Office of Readings Sunday Odd Week noctu

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?