.»
watch, for I am very near."

2. "Take up thy bed," to each He cries,
"who sick, or wrapped in slumber lies:
and chaste, and just, and sober stand
and watch; my coming is at hand."

3. Ut, cum corúscis flátibus
That, when with quivering breath
auróra cælum spárserit,
the dawn strews the heavens,
omnes labóre exércitos
all who have labored with toil
confírmet ad spem lúminis.
it(the dawn) may strengthen by the hope of light.

3. - (see below to explain omission)

4. Iesum ciámus vócibus
With our voices we invoke Jesus by name
flentes, precántes, sóbrii;
weeping, imploring, though sober;
inténta supplicátio
intense prayer
dormíre cor mundum vetat.
forbids the pure heat to fall asleep.

4. With earnest cry, with tearful care,
call we the Lord to hear our prayer:
while supplication, pure and deep,
forbids each chastened heart to sleep.

5. Tu, Christe, somnum dísice,
Thou, O Christ, dispel our sleep,
tu rumpe noctis vincula,
break Thou the chains of night,
tu solve peccátum vetus
loosen Thou our chronic sin
novúmque lumen íngere.
and cast the fresh light upon us.

5. Do Thou, O Christ, our slumbers wake:
do Thou the chains of darkness break:
purge Thou our former sins away,
and in our souls new light display.

6. Sit, Christe, rex piíssime,
tibi Patrique glória
cum Spíritu Paráclito,
in sempitérna sæcula. Amen.

6. All laud to God the Father be;
all praise, eternal Son, to Thee;
all glory as is ever meet,
to God the Holy Paraclete. Amen.

Author: Aurelius Clemens Prudentius, d. 405. Metrical Translation by the great J. M. Neale.

These are verses chosen from the Cathemerinon, or The Daily Round, which is a collection of early Christian hymns. Two other hymns, Wednesday and Thursday Lauds for odd weeks are also taken from this work. (See the Thursday link for more about it.) Today's hymn contains the actual opening lines from the first of two Morning Hymns Prudentius wrote.

In the Roman Breviary, this hymn is used as the Lauds hymn for Tuesdays. Lentini says "it was observed that (the hymn) fits more the Office of Readings." I am guessing this is because of all the references to sleeping and waking. But like the other Lauds hymns, (and unlike the other Matins hymns)there seems to be more references to dawn. Indeed the opening lines of the hymn celebrate the ales, who is clearly the rooster, (symbol of the preacher of the gospel) whom the monks would not hear until way after Matins in finished.

Lentini also introduces verse 3, "a beautiful stanza" which was not traditionally included with this hymn in the past. It is taken from the same Prudentius work as the rest of the hymn. I agree, the images are beautiful, but I think verse 3 steers it once again back in the direction of a morning hymn rather than one to be sung by lamplight at 3 a.m.

In any case, this explains why J.M. Neale did not include this verse in his wonderful metrical translation. At the time he translated, this verse was still buried in Prudentius' work, not part of the hymn Ales diéi núntius.

Wednesday Office of Readings Even Week noctu

2008-07-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

mp3

Lentini's title: With the night chant, we implore thanks also for the day

O sator rerum, reparátor ævi,
O founder of all things, renewer of time,
Christe, rex regum, metuénde censor,
Christ, King of kings, fearful magistrate,
tu preces nostras paritérque laudes
Thou our prayers and equally our praises
súscipe clemens.
receive with mercy.

2. Noctis en cursu tibi vota laudum
Lo, through the course of the night to Thee vows of praise
pángimus; præsta tibi sint ut apta,
we compose; grant that they may be suitable to Thee,
nosque concéntu réfove perénni,
and refresh us by our continual singing,
lúminis auctor.
Author of light.

3. Da dies nobis probitáte faustos
Grant to us in uprightness prosperous days
mortis ignáram tribuéndo vitam,
granting us a life ignorant of death,
semper ut nostros tua sit per actus Update: (Thanks again, Figulus)
That always unending glory may be thine
glória perpes.
through our actions.

4. Ure cor nostrum, pius ure lumbos
Burn our heart, in your love burn our loins
igne divíno vigilésque nos fac,
with fire divine and make us vigilant,
semper ardéntes mánibus lucérnas
that always, burning lamps in our hands
ut teneámus.
we may hold.

5. Æqua laus summum célebret Paréntem
Let equal praise glorify the highest Father
teque, Salvátor, pie rex, per ævum;
and Thou, Savior, Holy King, through all time;
Spíritus Sancti résonet per omnem
and let the glory of the Holy Spirit resound through
glória mundum. Amen.
all the universe.

Though the tenth century author is unknown, according to Lentini, this hymn "was very widespread in the middle ages, for the Feast of the Transfiguration, remembered in vs. 3, here omitted." These are verses 1, 2, 5 and 6 of the hymn, with a doxology for the last verse.

In verse 4, pius ure is a replacement for iecur atque. Again with the liver as the seat of feelings. Iecur atque lumbos: the liver and the loins. This is the second hymn I have encountered (the first being Saturday's Office of Reading noctu hymn (Odd week)) in which these two terms appear together, both times asking God to "burn" them with holy, cleansing fire. Yet Lentini, the modern editor, takes out iecur (liver) but leaves in lumbos (loins). I guess with Vatican II, there was an attempt to bring the details of the Church's teaching in line with modern medical science and psychology, a laudable intention in and of itself. Perhaps he reasoned, correctly, that we have no scientific evidence that the human liver is the "seat of feelings." (A surgeon, however gives a compelling description of handling a liver that might convince you otherwise.)

Linguists tell us many indigenous languages still today describe the liver as the seat of volitile emotions like anger or sadness. Alice Gaby of the Univ. of Melbourne describes some of the best examples(and perhaps why they don't always translate to English well):

A furious person is described in Kuuk Thaayorre as 'hot-livered'. The Papua New
Guinean language Mbula also uses the compound 'hot-liver' to describe someone
who's very angry. Similarly, in Turkmenistan, people describe making somebody
angry as 'burning their liver'...In Kambera, spoken on Sumba Island in
Indonesia, a pounding liver is a symptom of worry...In Kuuk Thaayorre, for
example, a brave person is strong-livered. Although this doesn't really
translate into English, we nevertheless have a negative association between the
liver and bravery, lexicalised in the antonym of bravery: 'lily-livered'.

What about the "loins" then? I think there might be more general agreement, if not scientific evidence, about the pelvic region being the location of sexual excitement, (despite what Dr. Oz might say to Oprah about the brain being the biggest sex organ).

Hence, Lentini's imperitive: lumbos can stay, but iecur has got to go. In any case, we are still asking God to burn our bodies and souls with his holy fire, because these urges and feelings and rages and passions that come over us all feel so strong and compelling, that it must take something as strong and painful as the fire of God to burn them out and cleanse them, so that our bodies and souls might be pure vessels once again.

My own experience of the Holy Spirit's fire is this: the fire is warm, but can be powerfully hot, to the point where it can be painful, but is always gentle, and it heals you to an incredible degree. It is spiritual in origin, but can have mental, emotional and even physical effects. You can ask for it, but it doesn't come "on demand." Occasionally it shows up even if you don't specifically ask for it. I don't seek out charismatic spiritual experiences as I once did, but I cannot deny the reality of the fire of God which still visits me now and again.

Tuesday Office of Readings Even Week noctu

2008-07-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

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Nocte surgéntes vigilémus omnes,
Rising by night, let us all keep watch
semper in psalmis meditémur atque
and ever devote our minds to psalmody
víribus totis Dómino canámus Update: Thanks Figulus!
and with all our strength let us sing to the Lord
dúlciter hymnos,
sweet hymns,

Now from the slumbers of the night arising,
chant we the holy psalmody of David,
hymns to our Master, with a voice concordant,
sweetly intoning.

Ut, pio regi páriter canéntes,
That singing to the loving King,
cum suis sanctis mereámur aulam
together with His Saints, we may merit
íngredi cæli, simul et beátam
to enter the royal court of heaven, and with them (at the same time)
dúcere vitam.
to lead a blessed life

So may our Monarch pitifully hear us,
that we may merit with His Saints to enter
mansions eternal, there withal possessing
joy beatific.

Præstet hoc nobis Déitas beáta
May He grant us this, the blessed Deity
Patris ac Nati, paritérque Sancti
of the Father, Son and likewise of the Holy
Spíritus, cuius résonat per omnem
Spirit, whose glory resounds throughout
glória mundum. Amen.
the whole world.

This be our portion, God forever blessed,
Father eternal, Son, and Holy Spirit,
Whose is the glory, which through all creation
ever resoundeth. Amen.

Lentini's title: Let us keep vigil (now) in song to sing then in heaven

I pretty much just copied Britt's translation today(hymn number 7 in his book). I guess going to the beach with the kids made me feel all lazy and relaxed.

Not much to say about this Sapphic-and-Adonic-metered hymn. Britt says it's by Gregory the Great, while Lentini says "Author unknown, Carolingian Age, 8th-9th century." (I lean toward Lentini.) Britt says that Nocte Surgentes (today's hymn) is the "companion hymn" to Ecce iam noctis, the hymn for morning prayer on Even Sundays. My post for that hymn has more about the "Sapphic and Adonic" meter as well, so check it out if you missed that one.

Monday Office of Readings Even Week noctu

2008-07-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

Lentini's title: Keeping vigil, with lamps lit
mp3

Ipsum nunc nobis tempus est
The time is now for us that very hour
quo voce evangélica
when, as the gospel voice tells
ventúrus sponsus créditur,
the bridegroom was supposed to have come,
regni cæléstis cónditor
who is the founder of the heavenly kingdom.

Occúrrunt sanctæ vírgines
The holy virgins ran to meet
óbviam tunc advéntui,
the way toward the arrival (the Bridegroom) at that time ,
gestántes claras lámpadas,
bearing gleaming lanterns,
magno lætántes gáudio.
rejoicing with great joy.

Stultæ vero quæ rémanent
Yes, the foolish ones who stay behind
exstínctas habent lámpadas,
have extinguished lamps,
frustra pulsántes ianuam,
knocking in vain upon the door,
clausa iam regni régia.
for now the kingdom is closed tight.

Nunc vigilémus sóbrii
Now let us who are sober keep watch
gestántes mentes spléndidas,
bearing souls gleaming like lamps,
ut veniénti Dómino
that to the coming Lord
digni currámus óbviam.
we may worthily run the way towards (Him).

Dignos nos fac, rex óptime,
futúri regni glória,
ut mereámur láudibus
æternis te concínere. Amen.

This is part 2 of a longer hymn, part 1 of which formed yesterday's Office of Reading hymns. (Hence the doxology is the same as yesterday.) Remember that these hymns were historically sung at like three A.M. when the monks got up to read Scripture and Patristic readings.

This is significant for this hymn, which refers to the gospel story of the ten virgins, five wise and five foolish, waiting for the Bridegroom. Matthew 25:6 says "in the middle of the night" the cry goes up that the Bridegroom has arrived. So when Jesus returns, will it be "in the middle of the night?" (Well, literally, anytime is the middle of the night somewhere in the world.)

In any case let us carry around "souls gleaming like lamps."

Sunday Office of Readings Even Week noctu

2008-07-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

Today's mp3 has the kind of imperfection that shows I'm human. I messed up a syllable on the second to last verse, so I recorded it over--slightly flat. If I hadn't said anything, non-musicians probably wouldn't have noticed.

I encourage you to learn the tune and sing along with me. Canamus in the title of this blog is 3rd person plural subjunctive, and means "let us sing."

Mediæ noctis tempus est;
It is the middle of the night;
prophética vox ádmonet
the prophetic voice admonishes
dicámus laudes ut Deo
that we should utter praises to God
Patri semper ac Fílio,
the Father and always to the Son

Sancto quoque Spirítui:
and also to the Holy Spirit:
perfécta enim Trínitas
for the complete Trinity
uniúsque substántiæ
and of one substance
laudánda nobis semper est.
we must always praise.

Terrórem tempus hoc habet,
This time holds terror,
quo, cum vastátor ángelus
for it is the hour when the destroyer angel
Ægýpto mortem íntulit,
brought death in Egypt,
delévit promogénita.
wiped out the first-borns.

Hæc iustis hora salus est,
This hour is salvation to the just,
quos tunc ibidem ángelus
to those at that time the angel
ausus puníre non erat,
did not dare to punish
signum formidans sánguinis.
dreading the sign of the blood.

Ægýptus flebat fórtiter
Egypt was weeping profusely
tantórum diro fúnere;
at so horrible a calamity of death;
solus gaudébat Israel
Israel alone was rejoicing
agni protéctus sánguine.
protected by the blood of the lamb.

Nos verus Israel sumus:
We are the true Israel:
lætámur in te, Dómine,
Let us rejoice in Thee, O Lord,
hostem spernéntes et malum,
and spurning the wicked enemy,
Christi defénsi sánguine.
defended by the blood of Christ.

Dignos nos fac, rex óptime,
Make us worthy, King Most High,
futúri regni glória,
of Thy future reign in glory,
ut mereámur láudibus
that we may deserve to sing together
æternis te concínere. Amen.
praises to Thee eternally.

This author of this 5th century hymn is unknown.

Lentini's "title" is Joy for us, saved by the blood of Christ
Lentini also says "This hymn is mentioned by S. Cesario [whoever that is]. According to the ancient tradition, for its Paschal flavor, it is appropriate for Sunday. Here, for brevity, are only the first 6 verses, and the 13th that can be considered a doxology." It turns out that we get verses 7-10 as part of tomorrow's hymn. Thus we sing it to the same tune.

Tune in tomorrow and canamus.

Saturday Office of Readings Odd Week noctu

2008-07-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

No mp3 (yet) today. But if you wish to sing it, use the same tune as yesterday's hymn. Update: here is the mp3.

Summae Deus cleméntiae
God of greatest compassion
mundíque factor máchinae,
Maker of the whole scheme of the universe,
qui trinus almo númine
who, nurturing triune Deity
unúsque fírmas ómnia,
is also One, Thou establish all things,

Great God of boundless mercy hear;
Thou Ruler of this earthly sphere;
in substance one, in Persons three,
dread Trinity in Unity!

2. Nostros piis cum cánticis
Our holy songs with
fletus benígne súscipe,
tears graciously accept,
quo corde puro sórdibus
that with a heart clean of sin
te perfruámur lárgius.
we may enjoy Thee more abundantly.

2. Do Thou in love accept our lays
of mingled penitence and praise;
and set our hearts from error free,
more fully to rejoice in Thee.

3. Lumbos adúre cóngruis
Burn our loins with suitable (holy)
tu caritátis ígnibus,
flames of Thy charity
accíncti ut adsint pérpetim
that they may be continually girded
tuísque prompti advéntibus,
and ready for Thy appearance,

3. Our reins and hearts in pity heal,
and with Thy chastening fire anneal;
gird Thou our loins, each passion quell,
and every harmful lust expel.

4. Ut, quique horas nóctium
That, whatever hours of the night
nunc concinéndo rúmpimus,
we now interrupt with our singing
donis beátæ pátriæ
by gifts of the blessed fatherland
ditémur omnes áffatim.
may we all be amply enriched.

4. Now as our anthems, upward borne,
awake the silence of the morn,
enrich us with Thy gifts of grace,
from heaven, Thy blissful dwelling place!

5. Præsta, Pater piíssime,
Patríque compar Unice,
cum Spíritu Paráclito
regnans per omne saéculum. Amen.

5. Hear Thou our prayer, Almighty King;
hear Thou our praises, while we sing,
adoring with the heavenly host
the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Author of this 7th century hymn is unknown. English translation by John David Chambers (1805-1893).

Lentini's "title": Purification of the spirit

At the beginning of verse 2, Lentini modified the original word pius to become piis. "...a concept that would recur with the following benigne; therefore I prefer the reading of the Carmelite Breviary (Breviarium Fratrum... de Monte Carmelo, 1938), which attatches the piis to the cánticis, with the sense modified." In other words, it is simpler to figure out what pius means if you change it to piis, and since there is a precedent for this reading printed in a well-known Breviary, let's change it!

Britt, working with pius, goes through much explanation of how you have to supply Parens or Deus. This is much more complicated to interpret.

Verse 4 has been much changed. I have two different former versions, one from Britt...

Lumbos, iecurque morbidum
Our reins and our depraved hearts
Flammis adure congruis,
burn Thou with becoming (holy) flames,
Accincti ut artus excubent
that our well-girded limbs may watch
Luxu remoto pessimo.
far-removed from baneful luxury.

...and one from Lentini:

Lumbos iecurque morbidum
Our diseased loins(seat of sexuality) and liver(seat of feelings)
adure igni congruo,
burn Thou with becoming fire,
accincti ut sint perpetim
that they(our loins) be girded continually
luxu remoto pessimo
removed from the worst excesses

Lentini says that these are "terms and concepts that today annoy or clash (urtano) in a liturgical hymn." Wow. Is he saying that this kind of earthy language is not fit for polite company? That hymns which make reference to reining in our sexual impulses with the help of the Holy Spirit's fire of holiness are too jarring for mixed congregations? Perhaps he is right. But I think I prefer the prayer of the older Latin hymn. I think Lentini's "solution" is very Scriptural (using images from Holy Scripture, especially the gospel passages about girding our loins) but omits the part about leaving behind luxu pessimo (the worst excesses.)

What do you think?

Friday Office of Readings Odd Week noctu

2008-07-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here is an mp3 of me singing this hymn. If you heard yesterday's mp3, you will recognize the tune: it's the same one. In fact, the Office of Readings hymn (for the night or early morning) has the same tune in the Liber Hynarius for the whole week, Sunday through Saturday. The Even Week features several different tunes though, so stayed tuned if you like variety!

Tu, Trinitátis Unitas,
Thou Unity in Trinity,
orbem poténter qui regis,
Thou who dost mightily rule the world,
atténde laudum cántica
harken to the canticle of praise,
quæ excubántes psállimus.
which we, risen from sleep, sing.

O Three in One, and One in Three,
Who rulest all things mightily,
bow down to hear the songs of praise
which, freed from bonds of sleep, we raise.

2. Nam léctulo consúrgimus
For we rise from our beds
noctis quiéto témpore,
in the quiet time of the night,
ut flagitémus vúlnerum
that we may ask, for our wounds
a te medélam ómnium.
ask of Thee a remedy for all of them.

2. While lingers yet the peace of night,
we rouse us from our slumbers light;
that might of instant prayer may win
The healing balm for wounds of sin.

3. Quo fraude quicquid daémonum
That whatever, by the deception of the evil spirits,
in nóctibus delíquimus,
we have failed in during the night,
abstérgat illud caélitus Update:
from heaven may blot it out
tuæ potéstas glóriæ.
by the might of Thy glory.
[Let the might of thy glory wipe it [whatever was our failure] away from heaven.]
Thanks, Figulus.

3. If, by the wiles of Satan caught,
this nighttime we have sinned in aught,
that sin Thy glorious power today,
from heaven descending, cleanse away.

[4. Ne corpus astet sórdidum,
Lest the body become defiled,
nec torpor instet córdium,
and torpor of heart threaten,
ne críminis contágio
and by the touch of sin
tepéscat ardor spíritus.
the fervor of the soul be chilled.

4. Let naught impure our bodies stain,
no laggard sloth our souls detain,
no taint of sin our spirits know,
to chill the fervor of their glow. ]

5. Te corde fido, quaésumus,
With trusting heart we ask Thee then,
reple tuo nos lúmine,
fill us with Thy light,
per quod diérum círculis
that in the cycle of days
nullis ruámus áctibus.
we may fail in none of our actions.

5. Wherefore, Redeemer, grant that we
fulfilled with Thine own light may be:
that, in our course. from day to day,
by no misdeed we fall away.

6. Præsta, Pater piíssime,
Patríque compar Unice,
cum Spíritu Paráclito,
regnans per omne saéculum.

6. Grant this, O Father ever One
with Christ, Thy sole-begotten Son,
and Holy Ghost, whom all adore,
reigning and blest forevermore.

Today I received a wonderful "loan" from a reader, bluejeepsiamese: three books which will add immensely to my understanding of these hymns. The most revealing of these is Te Decet Hymnus: L'Innario della "Liturgia Horarum" by Dom Anselmo Lentini himself, the presumed editor of the Liber Hymnarius.

Here are a few things I found out about today's hymn from Lentini:
1) Lentini includes a "title" or description of each hymn, much like the Liturgia Horarum does for each of the Psalms. Today's description reads "A Prayer for the Wounds of the Soul."
2) You may have noticed I have bracketed the 4th verse, which means it has been omitted in the modern Office. Lentini explains why he took it out: "The 4th verse has been omitted, again for brevity:" (He then quotes it in full, and adds), "which stresses, with the usual anxiety, the nocturnal miseries of the flesh."
3) Te corde fido, quaésumus in the 5th verse is his replacement for the original Ob hoc, Redemptor, quaesumus: (We therefore beseech Thee, O Redeemer). He explains: "This final prayer now only to Christ seems harmful to the organic unity of the hymn as a whole, directed to the Trinity; Hence the replacement inspired by Analecta hymnica, Vol 51, No 30: "Te puro corde quaesumus."

I have a few observations on these points.

1) I now love these little titles: they are tiny summaries to help me prepare for the meaning of the hymn. They used to annoy me ("Those aren't in the original text!"), but as I get older, I find I am grateful for any assistance to my slowing mind. The descriptions act as runway lights to help my understanding land in the right place so I don't go completely astray on the meaning of the text.
2) One of Fr. Z's pet peeves about ICEL translations of the proper prayers at Holy Mass is that the translations remove certain "outmoded" concepts like grace, sacrifice, our total dependence on God, etc. One might look at Fr. Lentini's omission of verse 4 and put it in that category, as if Lentini was saying, "Oh, we don't believe all that old stuff about keeping the flesh pure. Why should it be harder to remain pure at night than during the day? What's the big deal anyway? We all have our urges, God knows this, so relax and blah, blah, blah..."

Is it possible to give him the benefit of the doubt on this? Perhaps priests of his generation (he died in 1989) experienced a particularly harsh type of discipline or formation early on which over-emphasized avoiding the dangerous sins of the flesh, even to an unhealthy or unbalanced degree? I have heard that the aggiornamento for this generation often included a kind of catharsis when these kinds of teachings became more balanced, putting them in perspective, perhaps taking modern psychology more into account.

I hasten to add that I did not know the man. Also, I know that many poor, misguided souls took this "balancing" of emphasis as an excuse for pulling out all the stops, so to speak, and giving in to their every fleshly impulse. Somehow I believe that such a learned man as Lentini was not one of those low kind of people.

On the other hand, could Lentini possibly have known how immersed in sins of the flesh we would be today? Perhaps if he knew the torpor of the 21st century heart "touched by sin" and suffering such massive spiritual wounds caused by today's casual attitude toward sins of the flesh, he would put that verse back in, despite the fact that it make the hymn a tiny bit longer.

3) I personally have no problem with Lentini's scholarly replacement in the 5th verse. It's not like he just arbitrarily threw it in to fix some rhyme scheme or make it "sound nicer." He was actually trying to tighten up the focus of the hymn as a whole. "Didn't we start out this hymn addressing ourselves to Trinitatis Unitas? When did we focus our gaze on the 2nd person alone?" And if I understand the scholarly apparatus correctly, the replacement phrase was "inspired" by a similarly ancient hymn to this one. (Incidentally, this hymn was written by one of my favorites: "Author Unknown, 6th or 7th century.")

Thanks again, bluejeepsiamese. God reward you for making the effort to help me out.

Thursday Office of Readings Odd Week noctu

2008-07-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

I am attempting to include an mp3 of today's hymn which I sang into a cheap microphone (so don't expect great sound). UPDATE: I guess you can't see the link unless you use an RSS reader or something like that. Try clicking on this to hear the mp3 file.

Nox atra rerum cóntegit
Black night conceals
terræ colóres ómnium:
the colors of all things on earth
nos confiténtes póscimus
confessing Thee we ask
te, iuste iudex córdium,
just Judge of our hearts,

The dusky veil of night hath laid
the varied hues of earth in shade;
before Thee, righteous Judge of all,
we contrite in confession fall.

2. Ut áuferas piácula
that Thou take away our sins
sordésque mentis ábluas,
and wash away the stains of the soul,
donésque, Christe, grátiam
and grant us, O Christ, grace
ut arceántur crímina.
that sin may be kept away.

2. Take far away our load of sin,
Our soiléd minds make clean within
Thy sov'reign grace, O Chirst, impart,
From all offence to guard our heart.

3. Mens, ecce, torpet ímpia,
Behold, the wicked soul is numb
quam culpa mordet nóxia;
which noxius error (mortal sin) stings;
obscúra gestit tóllere
It wishes passionately to put away its darkness
et te, Redémptor, quaérere.
and to seek Thee, O Redeemer.

For lo! our mind is dull and cold,
Envenomed by sin's baneful hold:
Fain would it now the darkness flee,
And seek, Redeemer, unto Thee.

4. Repélle tu calíginem
Push back the gloomy darkness
intrínsecus quam máxime,
within to the maximum degree possible,
ut in beáto gáudeat
that it (the soul) may rejoice
se collocári lúmine.
to establish itself in blessed light.

Far from it drive the shades of night,
Its inmost darkness put to flight;
Till in the daylight of the Blest
It joys to find itself at rest.

5. Sit, Christe, rex piíssime,
tibi Patríque glória
cum Spíritu Paráclito,
in sempitérna saécula. Amen.

5. Almighty Father, hear our cry,
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord most High,
Who, with the Holy Ghost and Thee,
Doth live and reign eternally.

Again, Britt was a huge help. Verses 3 and 4 were really tough, and I'm not sure I agree completely with Britt. Let me know what you think.

Wednesday Office of Readings Odd Week noctu

2008-07-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

Rerum Creátor óptime,
Most noble Creator of all things
rectórque noster, réspice;
and our Ruler, look down on us;
nos a quiéte nóxia
from a sinful rest
mersos sopóre líbera.
free us who are immersed in sleep.

Who madest all and dost control,
Lord, with Thy touch divine,
cast out the slumbers of the soul,
the rest that is not Thine.

Te, sancte Christe, póscimus;
Thou, O Holy Christ, we ask;
ignósce tu crimínibus,
forgive Thou our offenses,
ad confiténdum súrgimus
we rise to confess
morásque noctis rúmpimus.
and we interrupt the lingering hours of the night.

Look down, Eternal Holiness,
and wash the sins away,
of those, who, rising to confess,
outstrip the lingering day.

Mentes manúsque tóllimus,
We raise our minds and hands,
Prophéta sicut nóctibus
by night as the Prophet (David)
nobis geréndum praécipit
commands us to do
Paulúsque gestis cénsuit.
and as Paul, by his deeds, sanctioned.

Our hearts and hands by night, O Lord,
we lift them in our need;
as holy Psalmists give the word,
and holy Paul the deed.

Vides malum quod géssimus;
Thou seest the evil we have done;
occúlta nostra pándimus,
we spread out our hidden (sins),
preces geméntes fúndimus;
groaning we pour out our prayers;
dimítte quod peccávimus.
forgive what we have done wrong.

Each sin to Thee of years gone by,
each hidden stain lies bare;
we shrink not from Thine awful eye,
but pray that Thou wouldst spare.

Sit, Christe rex piissime,
tibi Patríque glória
cum Spíritu Paráclito,
in sempitérna saécula. Amen.

Grant this, O Father, Only Son
and Spirit, God of grace,
to whom all worship shall be done
in every time and place. Amen.
Ascribed to Pope St. Gregory the Great (540-604). Metrical translation by Cardinal Newman.

There is an article about this hymn in the 1911 Catholic Encyclopedia, written by Hugh Henry, which is mostly about variants in the text and what a French author (Pimont) has to say about which of the nine variants of the text he thinks are the Original Text. One wonders why this hymn in particular has an entry in that venerable old encyclopedia, but precious few other Matins hymns (or few other hymns at all) get their own article.

We also see Propheta referring to David making another appearance in this hymn, this time with Paulus who, according to Maureen , (commenting on Sunday's Matins hymn) is often just called "the Apostle." That particular phrase contains a gerundive (or is it a gerund? all I know is it has the form of a future passive participle) geréndum which caused me to look up the difference between the two. I remember seeing a movie on TV in which a crotchety old Latin master at some private school would always ask students, "Gerund or gerundive?" (I guess the movie was this one.) Anyways, after all that, I still tranlated geréndum simply "to do."

Tuesday Office of Readings Odd Week noctu

2008-07-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

Consors paterni luminis,
O Sharer in the Father's light
lux ipse lucis et dies,
Thyself Light of lights and the Day
noctem canendo rumpimus:
we interrupt the night with singing
assiste postulantibus.
attend to our praying.

O Light of light, O Dayspring bright,
coequal in Thy Father's light:
assist us, as with prayer and psalm
Thy servants break the nightly calm.

Aufer tenebras mentium,
Take away the darkness of our minds
fuga catervas daemonum,
drive away the swarm of evil spirits
expelle somnolentiam
expel our drowsiness
ne pigritantes obruat.
lest it bring ruin to us who hesitate continually.

All darkness from our minds dispel,
and turn to flight the hosts of Hell:
bid sleepfulness our eyelids fly,
lest overwhelmed in sloth we lie.

Sic, Christe, nobis omnibus
Thus, O Christ, to us all
indulgeas credentibus,
be lenient to your faithful
ut prosit exorantibus
that (it) may profit us who are pleading
quod praecinentes psallimus.
what we chant before Thee in song.

Jesu, Thy pardon, kind and free,
bestow on us who trust in Thee:
and us Thy praises we declare,
O with acceptance hear our prayer.

Sit, Christe, rex piissime,
tibi Patrique gloria
cum Spiritu Paraclito
in sempiterna saecula. Amen.

O Father, that we ask be done,
through Jesus Christ, Thine only Son,
Who, with the Holy Ghost and Thee,
doth live and reign eternally.

Attributed to St. Ambrose 340-397. Translation by Joseph William Chadwick (1841-1882) and John David Chambers (1805-1893). Historically the concluding doxology "Praesta, Pater piissime" was used with this hymn and hence the above metrical translation's mis-match with the Latin.

Britt was a ton of help today. This hymn was in fact the Matins hymn for Tuesdays, so if you go to that link, just find hymn number 13 or look in the index for "Tuesday at Matins."

Pigritantes comes from pigror, pigrari, pigratus sum (hesitate, hang back), but it has been intensified by the addition of "-it" after the root. The "-it" apparently can also signify iteration, hence I have opted for "the continually hesitating." Britt just says "slothful." I guess that is a good definition of sloth: you just keep hesitating until inaction forces you into laziness, even if you started out determined not to be lazy. I guess the "hang back" meaning could also result in a translation something like "the continual non-starters."

I have experienced this often when trying to pray while sleepy. The prayer just pauses, and then pauses again, and then again for longer, and pretty soon I am not praying anymore. Which is fine if I'm trying to pray myself to sleep like I did last night, but terrible when I am trying to get up early to pray.

Monday Office of Readings Odd Week noctu

2008-07-14T06:56:00.000-07:00

Somno reféctis ártubus,
By sleep our limbs restored
Spreto cubíli, súrgimus:
having spurned our bed, we arise:
Nobis, Pater, canéntibus
to us who are singing, Father
Adésse te depóscimus.
we earnestly request you to be near.

Te lingua primum cóncinat,
Let the tongue first sing to Thee,
Te mentis ardor ámbiat:
let the intensity of our mind embrace Thee,
Ut áctuum sequéntium
that of the actions that follow
Tu, Sancte, sis exórdium.
you, Holy One, may be the beginning.

Cedant tenébræ lúmini,
Let darkness yield to light
Et nox diúrno síderi,
and night to the day-star,
Ut culpa, quam nox íntulit,
that sin, which the night has brought in,
Lucis labáscat múnere.
may fall to pieces by your gift of light.

Precámur iídem súpplices,
We beseech Thee by these same prayers,
Noxas ut omnes ámputes,
that Thou eradicate all crimes,
Et ore te canéntium (Update: thanks, Figulus)
by the mouth of those who sing to thee
Laudéris omni témpore.
may you be praised at all times.

Præsta, Pater piíssime,
Patríque compar Unice,
Cum Spíritu Paráclito
Regnans per omne sæculum.
Amen.

Anonymous, 6th or 7th century.

When I found out that monks got up at three in the morning to pray this office, I was flabbergasted. What discipline! What craziness! How did they stay awake? Especially during the long readings from the Scriptures and the Fathers?

Office of Readings Sunday Odd Week noctu

2008-07-13T06:05:00.000-07:00

When the Office of Readings is said at night or early morning:

Primo diérum ómnium,
On the first of all days
quo mundus exstat cónditus
on which the universe stands forth, having been created
vel quo resúrgens Cónditor
or on which the Creator rising again
nos, morte victa, líberat.
frees us, having conquered death.

HAIL day! whereon the One in Three
first formed the earth by sure decree,
the day its Maker rose again,
and vanquished death, and burst our chain.

2. Pulsis procul torpóribus,
Having banished sloth away,
surgámus omnes ócius,
let us all rise quickly,
et nocte quærámus pium, (Update: see comments)
and by night let us seek after the Holy One,
sicut Prophétam nóvimus.
as we know (David)the Prophet (did).

2. Away with sleep and slothful ease!
We raise our hearts and bend our knees,
and early seek the Lord of all,
obedient to the Prophet's call:

3. Nostras preces ut áudiat
That He may hear our prayers
suámque dexteram pórrigat,
and stretch out his right hand,
et hic piátos sórdibus
and cleansed of filth here
reddat polórum sédibus,
he may deliver us to heavenly homes,

3. That He may hearken to our prayer,
stretch forth His strong right arm to spare,
and every past offense forgiv'n,
restore us to our homes in heav'n.

4. Ut quique sacratíssimo
That all of us who, in this most holy
huius diéi témpore
time of the day,
horis quiétis psállimus,
sing his praise in the hours of rest
donis beátis múneret.
He may reward with blessed gifts.

4. Assembled here this holy day,
this holiest hour we raise the lay;
and O that He to whom we sing,
may now reward our offering!

[5. Iam nunc, Patérna cláritas,
Now today, Splendor of the Father,
te postulámus áffatim:
we earnestly pray you
absit libído sórdidans,
that the baseness of lust be far removed,
omnísque actus nóxius.
and every evil deed.

5. O Father of unclouded light,
keep us this day as in Thy sight,
in word and deed that we may be
from every touch of evil free.

6. Ne foeda sit, vel lúbrica
lest it should become foul or defiled
compágo nostri córporis,
the framework of our body,
per quam avérni ígnibus
so that, by the very fires of hell
ipsi crèmémur ácrius.
we should be burned severely

6. That this our body's mortal frame
may know no sins, and fear no shame,
nor fire hereafter be the end
of passions which our bosoms rend.

7. Ob hoc, Redémptor, quaésumus,
On account of this, Redeemer, we ask,
ut probra nostra díluas:
that Thou wash away our shame:
vitæ perénnis cómmoda
and that the gifts of life eternal
nobis benígnus cónferas.
Thou kindly would bestow upon us.

7. Redeemer of the world, we pray
that Thou wouldst wash our sins away,
and give us, of Thy boundless grace,
the blessings of the heavenly place.

8. Quo carnis actu éxsules
That exiled by an act of the flesh
effécti ipsi caélibes,
having made ourselves celibate
ut praéstolamur cérnui,
we await prostrate
melos canámus glóriæ.
that we might sing the hymn of glory.

8. That we, thence exiled by our sin,
hereafter may be welcomed in:
that blessed time awaiting now,
with hymns of glory here we bow. ]

9. Deo Patri sit glória
eiúsque soli Fílio
cum Spíritu Paráclito,
in sempitérna saécula. Amen.

9. Most holy Father, hear our cry,
through Jesus Christ our Lord most High
who, with the Holy Ghost and Thee
doth live and reign eternally.

Verse 5-8 are not in Liber Hymnarius. Verse 8 is not even in Britt. I found it at this site.

Sunday 2nd Vespers Odd Week

2008-07-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

This hymn is the first in a series of hymns each of which feature one of the seven days of creation. I blogged the six other Vespers hymns earlier (where I said I should have started with this one). The theme of this hymn is the work of the first day of Creation.

Lucis Creátor óptime
O august Creator of the light,
lucem diérum próferens,
who didst bring forth the light of day,
primórdiis lucis novae,
and with the creation of new light
mundi parans oríginem:
didst begin the origin of the world:

O blest Creator of the light,
Who mak'st the day with radiance bright,
and o'er the forming world didst call
the light from chaos first of all;

2. Qui mane iunctum vesperi
that morning joined with evening
diem vocári praécipis:
be called Day, Thou didst command:
tætrum chaos illábitur,
foul darkness descends,
audi preces cum flétibus.
hear Thou our prayers with our weeping.

2. Whose wisdom joined in meet array
the morn and eve, and named them Day:
night comes with all its darkling fears;
regard Thy people's prayers and tears.

3. Ne mens graváta crímine,
Lest the soul burdened with sin
vitæ sit exsul múnere,
be deprived of the gift of life,
dum nil perénne cógitat,
while it thinks of nothing eternal,
seséque culpis ílligat.
and fetters itself with sins.

3. Lest, sunk in sin, and whelmed with strife,
they lose the gift of endless life;
while thinking but the thoughts of time,
they weave new chains of woe and crime.

4. Cælórum pulset íntimum,
Let it knock at the heavenly portal
vitale tollat praémium;
and bear away the prize of life;
vitémus omne nóxium:
let us avoid everything harmful,
purgémus omne péssimum.
and purge out everything sinful.

4. But grant them grace that they may strain
the heavenly gate and prize to gain:
each harmful lure aside to cast,
and purge away each error past.

5. Præsta, Pater piíssime,
Patríque compar Unice,
cum Spíritu Paráclito
regnans per omne saéculum.
Amen.

5. O Father, that we ask be done,
through Jesus Christ, Thine only Son;
Who, with the Holy Ghost and Thee,
doth live and reign eternally. Amen.

The author of this hymn is Gregory the Great, maybe. The index in the Liber Hymnarius has a question mark by his name.

Sunday 1st Vespers Odd Week

2008-07-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

Deus creátor ómnium
God, creator of all things
políque rector, véstiens
and heaven's guide, clothing
diem decóro lúmine,
the day with glorious light
noctem sopóris grátia.
the night with the grace of sleep.

God that all things didst create
and the heavens doth regulate,
Who doth clothe the day with light,
and with gracious sleep the night.

2. Artus solútos ut quies
Limbs unburdended that rest
reddat labóris usui
might restore us from the experience of labors
mentésque fessas állevet
and alleviate our tired minds
luctúsque solvat ánxios.
and loosen our troublesome sorrows.

3. Grates perácto iam die
The day now having been completed, thanks
et noctis exórtu preces,
and night prayers begin
voti reos ut ádiuves,
that Thou mayest aid consecrated sinners
hymnum canéntes sólvimus.
singing we release our hymns

3. Day sinks; we thank Thee for thy gift,
night comes; to Thee again we lift
our prayers and vows and hymns, that we
against all ills defended be.

4. Te cordis ima cóncinant,
To Thee let our inmost heart sing as one,
te vox canóra cóncrepet,
to Thee let the melodious voice sound,
te díligat castus amor,
for Thee let love esteem chasity,
te mens adóret sobria.
let the sober mind worship thee.

5. Ut cum profúnda cláuserit
That when the boundless depths conclude
diem calígo nóctium,
the day by the gloom of the nights
fides tenébras nésciat
may our faith not know darkness
et nox fide relúceat.
and may the night shine out by faith.

5. That so, when shadows round us creep
and all is hid in darkness deep,
faith may not feel the gloom; and night
borrow from faith's clear gleam new light.

[6. Dormíre mentem ne sinas,
Permit not our mind to sleep,
dormíre culpa nóverit;
let it learn to let our faults go idle;
castos fides refrígerans
our pure faith, cooling down
somni vapórem témperet.
let it temper the fever of dreams.]

[6. From snares of sense, Lord, keep us free
and let our hearts dream but of thee.
Let not the envious foe draw near
to vex our quiet rest with fear. ]

[7. Exúta sensu lúbrico
Having cast off evil thoughts(feelings)
te cordis alta sómnient,
raise our hearts that they may dream of Thee,
ne hostis invídi dolo
let not the trick of our hateful foe
pavor quiétos súscitet.
rouse fear in those in restful peace.]

8. Christum rogámus et Patrem,
This we ask Christ and the Father
Christi Patrísque Spíritum;
and the Spirit of Christ and the Father;
unum potens per ómnia,
that the one God, almighty over all things
fove precántes, Trínitas. Amen.
who is the Trinity, may favor our entreaties.

8. Hail we the Father and the Son
and Son's and Father's Spirit, one
blest Trinity who all obey;
guard Thou the souls that to Thee pray. Amen.

Here we have another Ambrosian hymn, with the distinction that Ambrose actually wrote this one, as opposed to it being written by someone else in "his style."

Here I include the two verses left out in the Liber Hymnarium. According to this site, this was an ancient hymn sung at Saturday vespers, but yet it doesn't appear in the Roman Breviary. The hymn for Saturday Vespers in the Roman Breviary is a version of this hymn.

Perhaps someone who has a copy of Te Decet Hymnus: L'Innario della "Liturgia Horarum" by Don Anselmo Lentini could translate the Italian for us and tell us 1)why a beautiful hymn with such a estemed pedigree (Ambrose himself!) doesn't appear in the Roman Breviary and 2) why Lentini left out verses 6 & 7. (I'm guessing the omission has to do with length. Needless to say, I really have no idea why.)

Thanks to all the new commenters! This is great fun. Again, I am learning much more than I ever imagined. Only one more vespers hymn to go for Ordinary Time, then I will start the Matins (Office of Readings) hymns, of which there are two sets.

Friday Vespers Even Week

2008-07-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

Horis peráctis úndecim
Having completed eleven hours Thanks for the correction, mrjdempsey
ruit dies in vésperum;
the day rushes on to evening;
solvámus omnes débitum
let us all pay back a debt
mentis libénter cánticum.
of the mind willingly in song.

Labor diúrnus tránsiit
Our daily labor has passed
quo, Christe, nos condúxeras;
for which, O Christ, you had employed us;
da iam colónis víneæ
so now grant to the farmer of the vine
promíssa dona glóriæ.
the promised gifts of glory.

Mercéde quo nunc ádvocas,
Now you call for the pay
quos ad futúrum múneras,
which you present towards the future,
nos in labóre ádiuva
Aid us in our labor
et post labórem récrea.
and restore us after our work.

Sit, Christe, rex piíssime,
tibi Patríque glória
cum Spíritu Paráclito,
in sempitérna saécula.

The Liber Hymnarius is silent on the identity of the author of this hymn. Therefore we can probably assume...you guessed it, Father Lentini of blessed memory, the hymnist of Monte Cassino. UPDATE: According to suburbanbanshee at Aliens in This World, this is a Mozarbic hymn by an anonymous writer. Not only that, suburbanbanshee did a singable translation! It's quite amazing. I am amazed at people who can do that.

I like the imagery of us as workers in the vineyard, all receiving the same pay no matter when we started work, as Jesus told in the gospel story.

Thursday Vespers Even Week

2008-07-10T08:46:00.000-07:00

I am still reeling from my discovery that many of the hymns I am working with here are *gasp* modern, perhaps even recently written. Not written by a monk with no name or one name (I've been through the desert with a monk with no name, it felt good to be out of the rain...sorry, couldn't resist) but by Dom Anselmo Lentini, OSB, died 1989.

I gotta believe Fr. Lentini would be somehow pleased that I (and perhaps many others) could not tell the difference between his modern Latin hymns, cleverly composed to appear medieval, and the one which actually were composed in the middle ages. I guess living in Monte Cassino itself kind of helps to absorb the ambience and all so you can get the feeling right.

Today's offering however, actually does come from the 7th or 8th century.

Deus, qui claro lúmine
God, who with bright light
diem fecísti, Dómine,
hast made the day, O Lord,
tuam rogámus glóriam
we ask for Thy glory
dum pronus dies vólvitur.
while (we are)prone(kneeling) the day is wrapped up.

Iam sol urgénte véspero
Alreday evening is following hard on the heels of the sun
occásum suum gráditur,
His (light) having fallen, it advances,
mundum conclúdens ténebris,
darkness concealing the world
suum obsérvans órdinem.
His order observing.

Tu vero excélse Dómine,
Thou Lord truly preeminent
precántes tuos fámulos
Thy servants imploring
diúrno lassos ópere
tired from daily work
ne sinas umbris ópprimi,
that you not allow the shadows to oppress,

Ut non fuscátis méntibus
that our minds may not be darkened
dies abscédat saéculi,
let the day depart to the ages,
sed tua tecti grátia
yet covered by your grace
cernámus lucem prósperam.
may we discern the favorable light.

Præsta, Pater, piísime,
Patríque compare Unice,
cum Spíritu Paráclito
regnans per omne saéculum. Amen.

Hmmm. That seemed easier somehow. Way easier than yesterday's, which was modern. But also eaiser than Tuesday's which was also 7th-8th century.

Wednesday Vespers Even Week

2008-07-09T05:01:00.000-07:00

Sol, ecce, lentus óccidens
Behold, the sun slowly dying
montes et arva et aéquora
over mountains and fields and plains
mæstus relínquit, innovate
leaves them sad, renewed
se lucis omen crástinæ,
light is itself a harbinger of tomorrow,

Mirántibus mortálibus
to wondering mortals
sic te, Creátor próvide,
so provide Thou, Creator,
leges vicésque témporum
laws and alternations of the times
umbris dedísse et lúmini.
you have given shadows and lights.

Ac dum, tenébris æthera
and as long as, the skies of darkness
siléntio preméntibus,
overwhelmed by silence
vigor labórum déficit,
the liveliness of labors flag,
quies cupíta quæritur,
desired quiet is sought after

Spe nos fidéque dívites
we with the riches of hope and faith
tui beámur lúmine
let us be blessed by means of your light
Verbi, quod est a saéculis
of the Word, who from ages past
splendor patérnæ glóriæ.
is the brilliance of the Father's glory.

Est ille sol qui nésciat
He is that Sun which knows not
ortum vel umquam vésperum;
any sunrise or evening;
quo terra gestit cóntegi,
whom the earth is eager to have hidden
quo cæli in ævum iúbilant.
whom the heavens rejoice in for all time.

Has nos seréna pérpetim
we these bright continually
da luce tandem pérfrui,
grant that by light at length we may completely enjoy,
cum Nato et almo Spíritu
with the Son and the nuturing Spirit
tibi novántes cántica. Amen.
renewing the song to you.

OK this one was a watershed for me, not because I think I nailed the translation (I am still unsure of a lot of it) but because the search for help led me to discover something very surprising about this and other hymns I have struggled with.

This hymn is of recent origin. It was not (as I imagined) penned by some monk of past centuries, just past decades. It is the work of Dom Anselmo Lentini of Monte Cassino, presumably the editor of the Liber Hymnarius. He died in 1989. Many of the hymns I have been struggling with are by him. I have struggled mostly because the hymns are not ancient and so there are not ten or twelve translations which have accrued through the ages for me to cheat and look them up, like I have been doing with the other hymns.

Fully forty-three hymns in the Liber Hymnarius are works of Fr. Lentini.

There is a lot more to read about this here at the Musica Sacra forum. It seems that around the beginning of this year, someone there asked about singing the post Vatican II Divine Office. The responses, especially the ones by William Mahrt himself (the president of CMAA) led to the revelation about Lentini writing these Latin hymns, admittedly in a medieval style. Many of the people there have a definite preference for the Pre- Vatican II Divine Office, especially if you want to sing it as a ceremonial in a parish, cathedral or oratory. It's not just nostalgia either, there are historical reasons about how the new LotH was structured, and the (ostensible) assumed intentions of the Reformers (Bugnini especially). They have concluded that the modern LotH was composed for private recitation and not really ever intended to be sung by groups, despite what the introduction to that Breviary says about itself!

Incidentally I was led to this by finding a Catalan translation of this hymn here , which I then put through one of those free automatic translators. The result was suprisingly coherent:

The sun, dying slowly,
it leaves mountains, fields and seas with sorrow;
but he renews the appointment
of the light of the following day.

Thus, Creative oh proseer,
you have fixed, with admiration of the mortals,
the laws and the alternation of the times
between the light and the darkness.

When the darkness submerges
the space in the silence,
the vigor of the works declines
and one looks for the wished rest.

And we, rich people for the faith and the hope,
we enjoy the light of your Verb,
that it is from always
shining of the glory of Pare.

This is the sun
that it never has dawn nor lay;
the earth, with pleasure, wants it to cover it
and the skies praise it eternally.

Grant us, Pare, that finally
we can enjoy this serene light forever;
as long as we renew the canticles of praise to you,
to the Son and to the Saintly Spirit. Amen.

This has all been a real revelation. I never dreamed I would learn so much when I started this project.

Tuesday Vespers Even Week

2008-07-08T07:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Quantitative Metathesis, who mentioned this blog in a post last night. She has also started a new project: translating the patristic reading from the Office of Readings in the Latin breviary. Just a lil' project to "keep her out of trouble." Awesome cool stuff. She debuts with Clement to the Corinthians.

Sator princépsque témporum,
Sower and master of times,
clarum diem labóribus
the bright day with labors
noctémque qui sopóribus
and the night which with sleep
fixo distínguis órdine,
you separate in fixed order,

Mentem tu castam dírige,
Direct Thou the chaste mind
obscúra ne siléntia
conceal not silences (by silence?)
ad dira cordis vúlnera
toward dreadful wounds of the heart
telis patéscant ínvidi.
that they may reveal the hateful spears.

Vacent ardóre péctora,
May our souls be free from passions,
faces nec ullas pérferant,
may they not bear any torch
quæ nostro hæréntes sénsui
which, clinging to our senses
mentis vigórem sáucient.
would wound the life of the mind.

Præsta, Pater piísime,
Patríque compare Unice,
cum Spíritu Paráclito
regnans per omne saéculum. Amen.

Short and sweet today. I love the imagery of hateful darts, wounds in the soul, torches and the like. It's not that I love the darts and torches: my own cor et pectus et mens have suffered these (too-oft self-inflicted) attacks. I just love seeing my everyday experience reflected in a medieval hymn.

I long to really enter into the meaning of obscúra ne siléntia. I'm not understanding it in the context of that stanza right now, and I suspect some hidden, wonderful truth in the meaning of this prayer. Can anyone help?

Monday Vespers Even Week

2008-07-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

mp3

Luminis fons, lux et orígo lucis,
Source of light, THE light and origin of light,
tu pius nostris précibus favéto,
Thou loving (Trinity) favor our prayers
luxque, peccáti ténebris fugátis,
and, the shadows of sin having been chased away,
nos tua adórnet.
let thy Light equip us.

2. Ecce transáctus labor est diéi,
Behold the day's work is complete,
teque nos tuti sumus adnuénte;
and we have been protected by thy gaze;
en tibi grates ágimus libéntes
See, to thee we give glad thanks
tempus in omne.
at all times.

3. Solis abcéssus ténebras redúxit:
The setting sun brings back the darkness:
ille sol nobis rádiet corúscus
Let that brilliant Sun shine for us
luce qui fulva fovet angelórum
the light which warms with reddish glow
ágmina sancta.
the holy crowd of angels.

4. Quas dies culpas hodiérna texit,
The Day covers whatever be the day's faults
Christus deléto pius atque mitis,
Christ, upright and merciful, having wiped away
pectus et puro rútilet nitóre
and may the blameless soul glow brightly
témpore noctis.
through the nighttime.

5. Laus tibi Patri decus atque Nato,
Praise to Thee, Father, and honor to the Son,
Flámini Sancto párilis potéstas,
to the Holy Breath equally powerful,
cuncta qui sceptro régitis suprémo
Thou who rulest over all with highest scepter,
omne per ævum. Amen.
through all time.

I was totally on my own for this one. I have no idea where this hymn comes from. The meter is Sapphic and Adonic. I could find out nothing else about this hymn. I am pretty shaky about most of this translation. I suspect that the first line refers to the Trinity.

Luminis fons source of light the Father
lux the Light the Son (Iesus dicens "ego sum lux mundi..."
et orígo lucis, origin of Light the Holy Spirit...? the only Person left, but I couldn't figure out a reference from Scripture or Tradition identifying the Holy Spirit as the "origin of Light."

Also, these morning and evening hymns are so filled with references to LIGHT that I am starting to wonder about the difference between the Latin words lux and lumen. I know there is a lot of overlap in their meanings (light, day, daylight, etc.) but lumen could mean "torch" or "lamp" even sometimes refering to the sun.

I am going to need lots of help understanding the Vespers hymns this week, the Even Week, so all you legions of readers chime in!!!

Saints and angels, pray for me. All you holy monks and nuns who sang these hymns on earth, whether you completely understood them or not, pray for us who strive to enter into the traditional Mind of Holy Mother Church.

Sunday 2nd Vespers Even Week

2008-07-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

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O Lux beáta Trínitas,
O Blessed Trinity-Light
et principális Unitas,
and chief Oneness
iam sol recédit ígneus,
now the fiery sun retreats
infúnde lumen córdibus.
pour light into our hearts.

O Trinity of blessed Light,
O Unity of princely might,
The fiery sun now goes its way;
Shed Thou within our hearts Thy ray.

Te mane laudum cármine,
We glorify Thee in the morning with a hymn of praise,
te deprecémur véspere:
we entreat Thee in the evening
te nostra supplex glória
begging, that Thou, our glory,
per cuncta laudet sáecula.
be praised through all ages

To Thee our morning song of praise,
to Thee our evening prayer we raise;
Thy glory suppliant we adore
Forever and forevermore.

Christum rogámus et Patrem,
Christi Patrísque Spíritum;
unum potens per ómnia,
fove precántes, Trínitas.

This hymn was originally the Vespers hymn for the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, celebrated the Sunday after Pentecost. Its text was revised at some point for use every Saturday night under the title Iam sol recedit igneus.

Sunday 1st Vespers Even Week

2008-07-05T10:03:00.000-07:00

Rerum, Deus, fons ómnium,
God, the source of everything that is,
qui, rebus actis ómnibus,
who, the cause of every action
totíus orbis ámbitum
the circle of the complete orbit
censu replésti múnerum.
Thou hast completed with a wealth of gifts

2. Ac, mole tanta cóndita,
And, having built so great a complex,
tandem quiétem díceris
Thou at last declarest a rest
sumpsísse, dans labóribus
to have begun, delivering from toils
ut nos levémur grátius.
that we may be thankfully relieved

3. Concéde nunc mortálibus
Grant now to mortals
deflére vitæ crímina,
weeping over lives of sin,
instáre iam virtútibus
that they may now pursue virtues
et munerári prósperis,
and be given success [in that pursuit]

4. Ut cum treméndi iúdicis
That when awesome judge's
horror suprémus coéperit,
greatest shivering (horror) begins
lætémur omnes ínvicem
may we all rejoice in turn
pacis repléti múnere.
filled with the gift of peace.

5. Præsta, Pater piíssime,
Grant this, most loving Father,
Patríque compar Unice,
and the co-equal Unique Son of the Father
cum Spíritu Paráclito
with the Spirit Paraclete
regnans per omne saéculum.
reigning through every age.

This was a tough hymn to translate. It took me a while, but I believe that I have the sense of the hymn, with the exception of the end of the first stanza. I translated censu as "a wealth". But I'm still not sure.

I sure love to sing the hymn. The melody found in the Solemnes Liber Hymnarius is profound, stately, mysterious and beautiful. Soon I will figure out a way to post sound on this blog.

Friday Vespers Odd Week

2008-07-04T02:27:00.000-07:00

This hymn tells of the sixth day of creation, when the "brute animals" were created, and then man.

Plasmátor hóminis, Deus,
O God, the creator of man,
qui cuncta solus órdinans,
who alone dost dispose all things,
humum iubes prodúcere
Thou didst command that the earth bring forth
reptántis et feræ genus:
reptiles and beasts:

Maker of man, who from Thy throne
dost order all things, God alone;
by whose decree the teeming earth
to reptile and to beast gave birth:

Qui magna rerum córpora,
who the huge bodies of created beings (things)
dictu iubéntis vívida,
became instinct with life at your (spoken) command
ut sérviant per órdinem
that they may serve in assigned rank
subdens dedísti hómini:
Thou didst give to men, placing them under

The mighty forms that fill the land,
instinct with life at Thy command,
are given subdued to humankind
for service in their rank assigned.

Repélle a servis tuis,
Drive from thy servants
quicquid per immundítiam,
evertything which is dirty/lustful
aut móribus se súggerit,
whether it attaches itself to our morals
aut áctibus se intérserit.
or intertwines itself with our actions.

From all Thy servants drive away
whatéer of thought impure to-day
hath been with open action blent,
or mingled with the heart's intent.

Da gaudiórum praémia,
Grant us the reward of heavenly joys;
da gratiárum múnera:
bestow upon us gifts of grace;
dissólve litis víncula,
rend asunder the chains of strife;
astrínge pacis foédera.
draw closer the bonds of peace.

In heaven Thine endless joys bestow,
and grant Thy gifts of grace below;
from chains of strife our souls release,
bind fast the gentle bands of peace.

Præsta, Pater piíssime,
Patríque compar Unice,
cum Spíritu Paráclito
regnans per omne saéculum.

Grant this, O Father, ever One
with Christ, Thy sole-begotten Son,
Whom, with the Spirit we adore,
one God, both now and evermore.

So this hymn is asking God to place our passions under control just as he once place brute beasts in ordered rank, subdued to human beings. Now I get it!

Thursday Vespers Odd Week

2008-07-03T01:40:00.000-07:00

The work of the fifth day of creation: when God created the birds and fishes, both of which sprang from a common source, that is, water.

Magnæ Deus poténtiae,
O God of great power,
qui ex aquis ortum genus
who the offspring born out of waters,
partim remíttis gúrgiti,
in part dost send back to the deep
partim levas in áera.
and in part dost raise them aloft in the air.

O Sovereign Lord of Naturés might,
Who bad'st the water's birth divide;
part in the heavens to take their flight,
and part in ocean's deep to hide;

Demérsa lymphis ímprimens,
Thou dost consign(print?) the fishes to the waters
subvécta cælis írrogans,
and liftest up the birds on high
ut, stirpe una pródita,
that (animals) proceeding from one stock
divérsa répleant loca:
might occupy different places:

These low obscured, on airy wing
exalted those, that either race,
though from one element they spring,
might serve Thee in a different place.

Largíre cunctis sérvulis,
Grant to all Thy servants,
quos mundat unda sánguinis,
whom the stream of Thy blood hath cleansed,
nescíre lapsus críminum,
to know not sinful falls,
nec ferre mortis taédium.
nor suffer the loathsomeness of spiritual death.

Grant, Lord, that we Thy servants all,
saved by Thy tide of cleansing Blood,
no more 'neath sin's dominion fall,
nor fear the thought of death's dark flood!

Ut culpa nullum déprimat,
Let guilt depress no one;
nullum levet iactántia,
let pride exalt no one,
elísa mens ne cóncidat,
lest the despondent soul be disheartened,
eláta mens ne córruat.
and the proud soul be ruined.

Thy varied love each spirit bless,
the humble cheer, the high control;
check in each heart its proud excess,
but raise the meek and contrite soul!

Præsta, Pater piíssime,
Patríque compar Unice,
cum Spíritu Paráclito
regnans per omne saéculum. Amen.

This boon, O Father, we entreat,
this blessing grant, Eternal Son,
and Holy Ghost, the Paraclete,
both now, and while the ages run. Amen.

Wow, now that I have looked up some of the vocab and have looked at what the Latin really says, I now understand this metrical translation a lot more...without the Latin meanings this hymn translation was almost inscrutable!

Wednesday Vespers Odd Week

2008-07-02T00:11:00.000-07:00

The fourth-day-of-Creation hymn:

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Cæli Deus sanctíssime,
Most Holy God of heaven,
qui lúcidum centrum poli
who the lightsome regions of the universe
candóre pingis ígneo
Thou dost adorn with fiery brilliancy
augens decóri lúmina,
embellishing them with becoming splendor,

O God, whose hand hath spread the sky,
and all its shining hosts on high,
and painting it with fiery light,
made it so beauteous and so bright:

Quarto die qui flámmeam
Thou, on the fourth day with flame
solis rotam constítuens,
didst light up the disk of the sun
lunæ minístras órdini
didst appoint the orbit of the moon,
vagos recúrsus síderum,
and the wandering courses of the stars,

Thou, when the fourth day was begun,
didst frame the circle of the sun,
and set the moon for ordered change,
and planets for their wider range:

Ut nóctibus vel lúmini
That to nights and days
diremptiónis términum,
a boundary-line of separation,
primórdiis et ménsium
and for the beginning of the months
signum dares notíssimum:
a conspicuous sign Thou mightest give

To night and day, by certain line,
their varying bounds Thou didst assign;
and gav'st a signal, known and meet,
for months begun and months complete.

Illúmina cor hóminum,
Enlighten the heart of men,
abstérge sordes méntium,
wipe away the defilements of our souls;
resólve culpæ vínculum
loosen the chains of guilt;
evérte moles críminum.
overturn the great load of our sins.

Enlighten Thou the hearts of men:
polluted souls make pure again:
unloose the bands of guilt within:
remove the burden of our sin.

Præsta, Pater piíssime,
Patríque compar Unice,
cum Spíritu Paráclito
regnans per omne sæ’culum. Amen.

Grant this, O Father, ever One
with Christ, Thy sole-begotten Son,
Whom, with the Spirit we adore,
one God, both now and evermore.

Again, when I have the metrical translation (today done again by J. M. Neale) most of the English literal translation comes directly from Britt, unless there has been a variation in the text, then I actually look up the words.

Tuesday Vespers Odd Week

2008-07-01T21:46:00.000-07:00

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Tellúris ingens Cónditor,
Uncreated creator of the world,
mundi solum qui éruens,
who digging up the surface of the earth,
pulsis aquae moléstiis,
and driving off the troubled waters
terram dedísti immóbilem,
didst firmly establish the land,

Earth's mighty Maker, whose command
raised from the sea the solid land;
and drove each bill'wy heap away,
and bade the earth stand firm for aye:

Ut germen aptum próferens,
That it might bring froth appropriate produce,
fulvis decóra flóribus,
be adorned with golden flowers,
fecúnda fructu sísteret
become prolific in fruits,
pastúmque gratum rédderet:
and yield agreeable sustenance.

That so, with flowers of golden hue,
the seeds of each it might renew;
and fruit-trees bearing fruit might yield,
and pleasant pasture of the field:

Mentis perústae vúlnera
The wounds of the sin-parched soul
munda viróre grátiae,
cleanse by the freshness of Thy grace,
ut facta fletu díluat,
that it may wash way with tears its evil deeds,
motúsque pravos átterat,
and suppress sinful emotions.

Our spirit's rankling wounds efface
with dewy freshness of Thy grace:
that grief may cleanse each deed of ill,
and o'er each lust may triumph still.

Iussis tuis obtémperet,
May it obey Thy commands;
nullis malis appróximet,
may it draw nigh nothing sinful;
bonis repléri gáudeat,
that it may rejoice to be filled with good,
et mortis actum nésciat.
and know not the act of death.

Let every soul Thy law obey,
and keep from every evil way;
rejoice each promised good to win,
and flee from every mortal sin.

Præsta, Pater piíssime,
Patríque compar Unice,
cum Spíritu Paráclito
regnans per omne saéculum.Amen.

Hear Thou our prayer, Almighty King!
hear Thou our praises, while we sing,
adoring with the heavenly host,
the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!

This hymn tells of the third day of Creation from the first chapter of Genesis.

Monday Vespers Odd Week

2008-06-30T21:17:00.000-07:00

Today I begin working with Vespers hymns. I really should have started with Second Vespers on Sunday, but I'll catch that one on the return trip. The reason I should have started there is that the Vespers hymns follow a logical sequence outlining the days of creation in the opening chapters of Genesis.

Hence today's hymn speaks of what happened on the 2nd day of creation.

Imménse cæli cónditor,
O Great Creator of the heavens
qui, mixta ne confúnderent,
who, lest uniting they flow together,
aquae fluénta dívidens,
dividing the floods of water
cælum dedísti límitem,
Thou didst establish the sky as a boundary.

O GREAT CREATOR of the sky,
Who wouldest not the floods on high
with earthly water to confound,
but madist the firmament their bound;

Firmans locum cæléstibus,
Thou didst establish a place for the heavenly waters,
simúlque terræ rívulis,
and also for the streams on earth,
ut unda flammas témperet,
that water might moderate the heat,
terræ solum ne díssipet:
lest it destroy the soil of the earth.

The floods above Thou didst ordain;
the floods below Thou didst restrain:
that moisture might attemper heat,
lest the parched earth should ruin meet.

Infúnde nunc, piíssime,
Pour forth now, most gracious Lord,
donum pérennis grátiæ,
the gift of Thy never-failing grace,
fraudis novæ ne cásibus
lest by the misfortune of some new deception
nos error átterat vetus.
the old error should overwhelm us.

Upon our souls, good Lord, bestow
Thy gift of grace in endless flow:
lest some renewed deceit or wile
of former sin should us beguile.

Lucem fides invéniat,
Let faith increase the light,
sic lúminis iubar ferat;
and thus produce an effulgence of light;
hæc vana cuncta térreat,
may it trample under foot all vain things;
hanc falsa nulla cómprimant.
may nothing false supplant it.

Let faith discover heav’nly light;
so shall its rays direct us right:
and let this faith each error chase,
and never give to falsehood place.

Præsta, Pater piíssime,
Patríque compar Unice,
cum Spíritu Paráclito
regnans per omne saéculum. Amen.

Grant this, O Father, ever One
with Christ, Thy sole-begotten Son,
and Holy Ghost, whom all adore,
reigning and blest forevermore. Amen.

The translation is by the great J.M. Neale.

Monday Lauds Odd Week

2008-06-30T08:30:00.000-07:00

Splendor patérnæ glóriæ,
O Splendor of the Father's glory,
de luce lucem próferens,
bringing forth light from light,
lux lucis et fons lúminis,
O Light of Light, and source of light,
diem dies illúminans.
Day illuminating day!

O splendor of God's glory bright,
O Thou that bringest light from light,
O Light of Light, light's Living Spring,
O Day, all days illumining.

2. Verúsque sol, illábere
O Thou, true Sun, descend,
micans nitóre pérpeti,
shining with everlasting brightness,
iubárque Sancti Spíritus
and the radiance of the Holy Spirit
infúnde nostris sénsibus.
infuse into our hearts.

O Thou true Sun, on us Thy glance
let fall in royal radiance,
the Spirit's sanctifying beam
upon our earthly senses stream.

3. Votis vocémus et Patrem,
In our prayers, let us also implore the Father,
Patrem perénnis glóriæ,
the Father of eternal glory,
Patrem poténtis grátiæ,
the Father of mighty grace,
culpam reléget lúbricam.
that He may remove every dangerous inclination to sin.

The Father too our prayers implore,
Father of glory evermore,
the Father of all grace and might,
to banish sin from our delight:

4. Infórmet actus strénuos,
May he shape (in us) manly deeds
dentem retúndat ínvidi,
blunt the teeth of the envious one,
casus secúndet ásperos,
bring adverse events to a favorable outcome,
donet geréndi grátiam.
and give us the grace to act wisely.

To guide whate'er we nobly do,
with love all envy to subdue,
to make ill-fortune turn to fair,
and give us grace our wrongs to bear.

5. Mentem gubérnet et regat
May He rule and direct our mind
casto, fidéli córpore;
to be chaste and faithful in body
fides calóre férveat,
may our faith glow with fervor,
fraudis venéna nésciat.
and may it know not the poison of error.

Our mind be in His keeping placed,
our body true to Him and chaste,
where only faith her fire shall feed
to burn the tares of Satan's seed.

6. Christúsque nobis sit cibus,
May Christ be our food,
potúsque noster sit fides;
and faith our drink,
læti bibámus sóbriam
joyfully let us drink of the sober
ebrietátem Spíritus.
inebriation of the Spirit.

And Christ to us for food shall be,
from Him our drink that welleth free,
the Spirit's wine, that maketh whole,
and mocking not, exalts the soul.

7. Lætus dies hic tránseat;
Joyfully may this day pass by;
pudor sit ut dilúculum,
may our modesty be as the dawn,
fides velut merídies,
our faith as the noonday sun,
crepúsculum mens nésciat.
and may our souls know no twilight.

Rejoicing may this day go hence,
like virgin dawn our innocence,
like fiery noon our faith appear,
nor know the gloom of twilight drear.

8. Auróra cursus próvehit:
The dawn sails on in its course:
Auróra totus pródeat,
let the complete Dawn come forth,
in Patre totus Filius
in the Father the whole Son
et totus in Verbo Pater. Amen.
and the whole Father in the Word.

Morn in her rosy car is borne:
let Him come forth our Perfect Morn,
the Word in God the Father One,
the Father perfect in the Son. Amen.

Britt says this is a companion hymn to Sunday's hymn, very Trinitarian in its construction, with prayers for help and guidance throughout the day. Exactly what I need right now!

Sunday Lauds Odd Week

2008-06-29T18:54:00.001-07:00

Again I am skipping over a major, major feast, one which overrides the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul, not to mention the start of the Pauline year. I leave those hymns, which look juicy and delicious, for another time, possibly next year at this time, at the close of the Pauline year. I did start the year of St. Paul off right by taking my family to the Cathedral of St. Paul, MN for mass this morning, where we were treated to Gregorian Chant, regal organ and trumpet, Proulx's Antiphon: Let all the world and Palestrina's Tu Es Petrus.

But in the interest of finishing the Morning Hymns for Ordinary Time so I can start on the Vespers hymns, here is Aeterna rerum conditor (to be followed tomorrow by Splendor paternae gloriae).

Ætérne rerum cónditor,
Eternal maker of the world,
noctem diémque qui regis,
who rules both the night and day,
et témporum das témpora,
and gives a variety of seasons
ut álleves fastídium;
to relieve monotony!

Maker of all, eternal King,
who day and night about dost bring:
who weary mortals to relieve,
dost in their times the seasons give:

2. Præco diéi iam sonat,
The herald of the day (the rooster)sends forth his cry
noctis profúndæ pérvigil,
always watchful through the depths of night
noctúrna lux viántibus
a nocturnal light to wayfarers,
a nocte noctem ségregans.
separating watch from watch

2. Now the shrill cock proclaims the day,
and calls the sun's awakening ray,
the wandering pilgrim' guiding light,
that marks the watches night by night.

3. Hoc excitátus lúcifer
While he sings, the awakened morning star
solvit polum calígine,
scatters the darkness of the heavens
hoc omnis errónum chorus
all the multitude of vagabonds
vias nocéndi déserit.
abandon their deeds of violence.

3. Roused at the note, the morning star
heav'n's dusky veil uplifts afar:
night's vagrant bands no longer roam,
but from their dark ways hie them home.

4. Hoc nauta vires cólligit
While he sings, the sailor gathers new strength,
pontíque mitéscunt freta,
the raging of the sea subsides:
hoc ipse Petra Ecclésiæ
while he sings, the very Rock of the Church
canénte culpam díluit.
washes away his sin.

4. The encouraged sailor's fears are óer,
the foaming billows rage no more:
Lo! éen the very Church's Rock
melts at the crowing of the cock.

7. Iesu, labántes réspice,
O Jesus, look with compassion upon the wavering
et nos vidéndo córrige,
and correct us with Thy look (as Thou didst correct Peter)
si réspicis, lapsus cadunt
if Thou dost but look, our sins vanish,
fletúque culpa sólvitur.
and our guilt is washed away by our tears.

7. Look in us, Jesu, when we fall,
and with Thy look our souls recall:
if Thou but look, our sins are gone,
and with due tears our pardon won.

8. Tu lux refúlge sénsibus,
O Light, shine Thou into our hearts,
mentísque somnum díscute,
dispel the lethargy of the soul;
te nostra vox primum sonet
may our voice first praise Thee,
et vota solvámus tibi.
and to Thee may we pay our vows.

8. Shed through our hearts Thy piercing ray,
our soul's dull slumber drive away:
Thy Name be first on every tongue,
to Thee our earliest praises sung.

9. Sit, Christe, Rex piíssime,
tibi Patríque gloria
cum Spíritu Paráclito,
in sempitérna saécula. Amen.

9. All laud to God the Father be;
all praise, Eternal Son, to Thee;
all glory, as is ever meet,
to God the Holy Paraclete. Amen.

You may notice that the numbering of the verses above skips from 4 to 7. This is due to the two other verses, which the Liber Hymnarius leaves out, but which were included in Britt:

[5. Surgamus ergo strenue!
Let us therefore arise with alacrity;
Gallus iacentes excitat,
the cock awakens the sleepers,
et somnolentos increpat,
chides the drowsy
Gallus negantes arguit.
and rebukes the unwilling.

5. O let us then like men arise;
the cock rebukes our slumbering eyes,
bestirs who still in sleep would lie,
and shames who would their Lord deny.

6. Gallo canente spes redit,
At the crowing of the cock, hope returns;
aegris salus refunditur,
health is restored to the sick;
mucro latronis conditur,
the sword of the robber is sheathed;
lapsis fides revertitur.
confidence returns to the fallen.

6. New hope his clarion note awakes,
sickness the feeble frame forsakes,
the robber sheathes his lawless sword,
faith to fallen is restored. ]

When I have time, I like to sing all nine verses. As Britt says: "The Aeterne reum Conditor, though written on so simple a subject as cock-crowing, is on the of the most beautiful hymns in the Breviary." He goes on to point out that the rooster (which I have highlighted in red everytime he is mentioned in the hymn) is a symbol of the preacher who proclaims the gospel.

Saturday Lauds Even Week

2008-06-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

Diéi luce réddita,
Day's light having been restored
lætis gratísque vócibus
and by glad thanks of our voices
Dei canámus glóriam,
let us sing the glory of God
Christi faténtes grátiam.
confessing the grace of Christ.

2. Per quem creátor ómnium
During which the creator of all things
diem noctémque cóndidit,
day and night has made
ætérna lege sánciens
having sanctioned by eternal law
ut semper succédant sibi.
that they would always follow each other.

3. Tu vera lux fidélium,
You are the true light of faith
quem lex vetérna non tenet,
which the long-established law does not hold
noctis nec ortu súccidens,
nor undercutting the night by rising
ætérno fulgens lúmine.
the light forever shining.

4. Præsta, Pater ingénite,
Grant, Father engendered(?)
totum ducámus iúgiter
that we may lead continually all
Christo placéntes hunc diem
pleasing to Christ this day
Sancto repléti Spíritu. Amen.
filled with the Holy Spirit.

Big party today. Didn't have time to make much sense of this. I may come back to it....

Friday Lauds Even Week, Revisited

2008-06-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

I almost finished a roofing project on my garage before the heavy rain hit. So I thought I would revisit the hymn Deus, qui caeli lumen es which was the very first hymn I tackled. I wasn't very satisfied with my understanding of the hymn when I sang it this morning, so I looked around a bit more and found this hymn in Early Christian Hymns by A. S. Walpole. He says the hymn was written by Flavius, bishop of Chalon-sur-Saone (d. 591). I found another reference which says it was a Gallican (written in the land of Gaul, now modern France) hymn, "written in the style of Ambrose" (like most of these hymns we have talked about).

I will revisit some of the vocabulary in this hymn with the help of Walpole and others. Revisions are in bold.

1. Deus qui cæli lumen es
God who are the lamp of heaven
satórque lucis, qui polum
and sower of light, who the sky
patérno fultum bráchio
firmly set upon your fatherly arm
præclára pandis déxtera.
you stretch out by your splendid right hand

2. Auróra stellas iam tegit
The sunrise hides the stars
rubrum sustóllens gúrgitem,
red (sea?) rising up flood
uméctis atque flátibus
humid and breathing(?)
terram baptízans róribus.
drenching the earth with dew

Iam noctis umbra línquitur,
So the shadows of the night dissolve
polum calígo déserit,
the darkness of the sky departs
typúsque Christi, lúcifer
and a model of Christ, the Day-star (Venus?)
diem sopítum súscitat.
awakens the day from its slumber

Dies diérum tu, Deus,
Day of days, you, God,
lucísque lumen ipse es,
and you yourself are the light of all lights
Unum potens per ómnia,
One almighty over all things
potens in unum Trínitas.
almighty Trinity residing in one

Te nunc, Salvátor, quaésumus
You now Savior, we ask
tibíque genu fléctimus,
and to you we bend the knee
Patrem cum Sancto Spíritu
to the Father with the Holy Spirit
totis laudántes vócibus. Amen.
be the praises of all voices.

Stanza 2 still boggles me. The page is missing from Google books Walpole that could help me with that!

Is there anyone out there who could help me?

Thursday Lauds Even Week

2008-06-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

Iam lucis orto sídere,
The star of light being now risen,
Deum precémur súpplices,
let us humbly beseech God,
ut in diúrnis áctibus
that in our daily actions
Nos servet a nocéntibus.
He may keep us from all harm.

Now in the sun's new dawning ray,
lowly of heart, our God we pray
that He from harm may keep us free
in all the deeds this day shall see.

Linguam refrénans témperet,
Bridling, may He restrain the tongue,
ne litis horror ínsonet,
lest the jarring discord of strife resound;
visum fovéndo cóntegat,
may He lovingly veil our sight
ne vanitátes háuriat.
lest it drink in vanities.

May fear of Him our tongues restrain,
lest strife unguarded speech should stain:
His favoring care our guardian be,
lest our eyes feed on vanity.

Sint pura cordis íntima,
May the inmost rescesses of the heart be pure,
absístat et vecórdia:
and may folly cease;
carnis terat supérbiam
may the pride of the flesh
potus cibíque párcitas.
the sparing use of food and drink wear down.

May every heart be pure from sin,
and folly find no place therein:
scant meed of food, excess denied,
wear down in us the body's pride

Ut cum dies abscésserit,
That when the day has departed,
noctémque sors redúxerit,
and fate has brought back the night,
mundi per abstinéntiam
still pure by virtue of abstinence,
ipsi canámus glóriam.
we may sing His glory.

That when the light of day is gone,
and night in course shall follow on,
we, free from cares the world affords,
may chant the praises that is our Lord's.

Deo Patri sit glória,
eiúsque soli Fílio,
cum Spíritu Paráclito,
in sempitérna saéculum. Amen.

The translation today is all courtesy of Fr. Britt, indeed, this is Hymn #1 in his book. Apparently "Jam lucis orto sidere" was once used at the now-supressed office of Prime. The Catholic Encyclopedia describes the origin of the Office of Prime:

We learn further from Cassian the reason that led to the institution of this office. The office of the night, comprising Matins and Lauds, ended then at sunrise, so that Lauds corresponded to the dawn. After the night offices at Bethlehem, as in the other Palestinian monasteries, the monks might retire to rest. As no other office called them together before Terce, those who were lazy seized the opportunity of prolonging their sleep till nine in the morning, instead of applying themselves to manual work or spiritual reading. To end this abuse, it was decided, in the above monastery, to continue the custom of reposing after the night office, but, to prevent an undue prolongation of sleep, the monks were recalled to choir at the hour of Prime, and after the recital of a few psalms they were to work until Terce (Cassian, "Instit.", III, iv).

Why was Prime supressed? The Vatican II document Sacrosanctum Consilium
state in pargraphs 88 & 89:

88. Because the purpose of the office is to sanctify the day, the traditional sequence of the hours is to be restored so that once again they may be genuinely related to the time of the day when they are prayed, as far as this may be possible. Moreover, it will be necessary to take into account the modern conditions in which daily life has to be lived, especially by those who are called to labor in apostolic works.

89. Therefore, when the office is revised, these norms are to be observed:

a) By the venerable tradition of the universal Church, Lauds as morning prayer and Vespers as evening prayer are the two hinges on which the daily office turns; hence they are to be considered as the chief hours and are to be celebrated as such.

b) Compline is to be drawn up so that it will be a suitable prayer for the end of the day.

c) The hour known as Matins, although it should retain the character of nocturnal praise when celebrated in choir, shall be adapted so that it may be recited at any hour of the day; it shall be made up of fewer psalms and longer readings.

d) The hour of Prime is to be suppressed.

However, the office is still celebrated by Traditional Catholics, especially by those who adhere to the Extrordinary Form of the Mass (also known as the TLM or Traditional Latin Mass.) It is also still celebrated in some form in the Eastern Rite.

Wednesday Lauds Even Week

2008-06-24T19:49:00.000-07:00

Fulgéntis auctor aétheris,
Brilliant founder of the heavens
qui lunam lumen nóctibus,
who the moon as the lamp of the nights
solem diérum cúrsibus
and the sun for the passing of the days
certo fundásti trámite,
you have established in a fixed course

2. Nox atra iam depéllitur
So the murky night is being driven away
mundi nitor renáscitur,
the brilliance of the world is reborn
novúsque iam mentis vigor
and now a fresh liveliness of mind
dulces in actus érigit.
rouses kindly(sweet, pleasant) deeds.

3. Laudes sonáre iam tuas
Let now your praises be uttered
dies relátus ádmonet,
the day in reply reminds (admonishes)
vultúsque cæli blándior
and the more alluring face of the heavens
nostra serénat péctora.
brightens our souls.

4. Vitémus omne lúbricum,
Let us avoid all slippery (deceitful) things
declínet prava spíritus,
let the soul turn aside the perverse
vitam facta non ínquinent,
let deeds not pollute (our) life
linguam culpa non ímplicet;
nor by fault (crime) entwine the tongue

5. Sed, sol diem dum cónficit,
Rather, while the sun causes (accomplishes) day
fides profúnda férveat,
let faith inflame the depths (of us)
spes ad promíssa próvocet,
Let hope call (us) forth (according?)to the promises
Christo coniúngat cáritas.
let love unite (us) in Christ.

6. Præsta, Pater piísime,
Patríque compare Unice,
cum Spíritu Paráclito
regnans per omne saéculum. Amen.

I think I'm starting to get the hang of these hymns. Please correct me if I am wrong!

Tuesday Lauds Even Week

2008-06-23T20:56:00.000-07:00

I know that today is the feast of the Birth of John the Baptist (and you can get some really good info about the Vespers hymns from chantblog. It is the Ut-re-mi hymn. Cool stuff!), but I am on a roll analyzing Lauds hymns for Ordinary Time. If God wills, I will get around to saint's days hymns someday.

Ætérne lucis cónditor,
Eternal creator of light
lux ipse totus et dies,
Light itself wholly and the day
noctem nec ullam séntiens
nor feeling any night
natúra lucis pérpeti,
the nature of light eternal

2. Iam cedit pallens próximo
So the night cedes to the nearing pale dawn
diéi nox advéntui,
of the coming day
obtúndens lumen siderum
striking the light of the stars
adest et clarus lúcifer.
as the gleaming morning star draws near.

3. Iam stratis læti súrgimus
So from our beds rejoicing we arise
grates canéntes et tuas,
and singing your glad thanks
quod cæcam noctem vicerit
for the sun has conquered the dark night
revéctans rursus sol diem.
and carried back the day once again.

4. Te nunc, ne carnis gáudia
You now, no joys in the flesh
blandis subrépant áestibus,
which flattering would sneak up on the passions
dolis ne cedat sáeculi
by the tricks of the age, do not allow
mens nostra, sancta quáesumus.
our minds [to fall?], we ask holy

5. Ira ne rixas próvocet,
Let not violent anger provoke
gulam ne venter íncitet,
nor the belly incite appetite
opum pervértat ne famis,
let not powerful opinion pervert
turpis ne luxus óccupet,
nor base luxury capture

6. Sed firma mente sóbrii,
Rather strengthen the heart with sobriety
casto manéntes córpore
chaste remaining in body
totum fidéli spíritú
completely faithful in spirit
Christo ducámus hunc diem.
let us regard this day with Christ

7. Præsta, Pater piísime,
Patríque compare Unice,
cum Spíritu Paráclito
regnans per omne sáeculum. Amen.

If I have time later, I will try to find out who wrote this very vivid and lengthly morning hymn. I like this one.

Monday Lauds Even Week

2008-06-23T05:05:00.000-07:00

Lucis largítor spléndide,
Generous giver of glimmering light
cuius seréno lúmine
whose serene lamp
post lapsa noctis témpora
after the night time has slipped away
dies refúsus pánditur,
the returning day is spread out

WONDROUS giver of the light!
By whose eternal ray serene,
After the lingering hours of night,
The glory of the morn is seen,

2. Tu verus mundi lúcifer,
Thou true morning star of the world
non is qui parvi síderis
not like the lesser star (the sun)
ventúræ lucis núntius
though herald of the coming Light
angústo fulget lúmine,
scanty shines its narrow light

Bringer of light indeed art thou;
Not like the common sun of day
That o'er the world is rising now
And shining with a narrow ray;

3. Sed toto sole clárior,
But clearer than the entire sun
lux ipse totus et dies,
that entire light itself and the day
intérna nostri péctoris
our inward soul
illúminans præcórdia.
brightening hearts

Nay, brighter than the solar beam,
Thyself the sun and perfect light,
And in the breast thy tender gleam
Illumes with glory pure and bright.

4. Evíncat mentis cástitas
Let chastity of the mind overcome
quæ caro cupit árrogans,
those things the flesh desires amiss
sanctúmque puri córporis
holy and of chaste body
delúbrum servet spíritus.
shrine(temple) the spirit keep

Let not our minds be overcome
By false desire or deed of shame,
And be our hearts a shrine and home
Wherein shall burn thy holy flame.

5. Sit, Christe, rex piísime,
tibi Patrique glória
cum Spíritu Paráclito,
in sempitérna saécula. Amen.

I found the metrical translation of this hymn this morning on Google books. Apparently this hymn was composed by St. Hilary of Potiers in the fourth century. According to Butler's Lives of the Saints (found here at EWTN ) Hilary included this morning hymn and an evening hymn(now lost) in a missive to a daughter, Apra (he was married before his conversion). The letter to Apra implores her to choose a life of virginity over married life.

The translation, published by Daniel Joseph Donohoe in 1908, contains two other verses between the present vss 3 and 4, and a different verse in place of the doxology.

Another translation is given here at CCEL.

Sunday Lauds Even Week

2008-06-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

mp3

Ecce iam noctis tenuatur umbra
Behold, now the shadows of the night are made thin
lucis aurora rutilans coruscat;
the reddened lights of dawn shimmer
nisibus totis rogitemus omnes
with all effort let us all implore
cunctipotentem,
the Omnipotent One

Lo! the dim shadows of the night are waning;
radiantly glowing, dawn of day returneth;
fervent in spirit, to the mighty Father
pray we devoutly.

Ut Deus, nostri miseratus, omnem
That God, our compassionate benefactor, all
pellat angorem, tribuat salutem,
anxiety may banish, may grant salvation
donet et nobis pietate patris
and give to us in his loving, Fatherly goodness
regna polorum.
heavenly kingdoms.

So shall our Maker, of His great compassion,
banish all sickness, kindly health bestowing;
and may He grant us, of a Father's goodness,
mansions in heaven.

Praestet hoc nobis Deitas beata
May the blessed Deity fulfill this for us
Patris ac Nati, pariterque Sancti
Father and Son, and equally the Holy
Spiritus, cuius resonat per omnem
Spirit, whose glory resounds throughtout
gloria mundum. Amen.
the whole world.

This He vouchsafe us, God for ever blessed,
Father eternal, Son, and Holy Spirit,
Whose is the glory which through all creation
ever resoundeth. Amen.
Pope St. Gregory the Great(540-604), Tr. by M.J. Blacker

After a week of all Ambrosian meter (8.8.8.8), it is a change to finally hit "Sapphic and Adonic" meter. Sapphic and Adonic translates in to 11.11.11.5 for a hymn tune. There are not many English hymns written in this meter (such as Father we thank thee who hast planted) but many old Greek and Latin poems use it, and so many medieval hymns like this one are written this way. Poets.org says this about Sapphic and Adonic:

The strict meter of the sapphic, with its starts and stops, creates a powerful
emotion that the language of the poem intensifies. Starting with a stressed
syllable, as opposed to the familiar iambic foot that begins on an unstressed
syllable, provides a sense of forcefulness and urgency to the sapphic, while the
extra unstressed syllable at the core of the first three lines, offers a pause,
or caesura, within the driving movement. The short fourth line may offer either
a rest or a quick turn to the poem, or even an opportunity for conclusion, as
with the final two lines of a Shakespearean sonnet.

That last short line is called an Adonic. The word "Sapphic" comes from the Greek poet Sappho, who either invented or refined this meter. She is a one of the few of ancient Greek female poets. She lived on the island of Lesbos. She was later parodied as being a promiscous lesbian, which historically is probably not accurate, but the modern word "lesbian" takes its meaning from the island where Sappho lived based on those ribald parodies. Seems like everyone remembers the pop culture references and not the real story.

Anyways, a lot of hymns for the Office of Readings are written in this meter. I am anxious to get to analyzing hymns for the Office of Readings, but first I have one more week of Lauds hymns, followed by two weeks of Vespers hymn analysis. Then I can start the OR hymns.

Saturday Lauds Odd Week

2008-06-21T11:23:00.000-07:00

Auróra iam spargit polum:
The dawn now sprinkles the sky
terris dies illábitur:
the day flows over the earth
lucis resúltat spículum:
the rays of light mount on high
discédat omne lúbricum.
Let all deceit depart

THE DAWN is sprinkling in the east
its golden shower, as day flows in;
fast mount the pointed shafts of light:
farewell to darkness and to sin!

Iam vana noctis décidant,
Now let the vain things of night pass away
mentis reátus súbruat,
let guilt of soul depart
quicquid tenébris hórridum
whatever frightful thing of darkness
nox áttulit culpae, cadat,
the night has brought of guilt, let it fall,

Away, ye midnight phantoms all!
Away, despondence and despair!
Whatever guilt the night has brought
now let it vanish into air.

Ut mane illud últimum
So that on that last morning
quod praestolámur cérnui,
which we await bowing
in lucem nobis éffluat,
in light to us may it flow
dum hoc canóre cóncrepat.
while this song sounds on.

So, Lord, when that last morning breaks,
looking to which we sigh and pray,
O may it to Thy minstrels prove
the dawning of a better day.

Deo Patri sit glória,
eiúsque soli Fílio,
cum Spíritu Paráclito,
in sempitérna saécula. Amen.

To God the Father glory be,
and to His sole-begotten Son;
Glory, O Holy Ghost, to Thee,
while everlasting ages run. Amen.

Attributed to St. Ambrose (350-397).
Translation by Fr. Edward Caswall (1814-1878).

I like this metric translation today. Once again, St. Ambrose of Milan probably did not write this hymn, it is just written in his style (see yesterday's post.)

Fr. Britt, on page 72 of his book on Hymns of the Breviary, has the following analysis of the third stanza:

"That on that last morning, together with the light, that which we here humbly
pray for, and what accords with our song, may issue forth (come) to us."
Constr.: Ut cum luce (æterna) mane (illud) untimum nobis effluat, quod nos
hic, dum hoc canore concrepat, deprecamur ceruni. THis stanza is very
obscure. It seems to contain a reference to the present morning, and to the last
morning--at the end of time. In this sense it might be rendered: "While the
present morning resounds with song (canore), we here with profound
humility beg (deprecamur cernui) that the last morning may also dawn
(effluat) for us with light eternal." Abp. Bagshawe translates mane
ultimum as referring to Saturday--"On this morn of the week the last." The
following is from an anonymous translation in the Hymnal Noted:

So that last morning dread and great,
Which we with trembling hope await,
With blessed light for us shall glow,
Who chant the song we sang below.

Friday Lauds Odd Week

2008-06-19T08:01:00.000-07:00

One of the things that jazzes me about singing these hymns is their antiquity. Christians were singing today's hymn, composed either by Ambrose, bishop of Milan(or in the style of Ambrose), back before the printing press was invented, the fifth century.

Fr. Britt calls this hymn "Ambrosian" because of its meter: iambic dimeter (two iambs or emphasized syllables in each line). Hymn-tune scholars also classify these hymns by the number of syllables in each line. They would call this L.M. (Long Meter) or 8.8.8.8 because the hymn has four lines of 8 syllables each. [That means you could presumably sing this hymn to any tune in your hymnal that is marked "L.M." For example: O Salutaris Hostia or Jesu Dulcis Memoria are examples of hymns written in this meter. If you don't have a tune to sing today's hymn, try one of these.]

Ambrose the bishop of Milan used to write hymns in this meter to help his people remember truths of the Faith to battle the Arians. Most of the so-called Ambrosian hymns were really not written by Ambrose, they just have the same meter as all the hymns he wrote.

If you look up Ambrosian Hymnography in the online Catholic Encyclopedia, you find that scholars have classified about ninety-some hymns as Ambrosian. Out of these, the opinions vary as to how many Ambrose acutally penned: some say only four, some twelve, and some eighteen. Today's hymn appears on none of those lists, so it was probably not really written by Ambrose, just by someone who imitated his style. It's still a great hymn.

Æterna cæli glória
Eternal glory of heaven
beáta spes mortálium
blessed hope of mortals,
celsi Paréntis Unice
Only-begotten son of the Highest
castéque proles Vírginis:
the offspring of a chaste Virgin:

O CHRIST, whose glory fills the heaven,
our only hope, in mercy given;
Child of a Virgin meek and pure;
Son of the Highest evermore:

2. Da déxteram surgéntibus,
Give thy right hand to those who rise;
exsúrgat et mens sóbria
sober also may the soul arise
flagrans et in laudem Dei
and zealous in the praise of God
grates repéndat débitas.
return him due thanks.

Grant us Thine aid Thy praise to sing,
as opening days new duties bring;
that with the light our life may be
renewed and sanctified by Thee.

3. Ortus refúlget lúcifer,
The risen morning star shines forth,
ipsámque lucem núntiat,
and announces the Light Himself
cadit calígo nóctium,
the darkness of night disappears;
lux sancta nos illúminet.
may the holy light illuminate us.

The morning star fades from the sky,
the sun breaks forth; night's shadows fly:
O Thou, true Light, upon us shine:
our darkness turn to light divine.

4. Manénsque nostris sénsibus
And dwelling in our hearts
noctem repéllat saéculi
may it dispel the darkness of the world
omníque fine témporis
and till the end of time
purgáta servet péctora.
may it preserve our hearts unsullied.

Within us grant Thy light to dwell:
and from our souls dark sins expel;
Cleanse Thou our minds from stain of ill,
and with Thy peace our bosoms fill.

5. Qæsíta iam primum fides
First may faith long-sought
radícet altis sénsibus,
root itself in our nourished hearts;
secúnda spes congáudeat,
secondly, may hope rejoice us;
tunc maior exstat cáritas.
but greater still than these is charity.

To us strong faith forever give,
with joyous hope, in Thee to live;
That life's rough way may ever be
made strong and pure by charity.

6. Sit, Christe, rex piíssime,
tibi Patríque glória,
cum Spíritu Paráclito,
in sempitérna saécula. Amen.

All laud to God the Father be;
All praise, Eternal Son, to Thee;
All glory, as is ever meet,
to God the Holy Paraclete.

The interlinear English today is generally straight out of Britt, as is the metrical translation by John Julian (1839-1913). Several lines vary from the Pre-V2 version though:
line 3 in Stanza 1 used to be "Summi Tonantis Unice" or Son of the most high Thunderer.
line 2 in Stanza 3 used to be "Præitque solem nuntius" or and as a herald precedes the sun.
line 3 in Stanza 3 used to be "Cadunt tenebræ noctium" or the shadows of the night disappear
line 2 in Stanza 5 used to be "In corde radices agat" or strike deep its roots in our hearts;
line 4 in Stanza 5 had "Qua" for "tunc", which I can't see how it changes the meaning much.

Thursday Lauds Odd Week

2008-06-18T08:15:00.000-07:00

Once again The Hymns of the Breviary and Missal by Fr. Matthew Britt, O.S.B has a metric (and rhymed) translation of today's hymn Sol ecce surgit ígneus. But there is a problem. According to Fr. Britt, the hymn has a different title: Lux ecce surgit auria (see page 65, hymn #18 in Britt). The first two stanzas have been collapsed into one in the pre-Vatican II version. So I am including a different translation

I found out by reading more carefully that the Odd Tuesday and Wednesday Lauds hymns have a common source. The stanzas are chosen from a longer work entitled Morning Hymn or Hymn at Cock-Crow which is the first of twelve hymns in a larger work called the Cathemerinon, or The Daily Round. That link contains the whole book, with Latin and English translated by R. Martin Pope. That is the source of the metrical, rhyming translation I have included below.

I found an article reviewing a translation of this Prudentius hymn-collection, and here's what it says about Prudentius and his hymns:

Everything known about the life of Aurelius Prudentius Clemens is contained in a 5 verse introduction to his collection of hymns that he published in 405 C.E. When he was 57 years old. Born into a reasonably prosperous Christian family in Spain in 348, Prudentius enjoyed a typical education based on the literature and rhetoric of the classical era. He had a brief career as an advocate and held increasingly responsible positions in the imperial civil service. Tiring of the emptiness of his life, he visited Rome c.401-403. It was while touring Rome, with its combination of monuments both classical and Christian, that Prudentius vowed to spend the remainder of his life writing hymns in praise of God for an audience that was more familiar with the literature of the classical past than with Scripture-based Christianity. Thus, much of the imagery and vocabulary in Prudentius' hymns have more in common with the writings of Virgil and Ovid than the New Testament. Written in conscious imitation of the pagan hymns of Horace, Prudentius' hymns are full of images drawn from the world of nature. Rather than trying to convert his thinly Christianized audience through Scriptural exegesis or christological explanation, Prudentius lets the beauty and interrelated complexity of the natural world draw the mind towards the Creator. In contrast to various systems of gnosticism and Neoplatonism prevalent in his day, Prudentius repeatedly stressed the fact that acceptance of Christianity did not necessitate a rejection of either the created world or the physical body. On the contrary, Prudentius employs a wide variety of images from nature to proclaim God's involvement in the physical world.

This may explain the reference to "bee-glue" or fucis in yesterday's hymn. Looking up the word online reveals that fucus can mean either colored paint, rouge or the glue that bees use to seal up the entrance to their hives. The verse in the hymn says that our senses, smeared over with this substance(which probably symbolizes sin or ignorance or some artifice we use to cover it up), will be purged by Christ the light of the world. Continuing with the article:

The Cathemerinon is a set of twelve hymns included within a much larger collection of hymns by Prudentius. The first six hymns are each written for use at a particular time during the course of the day, thus giving Christians an opportunity to sanctify all the hours of the day.

There is a lot more interesting information in the article, and you should read it despite the fact that it uses the annoying "C.E." in place of "A.D."
-----------------------------
Sol ecce surgit ígneus,
Behold, the sun rises all fiery
piget, pudéscit, paénitet,
it afflicts, shames, makes sorry,
nec teste quisquam lúmine
nor can any witness in this light
peccáre constanter potest.
be able to keep sinning

Soon as the sun rekindles day,
Sin slinks abashed and shamed away
For none can damning light resist
And 'neath its rays in sin persist.

Tandem facéssat caécitas,
and finally let blindness/darkness go away
quæ nosmet in præceps diu
that which we ourselves headlong
lapsos sinístris gréssibus
having slipped/fallen by left(sinister) feet/steps
erróre traxit dévio.
error drags (us) straying

And then at length let darkness flee,
Which all too long held us in fee,
'Mid wildering shadows made us stray
And led in devious tracks our way.

Haec lux serénum cónferat,
May this light serenity bring
purósque nos praestet sibi;
and may it preserve us pure for itself
nihil loquámur súbdolum:
that we may utter nothing deceitful
volvámus obscúrum nihil.
nor roll(meditate) anything dark

We pray Thee, Rising Light serene,
E'en as Thyself our hearts make clean:
Let no deceit our lips defile
Nor let our souls be vexed by guile.

Sic tota decúrrat dies,
Thus may the whole day run its course
ne lingua mendax, ne manus
neither lying tongue nor hand
oculíve peccent lúbrici,
nor inconstant eyes sin
Ne noxa corpus ínquinet.
nor some hurt(sin) stain the body

O keep us, as the hours proceed,
From lying word and evil deed,
Our roving eyes from sin set free,
Our body from impurity.

Speculátor astat désuper,
An Observer assists from above
qui nos diébus ómnibus,
who for all our days
actúsque nostros próspicit
watches our conduct
a luce prima in vésperum.
from first light unto evening

For thou dost from above survey
The converse of each fleeting day:
Thou dost foresee from morning light
Our every deed, until the night.

Deo Patri sit glória,
To God the Father glory be
eiúsque soli Fílio,
and to his only Son
cum Spíritu Paráclito,
with the Spirit Paraclete
nunc et per omne saécula. Amen.
now and through all ages.

THIS IS FUN!!!

Wednesday Lauds Odd Week

2008-06-17T20:50:00.000-07:00

I have some historical information about today's hymn Nox et tenébræ et núbila from The Hymns of the Breviary and Missal by Fr. Matthew Britt, O.S.B.: he says it was written by Prudentius (348-413). I include a metric translation by W. J. Courthope, even though the English meter is different from the Latin, in other words, you can't sing the English to the tune of the Latin.

mp3

Nox et tenébræ et núbila,
Night and shadows and clouds
confúsa mundi et túrbida,
the heavens disordered and troubled
lux intrat, albéscit polus:
light enters, the sky whitens:
Christus venit; discédite.
Christ has come; Depart!

(speaking to Nox et tenébræ et núbila)

DAY is breaking, dawn is bright:
Hence, vain shadows of the night!
Mists that dim our mortal sight,
Christ is come! Depart!

Calígo terræ scínditur
The darkness of the earth is split
percússa solis spículo,
pierced by a ray of the sun
rebúsque iam color redit
color now returns to things
vultu niténtis síderis.
at the appearance of the shining (day-)star

Darkness routed lifts her wings
as the radiance upwards springs:
through the world of wakened things
life and color dart.

Sic nostra mox obscúritas
Thus our darknesses soon
fraudísque pectus cónscium,
and offenses, known in the heart
ruptis retéctum núbibus,
clouds broken, laid bare
regnánte palléscet Deo.
will fade, God reigning

Te, Christe, solum nóvimus,
You alone, O Christ we know
te mente pura et símplici
with pure and simple hearts
rogáre curváto genu
to ask on bended knee
flendo et canéndo díscimus.
with tears and singing we learn

Thee, O Christ, alone we know,
singing even in our woe,
with pure hearts to Thee we go:
on our senses shine!

Inténde nostris sénsibus
Our senses hold out
vitámque totam dispice:
and consider our whole life
sunt multa fucis íllita
they are much smeared over with dye (bee-glue?)
quæ luce purgéntur tua.
by your light shall they be purged

In Thy beams be purged away
all that leads our thoughts astray!
Through our spirits, King of day,
pour Thy light divine!

Sit, Christe, rex piíssime,
tibi Patríque glória
cum Spíritu Paráclito,
in sempitérna saécula. Amen.

Unto God the Father, Son,
Holy Spirit, Three in One,
one in Three, be glory done,
now and evermore. Amen.

Tuesday Lauds Odd Week

2008-06-17T04:36:00.000-07:00

This morning's hymn contains the noun spicula, which as far as I can figure out is an arrow, javelin, or the sharp point of some weapon. Update: In looking at the next day's hymn, I have discovered that spicula refers to a ray of the the sun. I believe that pergrata(very agreeable or pleasant) could be describing spicula or perhaps aurora, so that the opening line could rendered as "The early morning (aurora) heavens report the pleasant ray of the sun" or perhaps "The heavens' pleasant dawn announces the sun's ray." (I am acutely aware that the first verse makes no sense whatsoever(it's better now). I'm trying really hard to make sense of it, but...all I can do at this point is give the raw vocab. Hopefully I am catching the right flavor of the text, but I could be way off.)

Pergráta mundo núntiat
The pleasant heavens report
auróra solis spícula,
the dawn sun's ray
res et colóre véstiens
clothing everything with color
iam cuncta dat nitéscere.
so the thing gives as it begins to shine
(res refers to either spicula or solis?)

2. Qui sol per ævum praénites,
who the sun through time shining before
o Christe, nobis vívidus,
O Christ, to us lively
ad te canéntes vértimur,
to you singing we are turned
te gestiéntes pérfrui.
you exulting to enjoy.

3. Tu Patris es sciéntia
You are knowledge of the Father
Verbúmque per quod ómnia
and the Word through whom all things
miro refúlgent órdine
shines with wonderful order
mentésque nostras áttrahunt.
and attract our minds.

4. Da lucis ut nos fílii
Give us the Son's light that
sic ambulémus ímpigri,
we may walk with eagerness
ut Patris usque grátiam
that the Father's grace (continually?)
mores et actus éxprimant.
habits and action they may express

5. Sincéra præsta ut prófluant
Pure, grant that they may emanate
ex ore nostro iúgiter,
from our mouth continually,
et veritátis dúlcibus
and delightful truths
ut excitémur gáudiis.
that we may awaken with joy.

6. Sit, Christe, rex piísime,
Christ, most loving King
tibi Patríque glória
to you and to the Father be glory
cum Spíritu Paráclito,
with the Spirit Paraclete
in sempitérna saécula. Amen.
unto endless ages.

Friday Lauds Even Week

2008-06-12T08:04:00.000-07:00

I will start with the daily hymns for Ordinary Time. I am arbitrarily starting with Lauds, or Morning Prayer. These are arranged in a two week cycle, so I call them Even and Odd Weeks. Since this is the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time, I will start with the Even Friday hymns.

I am mainly just indicating vocabulary to get a flavor of what the text means. I am not going for a smooth translation, whether literal or otherwise. I don't have the expertise to do that.

For example, the English of the first verse below doesn't even make grammatical sense. But if you are familiar with Psalm 104:2-3 [who coverest thyself with light as with a garment,who hast stretched out the heavens like a tent, who hast laid the beams of thy chambers on the waters] you will get the picture.

1. Deus qui cæli lumen es
God who are the light of heaven
satórque lucis, qui polum
and creator of light, who the sky
patérno fultum bráchio
ancient support your arm
præclára pandis déxtera.
you stretch out your splendid right hand

2. Auróra stellas iam tegit
The sunrise hides the stars
rubrum sustóllens gúrgitem,
red (sea?) rising up flood
uméctis atque flátibus
humid and breathing(?)
terram baptízans róribus.
drenching the earth with dew

Iam noctis umbra línquitur,
So the shadows of the night dissolve
polum calígo déserit,
the darkness of the sky departs
typúsque Christi, lúcifer
and a model of Christ, the Day-star (Venus?)
diem sopítum súscitat.
the day from sleep rouses

Dies diérum tu, Deus,
Day of days, you, God,
lucísque lumen ipse es,
and that light of lights you are
Unum potens per ómnia,
One powerful over all
potens in unum Trínitas.
powerful Three in one

Te nunc, Salvátor, quaésumus
You now Savior, we ask
tibíque genu fléctimus,
and to you we bend the knee
Patrem cum Sancto Spíritu
to the Father with the Holy Spirit
totis laudántes vócibus. Amen.
be the praises of all voices.

Let us sing fitting hymns

2008-06-11T20:41:00.000-07:00

The name of this blog comes from the first verse of the (Pre-1962) hymn for Matins on feasts of the Apostles and Evangelists. (Because today is the Feast of St. Barnabas the Apostle.)

Aeterna Christi munera, .....The eternal gifts of Christ,
Apostolorum gloriam, ..........The glory of the Apostles,
Palmas et hymnos debitos, .Songs of triumph and becoming hymns,
Laetis canamus mentibus. ...Let us sing with joyful hearts.
(translation based on Fr. M. Britt OSB Hymns of the Breviary and Missal

The word debitos is from the verb debeo which according to Fr. Britt's Dictionary of the Psalter (1928) means "to owe, to be indebted" so I suppose it could be translated "fitting," "due," or "appropriate."

I chose the word for the title of this blog because the Church has a fitting, appropriate, becoming, due, or assigned hymn for Christians to sing as part of the Liturgy of the Hours. This blog is where I plan to collect my thoughts and attempts at translating these hymns.

I say "attempts" because I am not really qualified for the task. Granted, I probably know much more Latin than the average person, but I am by no means an expert like, say, Fr. John Zuhlsdorf, author of the continually interesting blog What Does the Prayer Really Say. Back when he was assigned to my parish St. Raphael I used to regularly assault him with questions about what the Latin prayers and hymns really said. He patiently and thoroughly answered them and offered friendly translation advice and an occasional grilling about the ablative absolute. (This was way back when he was watching over the forum at catholic.org, before he ever began wdtprs.com.)

He did acknowledge how difficult hymns in particular can be to translate well. I think this is because:

the syntax can be confusing
the vocabulary can sometimes be obscure
allusions to Holy Scripture, Tradition or classical literature can be difficult to catch

The syntax problem probably happens because hymn writers take liberty in moving words around in order to fit the meter. The vocabulary is obscure due to the writer choosing a more poetic word because of its sound or syllabic qualities. The allusions can be difficult because authors sonetimes seem to have double meanings for phrases in hymns, or more probably because of my ignorance of the content of Tradition and classical literature.

In any case, my desire to understand what I am singing is stronger than my apprehension about the difficulties. Perhaps I will look very amateurish. That's OK with me. I am very open to correction.