A Poor Brother's Hymnal
Friday, October 26, 2007
  RORATE coeli desuper
“Drop down, ye heavens, from above.” Isaiah 45:8

Scottish lyrics Modern English translation

RORATE coeli desuper!
Hevins, distil your balmy schouris!
For now is risen the bricht day-ster,
Fro the rose Mary, flour of flouris:
The cleir Sone, quhom no cloud devouris,
Surmounting Phebus in the Est,
Is cumin of his hevinly touris:
Et nobis Puer natus est.

Archangellis, angellis, and dompnationis,
Tronis, potestatis, and marteiris seir,
And all ye hevinly operationis,
Ster, planeit, firmament, and spheir,
Fire, erd, air, and water cleir,
To Him gife loving, most and lest,
That come in to so meik maneir;
Et nobis Puer natus est.

Synnaris be glad, and penance do,
And thank your Maker hairtfully;
For he that ye micht nocht come to
To you is cumin full humbly
Your soulis with his blood to buy
And loose you of the fiendis arrest—
And only of his own mercy;
Pro nobis Puer natus est.

All clergy do to him inclyne,
And bow unto that bairn benyng,
And do your observance divyne
To him that is of kingis King:
Encense his altar, read and sing
In holy kirk, with mind degest,
Him honouring attour all thing
Qui nobis Puer natus est.

Celestial foulis in the air,
Sing with your nottis upon hicht,
In firthis and in forrestis fair
Be myrthful now at all your mycht;
For passit is your dully nicht,
Aurora has the cloudis perst,
The Sone is risen with glaidsum licht,
Et nobis Puer natus est.

Now spring up flouris fra the rute,
Revert you upward naturaly,
In honour of the blissit frute
That raiss up fro the rose Mary;
Lay out your levis lustily,
Fro deid take life now at the lest
In wirschip of that Prince worthy
Qui nobis Puer natus est.

Sing, hevin imperial, most of hicht!
Regions of air mak armony!
All fish in flud and fowl of flicht
Be mirthful and mak melody!
All Gloria in excelsis cry!
Heaven, erd, se, man, bird, and best,—
He that is crownit abone the sky
Pro nobis Puer natus est!

Rorate coeli desuper!
Heavens, distil your balmy showers;
For now is risen the bright Daystar,
From the rose Mary, flower of flowers:
The clear Sun, whom no cloud devours,
Surmounting Phoebus in the east,
Is comen of His heav’nly towers,
Et nobis puer natus est.

Archangels, angels, and dominions,
Tronis, potestatis, and marteiris seir,
And all ye heav'nly operations,
Star, planet, firmament, and sphere,
Fire, earth, air, and water clear,
To Him give loving, most and least,
That come in to so meek manner;
Et nobis Puer natus est.

Sinners be glad, and penance do,
And thank your Maker heartfully;
For He that ye might not come to,
To you is comen, fully humbly,
Your soulès with His blood to buy,
And loose you of the fiend’s arrest,
And only of His own mercy;
Pro nobis puer natus est.

All clergy do to him incline,
And bow unto that bairn benyng,
And do your observance divine
To him that is the King of kings:
Incense his altar, read and sing
In holy church, with mind digest,
Him honouring attour all thing
Qui nobis Puer natus est.

Celestial fowlès in the air,
Sing with your notès upon the height,
In firthès and in forests fair
Be mirthful now at all your might;
For passèd is your dully night;
Aurora has the cloudès pierced,
The sun is risen with gladsome light,
Et nobis puer natus est.

Now spring up flowers from the root,
Revert you upward naturally,
In honour of the blessed fruit
That rose up from the rose Mary;
Lay out your long leaves lustily,
From dead take life now at the least
In worship of that Prince worthy
Qui nobis Puer natus est.

Sing, heaven imperial, most of height,
Regions of air make harmony,
All fish in flood and fowl of flight,
Be mirthful and make melody;
All Gloria in excelsis cry,
Heaven, earth, sea, man, bird and beast;
He that is crowned above the sky
Pro nobis puer natus est.



Rorate coeli desuper
et nubes pluant justum.
Break open, o heavens, from above,
that the clouds might rain down the Just One.
Ne irascaris, Domine!
Ne ultra memineris iniquitatem.
Ecce civitas sancta facta est deserta:
Sion deserta facta est.
Jerusalem desolata facta est.
Domus sanctificationis tua et gloria tua,
et ubi laudaverunt te patres nostri.
Be not angry, Lord,
nor remember any longer our iniquity.
Behold, your holy city has been deserted:
Zion has been deserted.
Jerusalem has been made desolate.
Your house of sanctification and your glory,
where our fathers praised you.
Peccavimus, et facti sumus tamquam immundus nos
Et cecidimus, quasi folium universi
Et iniquitates nostrae quasi ventus abstulerunt nos
Abscondisti faciem tuam a nobis
Et allisisti nos in manu iniquitatis nostrae.
We have sinned, and have been made unclean
and we have fallen, all of us like leaves
and our iniquities blow us about like the wind.
You have hidden your face from us
and abandoned us in the hand of our iniquity.
Vide, Domine, afflictionem populi tui.
et mitte quem missurus es:
emitte Agnum, dominatorem terra,
de petra deserti ad montem filia Sion:
ut auferat ipse jugum captivitatis nostra.
See, O Lord, the affliction of your people,
and send him who is to come:
send the Lamb, the lord of the earth,
from the rock of the desert to the mountain of your daughter Zion:
that he might himself take the yoke of our captivity.
Consolamini, popule meus:
cito veniet salus tua: Quare moerore consumeris
quia innovavit te dolor? Salvabo te,noli timere
Ego enim sum Dominus Deus tuus:
Sanctus Israel, Redemptor tuus.
Be consoled, my people:
your salvation will come quickly: why squander with sorrow,
why does your anguish renew? I will save you: be not afraid.
Indeed I am the Lord your God:
the Holy One of Israel, your Redeemer.

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