Wednesday Office of Readings Odd Week diurno

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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.

Wednesday Office of Readings Even Week diurno

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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.

Wednesday Office of Readings Even Week noctu

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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.

Wednesday Office of Readings Odd Week noctu

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."

Wednesday Vespers Even Week

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.

Wednesday Vespers Odd Week

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.

Wednesday Lauds Even Week

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!

Wednesday Lauds Odd Week

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.

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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.