A Poor Brother's Hymnal
Friday, December 28, 2007
Epiphany Hymn
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 5
Outshine the sun's resplendent blaze?
'Tis token sure that God is come
In mortal flesh to make His home.
No courtier of the realms of night
Nor monthly moon's bright acolyte, 10
This star directs the course of day,
Sole sovereign of the heavenly way.
Although the Bears their track retrace,
Nor wholly their clear beams efface,
Yet ofttimes 'neath the dun cloud's haze 15
They hide themselves from mortal gaze.
But yon Star's glory hath no end,
Nor to the depths can it descend:
It ne'er is whelmed by envious cloud
That seeks its beauty to enshroud. 20
Now let the baleful comet die,
The brood of blazing Sirius fly:
God's orb shall quench their sultry heats
And drive them from their haughty seats.
Lo! from the regions of the morn 25
Wherein the radiant sun is born,
The Persian sages see on high
God's ensign shining in the sky.
Soon as its rising beams prevail
The starry hosts in order pale: 30
E'en Lucifer durst not upraise
The silvery splendours of his face.
Who is this sovereign (they enquire)
That lords it o'er the ethereal choir?
'Fore whom the heavens bow down afraid, 35
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. 40
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.
To him 'twas given his progeny 45
As stars innumerous to see:
First of believers! moved to slay
His only son, so God to obey.
Behold the Flower of David shine,
Of Jesse's root the Branch benign: 50
The sceptre spread with blossoms rare
Wields o'er the world its lordship fair.
Roused by the portent of the sky
The sages fix their gaze on high,
And speed them 'neath the furrowed way 55
Marked by the star's effulgent ray.
At length its flaming steps it stayed
Poised over where the Child was laid:
Straightway with downcast mien it shed
Its splendours on the sacred Head. 60
Whereat the travellers outpour
Of Eastern gifts their treasure-store,
Myrrh and sweet-smelling frankincense,
Gold meet for regal opulence.
Behold herein the triple sign 65
Of Thy pure being, King divine:
Seeing the Father willed in Thee
To plant a threefold majesty.
The gift of gold thee King proclaims:
Thee God the fragrant incense names: 70
The myrrh declares that Death shall thrust
Within the tomb Thy body's dust.
Ah! that dark sepulchre, whose fold
God's body quenched in death doth hold:
Yet shall He from that durance wake 75
And Death's strong prison-fetters break.
O Bethlehem! no longer thou
The least of cities: all shall vow
That thou art greatest on the earth:
For thou man's King didst bring to birth. 80
Yea thou didst on thy bosom bear
The All-loving Father's only heir:
Man of the Thunderer's Spirit made
And God in human flesh arrayed.
The prophets witnessed to the bond 85
Which sealed to Him the realm profound:
The Father's Kingdom He received
And the vast legacy perceived.
All things are His in sea and sky,
In hell beneath, in heaven on high: 90
From East to setting sun, in fee
He holds the earth's immensity.
Distraught, the tyrant base doth hear
That now the King of Kings draws near
To reign in David's seat of state 95
And Israel's empire dominate.
"Betrayed are we," he maddened cries,
"Our throne's usurper doth arise:
Go, soldiers, go with sword in hand
And slay all babes within my land. 100
"Spare no male child: each nurse's robe
Your scrutinizing steel must probe:
Spare not the suckling infant, though
O'er mother's breast its life-blood flow.
"On Bethlehem our suspicion falls, 105
On every hearth within its walls:
Lest mothers with love's tender zeal
Some manly scion may conceal."
With daggers drawn the infuriate crew
Upon their murderous errand flew: 110
Each latest offspring of the womb
To bloody death they foully doom.
Ah tiny limbs! 'twas hard to know
How best to strike the fatal blow:
Too wide the sword-blades are to smite 115
Those throats so silken-fragile, slight.
O horrid sight! the tender bones
Are dashed against the jagged stones:
Sightless and mangled there they lie,
Poor babes! untimely doomed to die. 120
Perchance the still deep river laves
Their bodies thrust into the waves:
The current with their sighing sighs,
Sobs with their latest, broken cries.
Ye flowers of martyrdom, all hail! 125
Of rising morn pure blossoms frail!
By Jesu's foe were ye downcast,
Like budding roses by the blast.
Lambs of the flock too early slain,
Ye first fruits of Christ's bitter pain! 130
Close to His very altar, gay
With palms and crowns, ye now do play.
Of what avail is deed so vile?
Doth Herod gain by murderous guile?
Of all to death so foully done 135
Escapes triumphant Christ alone.
Amidst that tide of infant gore
Alone He wins the sheltering shore:
The virgin's Child survives the stroke,
When every mother's heart was broke. 140
Thus Moses 'scaped the mad decree
Of evil Pharaoh and set free
The flock of God, prefiguring so
Christ spared from fate's malignant blow.
Vain too the king's hostility 145
Who framed the pitiless decree
That Israel's mothers should not rear
To manhood's strength their offspring dear.
Quickened by love, a woman's mind
Found means to thwart that law unkind, 150
And, falsely true, the child concealed
Destined to be his people's Shield.
On him it was that God did place
The august priesthood's holy grace,
The law on stony tablets writ 155
Did to his trembling hands commit.
And may we not with prophet's eye
In such a hero Christ descry?
The proud Egyptian's might he broke
And freed his kinsmen from the yoke. 160
So we by Error's might hemmed round
Were by our Captain's strength unbound:
His foe He wounded in the fight
And saved us from Death's horrid night.
Cheering by sign of flame their feet, 165
Moses renewed with waters sweet
His folk, albeit purified
From stain, what time they crossed the tide.
And he, remote on peaceful height,
Amalek's banded hosts did smite: 170
He prayed with arms stretched out above,
Foreshadowing the Cross of Love.
Yet truer Jesus surely he,
Who after many a victory
And labours long the tribes' renown 175
With promised heritage did crown;
Who when the waters rose on high
And now the Jordan's bed was dry,
Set up twelve stones of memory,
Types of apostles yet to be. 180
Rightly the Wise Men said, I ween,
That they Judaea's King had seen,
Since noble deeds of other days
Prophetic chant the Saviour's praise.
Of those old rulers He is King 185
Who did to Jacob judgment bring,
King of the Mother Church divine,
God's ancient and God's present Shrine.
Of Ephraim's sons He is adored:
Manasseh's sacred house as Lord 190
Reveres Him: to His might the seed
Of brethren twelve their fealty plead.
Nay, each degenerate race hath fled
Its shameful rites and orgies dread:
Grim Baal in glowing furnace cast 195
Sinks to the earth, forsook at last.
Idols smoke-blackened, wooden-hewn,
Of brass and stone, in dust are strewn:
The chiselled deities downtrod:
For all confess in Christ their God. 200
Rejoice all peoples, Jewry, Rome,
Fair Hellas, Thrace, Aegyptus' home:
Persians and Scythian land forlorn,
Rejoice: the world's great King is born!
Behold your Chief! His praise forth tell: 205
Ye sick, ye hale, all heaven and hell:
Ay, you whose vital spark hath sped:
For lo! in Him e'en Death is dead.
- For the Feast of the Transfiguration, Vespers and Matins [beginning Quicumque Christum quaeritis,] consisting of ll. 1-4, 37-40, 41-44, 85-88.
- For the Epiphany at Lauds, beginning O sola magnarum urbium, ll. 77-80, 5-8, 61-72.
- For the Feast of Holy Innocents at Matins, beginning Audit tyrannus anxius, ll. 93-100, 133-136.
- Also the Feast of Holy Innocents at Lauds, beginning Salvete flores martyrum, ll. 125-132.
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 5
Outshine the sun's resplendent blaze?
'Tis token sure that God is come
In mortal flesh to make His home.
No courtier of the realms of night
Nor monthly moon's bright acolyte, 10
This star directs the course of day,
Sole sovereign of the heavenly way.
Although the Bears their track retrace,
Nor wholly their clear beams efface,
Yet ofttimes 'neath the dun cloud's haze 15
They hide themselves from mortal gaze.
But yon Star's glory hath no end,
Nor to the depths can it descend:
It ne'er is whelmed by envious cloud
That seeks its beauty to enshroud. 20
Now let the baleful comet die,
The brood of blazing Sirius fly:
God's orb shall quench their sultry heats
And drive them from their haughty seats.
Lo! from the regions of the morn 25
Wherein the radiant sun is born,
The Persian sages see on high
God's ensign shining in the sky.
Soon as its rising beams prevail
The starry hosts in order pale: 30
E'en Lucifer durst not upraise
The silvery splendours of his face.
Who is this sovereign (they enquire)
That lords it o'er the ethereal choir?
'Fore whom the heavens bow down afraid, 35
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. 40
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.
To him 'twas given his progeny 45
As stars innumerous to see:
First of believers! moved to slay
His only son, so God to obey.
Behold the Flower of David shine,
Of Jesse's root the Branch benign: 50
The sceptre spread with blossoms rare
Wields o'er the world its lordship fair.
Roused by the portent of the sky
The sages fix their gaze on high,
And speed them 'neath the furrowed way 55
Marked by the star's effulgent ray.
At length its flaming steps it stayed
Poised over where the Child was laid:
Straightway with downcast mien it shed
Its splendours on the sacred Head. 60
Whereat the travellers outpour
Of Eastern gifts their treasure-store,
Myrrh and sweet-smelling frankincense,
Gold meet for regal opulence.
Behold herein the triple sign 65
Of Thy pure being, King divine:
Seeing the Father willed in Thee
To plant a threefold majesty.
The gift of gold thee King proclaims:
Thee God the fragrant incense names: 70
The myrrh declares that Death shall thrust
Within the tomb Thy body's dust.
Ah! that dark sepulchre, whose fold
God's body quenched in death doth hold:
Yet shall He from that durance wake 75
And Death's strong prison-fetters break.
O Bethlehem! no longer thou
The least of cities: all shall vow
That thou art greatest on the earth:
For thou man's King didst bring to birth. 80
Yea thou didst on thy bosom bear
The All-loving Father's only heir:
Man of the Thunderer's Spirit made
And God in human flesh arrayed.
The prophets witnessed to the bond 85
Which sealed to Him the realm profound:
The Father's Kingdom He received
And the vast legacy perceived.
All things are His in sea and sky,
In hell beneath, in heaven on high: 90
From East to setting sun, in fee
He holds the earth's immensity.
Distraught, the tyrant base doth hear
That now the King of Kings draws near
To reign in David's seat of state 95
And Israel's empire dominate.
"Betrayed are we," he maddened cries,
"Our throne's usurper doth arise:
Go, soldiers, go with sword in hand
And slay all babes within my land. 100
"Spare no male child: each nurse's robe
Your scrutinizing steel must probe:
Spare not the suckling infant, though
O'er mother's breast its life-blood flow.
"On Bethlehem our suspicion falls, 105
On every hearth within its walls:
Lest mothers with love's tender zeal
Some manly scion may conceal."
With daggers drawn the infuriate crew
Upon their murderous errand flew: 110
Each latest offspring of the womb
To bloody death they foully doom.
Ah tiny limbs! 'twas hard to know
How best to strike the fatal blow:
Too wide the sword-blades are to smite 115
Those throats so silken-fragile, slight.
O horrid sight! the tender bones
Are dashed against the jagged stones:
Sightless and mangled there they lie,
Poor babes! untimely doomed to die. 120
Perchance the still deep river laves
Their bodies thrust into the waves:
The current with their sighing sighs,
Sobs with their latest, broken cries.
Ye flowers of martyrdom, all hail! 125
Of rising morn pure blossoms frail!
By Jesu's foe were ye downcast,
Like budding roses by the blast.
Lambs of the flock too early slain,
Ye first fruits of Christ's bitter pain! 130
Close to His very altar, gay
With palms and crowns, ye now do play.
Of what avail is deed so vile?
Doth Herod gain by murderous guile?
Of all to death so foully done 135
Escapes triumphant Christ alone.
Amidst that tide of infant gore
Alone He wins the sheltering shore:
The virgin's Child survives the stroke,
When every mother's heart was broke. 140
Thus Moses 'scaped the mad decree
Of evil Pharaoh and set free
The flock of God, prefiguring so
Christ spared from fate's malignant blow.
Vain too the king's hostility 145
Who framed the pitiless decree
That Israel's mothers should not rear
To manhood's strength their offspring dear.
Quickened by love, a woman's mind
Found means to thwart that law unkind, 150
And, falsely true, the child concealed
Destined to be his people's Shield.
On him it was that God did place
The august priesthood's holy grace,
The law on stony tablets writ 155
Did to his trembling hands commit.
And may we not with prophet's eye
In such a hero Christ descry?
The proud Egyptian's might he broke
And freed his kinsmen from the yoke. 160
So we by Error's might hemmed round
Were by our Captain's strength unbound:
His foe He wounded in the fight
And saved us from Death's horrid night.
Cheering by sign of flame their feet, 165
Moses renewed with waters sweet
His folk, albeit purified
From stain, what time they crossed the tide.
And he, remote on peaceful height,
Amalek's banded hosts did smite: 170
He prayed with arms stretched out above,
Foreshadowing the Cross of Love.
Yet truer Jesus surely he,
Who after many a victory
And labours long the tribes' renown 175
With promised heritage did crown;
Who when the waters rose on high
And now the Jordan's bed was dry,
Set up twelve stones of memory,
Types of apostles yet to be. 180
Rightly the Wise Men said, I ween,
That they Judaea's King had seen,
Since noble deeds of other days
Prophetic chant the Saviour's praise.
Of those old rulers He is King 185
Who did to Jacob judgment bring,
King of the Mother Church divine,
God's ancient and God's present Shrine.
Of Ephraim's sons He is adored:
Manasseh's sacred house as Lord 190
Reveres Him: to His might the seed
Of brethren twelve their fealty plead.
Nay, each degenerate race hath fled
Its shameful rites and orgies dread:
Grim Baal in glowing furnace cast 195
Sinks to the earth, forsook at last.
Idols smoke-blackened, wooden-hewn,
Of brass and stone, in dust are strewn:
The chiselled deities downtrod:
For all confess in Christ their God. 200
Rejoice all peoples, Jewry, Rome,
Fair Hellas, Thrace, Aegyptus' home:
Persians and Scythian land forlorn,
Rejoice: the world's great King is born!
Behold your Chief! His praise forth tell: 205
Ye sick, ye hale, all heaven and hell:
Ay, you whose vital spark hath sped:
For lo! in Him e'en Death is dead.
Labels: epiphany, marcus aurelius clemens prudentius
¶ Friday, December 28, 2007 0 comments
Salvete flores Martyrum: All Hail, Ye Infant Martyrs
This hymn has seen several different forms, all ultimately deriving from the Hymn for the Epiphany from Prudentius' (384-413) Cathemerinon, which is 52 stanzas long. In 1568, four short hymns were assembled from selected stanzas from Prudentius' hymn and introduced into the Breviary by Pope Pius V. Two of these hymns, Audit tyrannus anxius and Salvete, flores Martyrum, were assigned for the feast of the Holy Innocents (Dec 28) for Matins and Laudes respectively. With the subsequent revision of the Liturgy of the Hours, these later two hymns were fused into the hymn below which is used at Laudes for the aforementioned feast
This hymn has seen several different forms, all ultimately deriving from the Hymn for the Epiphany from Prudentius' (384-413) Cathemerinon, which is 52 stanzas long. In 1568, four short hymns were assembled from selected stanzas from Prudentius' hymn and introduced into the Breviary by Pope Pius V. Two of these hymns, Audit tyrannus anxius and Salvete, flores Martyrum, were assigned for the feast of the Holy Innocents (Dec 28) for Matins and Laudes respectively. With the subsequent revision of the Liturgy of the Hours, these later two hymns were fused into the hymn below which is used at Laudes for the aforementioned feast | AUDIT tyrannus anxius adesse regum principem, qui nomen Israel regat teneatque David regiam. | WITH terror doth the tyrant hear the King of kings hath come to dwell where David's court shall widely rear A sceptered reign o'er Israel. |
| Exclamat amens nuntio: < | Then cries out, raging at the word: "He comes to stand where we have stood: Hence, soldier, and with ruthless sword deluge the cradles deep with blood!" |
| Quo proficit tantum nefas? Quid crimen Herodem iuvat? Unus tot inter funera impune Christus tollitur. | What profiteth a crime so dread? What hope shall Herod's bosom sway? Alone amidst the thronging dead, The Christ is safely born away! |
| SALVETE, flores martyrum, quos lucis ipso in limine Christi insecutor sustulit ceu turbo nascentes rosas. | ALL hail! ye infant Martyr flowers Cut off in life's first dawning hours: As rosebuds snapt in tempest strife, when Herod sought your Savior's life. |
| Vos prima Christi victima, grex immolatorum tener, aram sub ipsam simplices palma et coronis luditis. | You, tender flock of lambs, we sing, first victims slain for Christ your King: beside the very altar, gay with palms and crowns, ye seem to play. |
| Iesu, tibi sit gloria, qui natus es de Virgine, cum Patre et almo Spiritu, in sempiterna saecula. Amen. | All honor, laud, and glory be, o Jesu, Virgin-born to Thee; all glory, as is ever meet, To Father and to Paraclete. |
| Latin lyrics | English translation |
|---|---|
Salvete flores martyrum, | Ye flowers of martyrdom, all hail! |
| Neale's Translation | Version II |
|---|---|
All hail! ye infant Martyr-flowers, | All hail, ye little martyr flowers, |
| Version III | Version IV |
|---|---|
Sweet flowerets of the martyr band, | Sweet flow'rets of the martyr band, |
Labels: epiphany, marcus aurelius clemens prudentius
¶ Friday, December 28, 2007 0 comments
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
One Small Child
Verses:
Am G Am G / Am C D E
Am G Am G / Am G F Em7 Dm E7 Am
Chorus:
C Csus C Csus / C G Am D G
C Csus C Csus / C G Am D G E
Verses:
Dm C Dm C / Dm F G A
Dm C Dm C / Dm C Bb Am7 Gm A7 Dm
Chorus:
F Fsus F7 Fsus / F C/E Dm G/B C
F Fsus F7 Fsus / F C/E Dm G/B C A
One small child in a land of a thousand.
One small dream of a savior tonight.
One small hand reaching out to the starlight.
One small savior of life. Ooh.
One king bringing his gold and riches.
One king ruling and army of might.
One king kneeling with incense and candlelight.
One king bringing us life. Ooh.
(chorus)
See Him lying, a cradle beneath Him.
See Him smiling in the stall.
See His mother praising the Father.
See His tiny eyelids fall.
See the shepherds kneeling before Him.
See the kings on bended knee.
See the mother praising the Father.
See the blessed infant sleep.
One small child in a land of a thousand.
One small dream of a savior tonight.
One small hand reaching out to the starlight.
One small savior of life.
One small dream of a savior tonight.
One small hand reaching out to the starlight.
One small savior of life. Ooh.
One king bringing his gold and riches.
One king ruling and army of might.
One king kneeling with incense and candlelight.
One king bringing us life. Ooh.
(chorus)
See Him lying, a cradle beneath Him.
See Him smiling in the stall.
See His mother praising the Father.
See His tiny eyelids fall.
See the shepherds kneeling before Him.
See the kings on bended knee.
See the mother praising the Father.
See the blessed infant sleep.
One small child in a land of a thousand.
One small dream of a savior tonight.
One small hand reaching out to the starlight.
One small savior of life.
Verses:
Am G Am G / Am C D E
Am G Am G / Am G F Em7 Dm E7 Am
Chorus:
C Csus C Csus / C G Am D G
C Csus C Csus / C G Am D G E
Verses:
Dm C Dm C / Dm F G A
Dm C Dm C / Dm C Bb Am7 Gm A7 Dm
Chorus:
F Fsus F7 Fsus / F C/E Dm G/B C
F Fsus F7 Fsus / F C/E Dm G/B C A
Labels: David Meece, epiphany, modern
¶ Wednesday, January 17, 2007 0 comments
O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High
Words: Unknown author, 15th Century (Apparuit benignitas); Benjamin Webb translated a cento beginning with O amor quam exstaticus from Latin to English for The Hymnal Noted, 1854.
Music: Deo Gracias, The Agincourt Song, 1415 (MIDI, score). Alternate tunes:
- Canonbury, Robert A. Schumann, 1839 (MIDI, score)
- Eisenach, Johann H. Schein, 1628 (MIDI, score)
- Melcombe, Samuel Webbe, Sr., 1782 (MIDI, score)
If you have access to a photo of Benjamin Webb that we could put online, please click here.
O love, how deep, how broad, how high,
It fills the heart with ecstasy,
That God, the Son of God, should take
Our mortal form for mortals’ sake!
He sent no angel to our race
Of higher or of lower place,
But wore the robe of human frame
Himself, and to this lost world came.
For us baptized, for us He bore
His holy fast and hungered sore,
For us temptation sharp He knew;
For us the tempter overthrew.
For us He prayed; for us He taught;
For us His daily works He wrought;
By words and signs and actions thus
Still seeking not Himself, but us.
For us to wicked men betrayed,
Scourged, mocked, in purple robe arrayed,
He bore the shameful cross and death,
For us gave up His dying breath.
For us He rose from death again;
For us He went on high to reign;
For us He sent His Spirit here,
To guide, to strengthen, and to cheer.
To Him Whose boundless love has won
Salvation for us through His Son,
To God the Father, glory be
Both now and through eternity.
Labels: 15th c., epiphany, Thomas a Kempis
¶ Wednesday, January 17, 2007 0 comments
O Light of Light, Love Given Birth
O light of Light, Love given birth;
Jesus, Redeemer of the Earth:
more bright than day your face did show,
Your reiment whiter than the show.
Two prophets, who had faith to see,
with your elect found company;
the heavens aboveyour glory names,
your Father's voice His Son proclaimed.
May all who seek to praise aright
through purer lives show forth Your light
To You, the King of glory, now
all faithful hearts adoring bow.
Jesus, Redeemer of the Earth:
more bright than day your face did show,
Your reiment whiter than the show.
Two prophets, who had faith to see,
with your elect found company;
the heavens aboveyour glory names,
your Father's voice His Son proclaimed.
May all who seek to praise aright
through purer lives show forth Your light
To You, the King of glory, now
all faithful hearts adoring bow.
Labels: 10th c., epiphany, latin
¶ Wednesday, January 17, 2007 0 comments
O Light of Light, by Love Inclined
O Light of light, by love inclined,
Jesus, Redeemer of mankind,
with loving-kindness deign to hear
from suppliant voices praise and prayer.
Thou who to raise our souls from hell
didst deign in fleshly form to dwell,
vouchsafe us, when our race is run,
in thy fair body to be one.
More bright than day thy face did show,
thy raiment whiter than the snow,
when on the mount to mortals blest
man's maker thou was manifest.
Two prophets, that had faith tosee,
with thine elect found company,
where unto each, divinely shown,
the Godhead veiled in form was known.
The heavens above his glory named,
the Father's voice his Son proclaimed;
to whom, the King of glory now,
all faithful hearts adoring bow.
May all who seek thy praise aright
through purer lives show forth thy light;
so to the brightness of the skies
by holy deeds our hearts shall rise.
Eternal God, to thee we raise,
the King of kings, our hymn of praise,
who Three in One and One in Three
doth live and reign eternally.
Words: Latin, tenth century;
trans. Laurence Housman, 1906
O Light of light, by love inclined
Jesus, Redeemer of mankind,
with loving-kindness deign to hear
from suppliant voices praise and prayer.
Thou who to raise our souls from hell
didst deign in fleshly form to dwell,
vouchsafe us, when our race is run,
in thy fair body to be one.
More bright than day thy face did show,
thy raiment whiter than the snow,
when on the mount to mortals blest
man's maker thou was manifest.
Two prophets, that had faith tosee,
with thine elect found company,
where unto each, divinely shown,
the Godhead veiled in form was known.
The heavens above his glory named,
the Father's voice his Son proclaimed;
to whom, the King of glory now,
all faithful hearts adoring bow.
May all who seek thy praise aright
through purer lives show forth thy light;
so to the brightness of the skies
by holy deeds our hearts shall rise.
Eternal God, to thee we raise,
the King of kings, our hymn of praise,
who Three in One and One in Three
doth live and reign eternally.
Words: Latin, tenth century;
trans. Laurence Housman, 1906
Music: Whitehall, Elmhust, Jesu dulcis memoria
Meter: LM
Labels: 10th c., epiphany, latin
¶ Wednesday, January 17, 2007 0 comments
When Christ's Appearing Was Made Known
When Christ's appearing was made known
King Herod tembled for his throne;
but He who offers heavenly birth
sought not the kingdoms of this Earth
The Eastern sages saw from far
And followed on his guiding star;
by light their way to Light they trod
and by their gifts confessed their God
Within the Jordan's sacred flood
the heavenly Lamb in meekness stood,
that He, to whom no sin was known
Might cleanse His people from their own
Oh, what a miracle divine,
when water reddened into wine!
He spoke the word, and forth it flowed
in streams that nature ne'er bestowed.
All glory, Jesus, be to Thee
for this Thy glad epiphany:
whom with the Father we adore
and Holy Ghost forevermore.
King Herod tembled for his throne;
but He who offers heavenly birth
sought not the kingdoms of this Earth
The Eastern sages saw from far
And followed on his guiding star;
by light their way to Light they trod
and by their gifts confessed their God
Within the Jordan's sacred flood
the heavenly Lamb in meekness stood,
that He, to whom no sin was known
Might cleanse His people from their own
Oh, what a miracle divine,
when water reddened into wine!
He spoke the word, and forth it flowed
in streams that nature ne'er bestowed.
All glory, Jesus, be to Thee
for this Thy glad epiphany:
whom with the Father we adore
and Holy Ghost forevermore.
Labels: 5th c., Caelius Sedulius, epiphany, Neale
¶ Wednesday, January 17, 2007 0 comments
Earth Has Many A Noble City
 Edward Caswall (1814-1878) | Words: Aurelius Prudentius (348-413) (O sola magnarum urbium); translated from Latin to English by Edward Caswall, Lyra Catholica, 1849. Music: Stuttgart, in Psalmodia Sacra, by Christian F. Witt (Gotha, Germany: 1715); adapted by Henry J. Gauntlett (1805-1876) (MIDI, score). If you have access to a picture of Aurelius Prudentius or Christian Witt that we could put online, please click here. |
Earth has many a noble city;
Bethlehem, thou dost all excel;
Out of thee the Lord from Heaven
Came to rule His Israel.
Fairer than the sun at morning
Was the star that told His birth,
To the world its God announcing
Seen in fleshly form on earth.
Eastern sages at His cradle
Make oblations rich and rare;
See them give, in deep devotion,
Gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Sacred gifts of mystic meaning:
Incense doth their God disclose,
Gold the King of kings proclaimeth,
Myrrh His sepulcher foreshows.
Jesu, whom the Gentiles worshipped
At Thy glad Epiphany,
Unto Thee, with God the Father
And the Spirit, glory be.
This hymn is composed of four verses from the Hymn for the Epiphany from Prudentius' (384-413) Cathemerinon, which is 52 stanzas long. In 1568, four short hymns were assembled from selected stanzas from Prudentius' hymn and introduced into the Breviary by Pope Pius V. This hymn is one of them and is used in the Roman Breviary at Lauds on Epiphany.
From the Roman Breviary. Translation by Fr. Edward Caswall (1814-1878).
Bethlehem, thou dost all excel;
Out of thee the Lord from Heaven
Came to rule His Israel.
Fairer than the sun at morning
Was the star that told His birth,
To the world its God announcing
Seen in fleshly form on earth.
Eastern sages at His cradle
Make oblations rich and rare;
See them give, in deep devotion,
Gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Sacred gifts of mystic meaning:
Incense doth their God disclose,
Gold the King of kings proclaimeth,
Myrrh His sepulcher foreshows.
Jesu, whom the Gentiles worshipped
At Thy glad Epiphany,
Unto Thee, with God the Father
And the Spirit, glory be.
This hymn is composed of four verses from the Hymn for the Epiphany from Prudentius' (384-413) Cathemerinon, which is 52 stanzas long. In 1568, four short hymns were assembled from selected stanzas from Prudentius' hymn and introduced into the Breviary by Pope Pius V. This hymn is one of them and is used in the Roman Breviary at Lauds on Epiphany.
| O SOLA magnarum urbium maior Bethlehem, cui contigit ducem salutis caelitus incorporatum gignere. | BETHLEHEM! of noblest cities none can once with thee compare; thou alone the Lord from heaven didst for us Incarnate bear. |
| Haec stella, quae solis rotam vincit decore ac lumine, venisse terris nuntiat cum carne terrestri Deum. | Fairer than the sun at morning was the star that told His birth; to the lands their God announcing, hid beneath a form of earth. |
| Videre postquam illum Magi, eoa promunt munera: stratique votis offerunt thus, myrrham, et aurum regium. | By its lambent beauty guided, see the eastern kings appear; see them bend, their gifts to offer- gifts of incense, gold, and myrrh. |
| Regem Deumque annuntiant thesaurus, et fragrans odor thuris Sabaei, ac myrrheus pulvis sepulchrum praedocet. | Solem things of mystic meaning!- Incense doth the God disclose; Gold a royal Child proclaimeth; Myrrh a future tomb foreshows. |
| Iesu, tibi sit gloria, qui apparuisti gentibus, cum Patre, et almo Spiritu, in sempiterna saecula. | Holy Jesu, in Thy brightness to the Gentile world displayed, with the Father and the Spirit, endless praise to Thee be paid. |
From the Roman Breviary. Translation by Fr. Edward Caswall (1814-1878).
Labels: 4th c., epiphany, marcus aurelius clemens prudentius
¶ Wednesday, January 17, 2007 0 comments
Alleluia, Song of Gladness
1. Alleluia dulce carmen,
Vox perennis gaudii,
Alleluia laus suavis
Est choris coelestibus,
Quam canunt Dei manentes
In domo per saecula.
2. Alleluia laeta mater
Concivis Jerusalem:
Alleluia vox tuorum
Civium gaudentium:
Exsules nos flere cogunt
Babylonis flumina.
3. Alleluia non meremur
In perenne psallere;
Alleluia vo reatus
Cogit intermittere;
Tempus instat quo peracta
Lugeamus crimina.
4. Unde laudando precamur
Te beata Trinitas,
Ut tuum nobis videre
Pascha des in aethere,
Quo tibi laeti canamus
Alleluia perpetim.
| Words: Unknown author, 11th Century (Alleluia, dulce carmen); translated from Latin to English by John M. Neale, 1851, alt. Music: Tantum Ergo Samuel Webbe, Motetts or Antiphons, 1792 (MIDI, score). If you have access to a picture of Samuel Webbe that we could put online, please click here. |  John M. Neale (1818-1866) |
|  |
1. Alleluia dulce carmen,
Vox perennis gaudii,
Alleluia laus suavis
Est choris coelestibus,
Quam canunt Dei manentes
In domo per saecula.
2. Alleluia laeta mater
Concivis Jerusalem:
Alleluia vox tuorum
Civium gaudentium:
Exsules nos flere cogunt
Babylonis flumina.
3. Alleluia non meremur
In perenne psallere;
Alleluia vo reatus
Cogit intermittere;
Tempus instat quo peracta
Lugeamus crimina.
4. Unde laudando precamur
Te beata Trinitas,
Ut tuum nobis videre
Pascha des in aethere,
Quo tibi laeti canamus
Alleluia perpetim.
Labels: 11th c., epiphany, latin, Neale
¶ Wednesday, January 17, 2007 0 comments
As With Gladness Men of Old
 William C. Dix (1837-1898) | Words: William C. Dix, 1860. He wrote this hymn on the day of the Epiphany, while sick in bed; it was first published in his Hymns of Love and Joy. Music: Dix, Konrad Kocher, Stimmen aus dem Reiche Gottes, 1838 (MIDI, score). |  Conrad Kocher (1786-1872) |
| As with gladness, men of old Did the guiding star behold As with joy they hailed its light Leading onward, beaming bright So, most glorious Lord, may we Evermore be led to Thee. As with joyful steps they sped To that lowly manger bed There to bend the knee before Him Whom Heaven and earth adore; So may we with willing feet Ever seek Thy mercy seat. As they offered gifts most rare At that manger rude and bare; So may we with holy joy, Pure and free from sin’s alloy, All our costliest treasures bring, Christ, to Thee, our heavenly King. Holy Jesus, every day Keep us in the narrow way; And, when earthly things are past, Bring our ransomed souls at last Where they need no star to guide, Where no clouds Thy glory hide. In the heavenly country bright, Need they no created light; Thou its Light, its Joy, its Crown, Thou its Sun which goes not down; There forever may we sing Alleluias to our King! |
Labels: epiphany
¶ Wednesday, January 17, 2007 0 comments
I Come, the Great Redeemer Cries
"I come," the great Redeemer cries,
"To do thy will, O Lord!"
At Jordan's stream, behold!
He seals the sure prophetic word.
"Thus it becomes to fulfill
all righteousness," he said.
Then, faithful to the Lord's commands,
through Jordan's flood was led.
Hark, a glad voice! The Father speaks
from heaven's exalted height:
"This is my Son, my well-beloved
in whom I take delight."
The Savior Jesus, well-beloved!
His Name we will profess,
like him desirous to fulfill
God's will in righteousness.
No more we'll count ourselves our own
but his in bonds of love.
Oh, may such bonds for ever draw
our souls to things above!.
Words: Christian Hymnbook, 1865,
as alt. in The Hymnal 1982.
If you have the original version, please write.
as alt. in The Hymnal 1982.
If you have the original version, please write.
Music: This Endris Nyght
Labels: epiphany
¶ Wednesday, January 17, 2007 0 comments