Advent
CHRISTE, PRECAMUR ANNUE
By Ennodius, Bishop of Pavia. (See p. 32.)
I
To Thee, O Christ, our prayers shall rise,
With tears of sorrow blending;
Come for our help Thou Holy One,
On our dark night descending.
II
Our hearts shall find their rest in Thee,
And e’en in dreams shall praise Thee;
And with each rising of the sun,
Anew their songs shall raise Thee.
III
Impart a noble life, and may
Our spirit’s warmth be heightened.
Bid night depart, and with Thy love,
O may our lives be brightened.
IV
In hymns we pay our vows to Thee:
At vesper-hour we pray,
Erase the writing we have made,
Thine own let stand for aye.
IN NOCTIS UMBRA DESIDES
By Charles Coffin. (See p. 3.)
I
When evening shades around us close,
And bound in sleep our limbs repose,
The watchful soul, from slumber free,
Shall breathe its earnest prayer to Thee.
II
Desire of Nations, Word of God,
Thou Saviour of the World abroad,
Hear Thou our mournful prayer at length,
And raise the fallen by Thy strength.
III
Be near, Redeemer; by Thy grace
Forgive our erring sinful race,
Bound in the prison-house of sin—
O, open heaven and lead us in.
IV
O Thou who cam’st to set us free,
To Thee, the Son, all praises be;
To Father, Spirit, Three in One,
While the eternal ages run.
VENI, VENI, EMMANUEL!
An antiphon. The term denotes a short versicle said at the beginning and close of a psalm or psalms in the Breviary Offices. This antiphon is by an unknown author. Dr. Neale, who supposes it to be of twelfth-century date, published a translation of it in 1851, beginning, “Draw nigh, draw nigh, Emmanuel,” an altered version of which occurs in “Hymns Ancient and Modern” as an Advent hymn, with first line altered to, “O come, O come, Emmanuel” (No. 36).
I
Emmanuel, come! we call for Thee;
Come, set Thy captive Israel free,
Who, sore at heart, in exile wait
Their absent Lord, who tarries late.
Joy, joy, Emmanuel shall be born
For thee, O Israel, forlorn.
II
Come, Root of Jesse! for our foes
In cruel snare our souls enclose;
Bring us, we pray, from hell’s dark cave,
From gulf profound Thy people save.
Joy, joy, &c.
III
Come, come, O Harbinger of day!
Cheer Thou our hearts with heavenly ray,
Dispel the clouds of night that roll,
The dark of death that fills the soul.
Joy, joy, &c.
IV
Come, Key of David! in Thy might
Unlock for us the realms of light;
Make safe the path that upward tends,
Close Thou the way that downward wends.
Joy, joy, &c.
V
Come, come, O Thou Almighty Lord!
From Sinai once went forth Thy word,
When in the midst of eddying flame,
Thou didst Thy law in might proclaim.
Joy, joy, &c.
Christmas
NATO NOBIS SALVATORE
By Adam of St. Victor. A native of either Britain or Brittany, probably the latter; educated at Paris; became, about 1130, a monk in the Abbey of St. Victor, then in the suburbs, afterwards absorbed in the city of Paris; there he passed the remainder of his life, and died somewhere between the years 1172 and 1192. In liturgical services the Gradual or Antiphon, sung between the Epistle and Gospel, ended on festival days with the word Alleluia. The final syllable of this vocable was prolonged in a number of musical notes called sequentia, and by the ninth century it became common to adapt words to these notes, which words are now called “sequences.” Adam of St. Victor was one of the most voluminous composers of this kind of sacred Latin verse.
I
Let us tune our hearts and voices—
All creation wide rejoices,
For a Saviour has been born;
Given to man, his weakness wearing,
Dwelling with the sad despairing,
Light and health our life adorn.
II
From the midst of Eden’s gladness
Came the dower of death and sadness,
But the Saviour’s life is ours.
Banished now are death and sorrow;
Life and joy from Christ we borrow,
More dwelt in Eden’s bowers.
III
From the height of heaven above us,
God looked down on earth to love us,
And He sent His only Son.
Now no more His face concealing,
Bridegroom like, His grace revealing,
Came He forth His work begun.
IV
Swift and strong, a giant glorious,
O’er our death He came victorious,
Girt with power His course to run.
Came he forth salvation willing,
Law and prophecy fulfilling,
Till the task assayed is done.
V
Jesus, who hast brought salvation,
Healing balm for every nation,
Thou our glory art and peace.
Praise Thy glorious deeds shall mention,
Who in humble condescension,
Cam’st Thy servants to release.
PUER NATUS IN BETHLEHEM
The oldest form of this Christmas carol is found in a Benedictine Processional belonging to the beginning of the fourteenth century.
I
Zion is glad this glorious morn:
A babe in Bethlehem is born.
II
See where He lies in manger low,
Whose kingly reign no end shall know.
III
The ox and ass that filled the stall,
Knew that the babe was Lord of all.
IV
Out from the east the sages bring
Their treasures for an offering.
V
They humbly seek the lowly place,
And worship there the King of grace:
VI
The Son of God, who made the earth,
A virgin mother gave Him birth.
VII
No poison from the serpent stains
The human blood that fills His veins;
VIII
And though our flesh He meekly wears,
No mark of sin His nature bears;
IX
That He might man to God restore,
And give the grace that once He wore.
X
Come while our hearts are full of mirth
And bless the Lord of lowly birth.
XI
The Holy Trinity we’ll praise,
And give our thanks to God always.
HEU! QUID JACES STABULO, OMNIUM CREATOR?
By Jean Momboir, with Johannes Mauburnus for the Latin, and John Mauburn for the English form of his name. Born in 1460 at Brussels; a Canon Regular of the Brethren of the Common Life in the Low Countries; died Abbot of the Cloister of Livry, not far from Paris, in 1502 or 1503. In his large work, the “Spiritual Rose-garden,” there is a rosary on the birth of Christ, consisting of thirteen stanzas, which commence, Eja, mea anima, Bethlehem eamus. The hymn beginning as above consists of three stanzas taken from that poem. The detached stanzas passed into many of the older German hymn-books, met with great favour in the early Reformed Churches, so long as the practice of singing Latin compositions survived among them, and still retain a place in some German hymnals in an old translation, with for opening line, Warum liegt im Krippelein.
I
(Loquitur peccator)
Wherefore in the lowly stall,
O Thou great Creator,
Dost Thou raise Thine infant call,
Glorious Renovator?
Where Thy purple if a King?
Where the shouts Thy subjects bring?
Where Thy royal castle?
Here is want with all her train,
Poverty proclaims her reign—
These Thy court and vassal.
II
(Jesus respondit)
Hither, by My love impelled,
Have I come to save thee;
Sin has long thy nature held,
Powerful to enslave thee.
By My emptiness and woe,
By the grace that I bestow,
Do I seek to fill thee.
By My humble, lowly birth,
By this sacrifice on earth,
Blessing great I will thee.
III
(Laudant fideles)
Songs of praise, ten thousand songs,
Sing I will and laud Thee;
For such grace my spirit longs,
Ever to applaud Thee.
Glory, glory let there be,
Lover of mankind to Thee,
In the heaven supernal.
Let this testimony fly
Over earth, and sea, and sky,
Borne by songs eternal.
QUICUMQUE CHRISTUM QUÆRITIS
This hymn for the Epiphany forms part of a larger one of very complex authorship, known as A solis ortûs cardine, Et usque terræ limitem. This portion of that Christmas hymn has by some been assigned to St. Ambrose, but by a majority of judges to Prudentius, “the Horace and Virgil of the Christians,” in the estimate of the scholarly Bentley. Aurelius Prudentius, Clemens, or the Merciful, was born in 348, somewhere in the north of Spain. After filling various secular offices he retired, in his fifty-seventh year, into private life, and devoted himself to the composition of sacred verse. He died circa 413, but where we are not told.
I
O ye who seek the Lord, come nigh,
To heaven uplift your reverent eyes,
The Royal Banner of our God
Is blazoned on the midnight skies.
II
Brighter than when the sun at noon
Pours forth its radiance on the earth,
See yonder star its glory sheds,
And tells to man the Saviour’s birth.
III
O wisdom seeks the lowly stall,
And takes the guidance of the star,
To worship where the Incarnate lies,
And offer gifts from lands afar:
IV
With incense, worships the Divine,
With gold, a kingly tribute pays,
And at the feet of God made Man,
The myrrh in sweet profusion lays.
V
O Bethlehem, city ever blest!
What honour more could come to thee?
The cradle of the Incarnate God,
Who came to set His Israel free!
VI
O Jesus, to the world revealed!
To Thee let glory ever be,
To Father and to Holy Ghost,
From age to age eternally.
Epiphany
JESU, NOSTRA REDEMPTIO
Probably of the seventh or eighth century. Found in three MSS. of the eleventh century in the British Museum Library; also in the old Roman, Sarum, York, and Aberdeen Breviaries. Chandler’s rendering of this fine hymn—“O Christ, our hope, our heart’s desire,” and which is to be found in most collections, is the hymn for Evensong on Ascension Day in that author’s “Hymns of the Primitive Church.”
I
Thou our Redeemer art, O Christ,
Our heart’s desire, our fervent love;
Creator of the worlds, Thou cam’st
To wear our flesh, from heaven above.
II
’Twas love that brought Thee to our aid,
To bear the burden of our woe,
To bow the head in shameful death,
And life, immortal life, bestow.
III
Asunder burst the bands of hell,
The captives hailed the glorious day;
And by Thy mighty triumph crowned,
Thou art at God’s right hand for aye.
IV
O may Thy mercy still abound,
That, by the goodness of Thy grace,
We daily o’er our sin may rise,
And see the beauty of Thy face.
V
Spring of our joy, be Thou, O Christ;
Our great reward, hereafter be;
And while the endless ages run,
Our praises shall be all of Thee.
EI CANAMUS GLORIAM
By C. Coffin. (See p. 3.)
I
Now let us tune our hearts to sing
The glory of the Almighty King;
His hand unrolled the spacious skies,
Whose beauty lures our wondering eyes.
II
There are the clouds with treasure rare,
Slow floating in the higher air,
Whence come the soft refreshing showers,
To bless the springing of the flowers.
III
Rich is the treasure of Thy grace,
Prepared for us who seek Thy face;
It falls from clouds that earthward roll,
And penetrates the inmost soul.
IV
And faithful hearts that thirsting pine,
Drink deeply of the draught divine,
And with an heavenly impulse rise,
To greet the sunlight in the skies.
V
O happy souls that evermore
Drink of the bliss Thou hast in store;
May grateful love responsive flow
To all the love Thou dost bestow.
VI
Now, glory to the Three in One,
To God the Father, God the Son,
And to the Spirit, one in Three,
From age to age eternally.
DEUS-HOMO, REX CŒLORUM
By Bishop Marbodus. Born in Anjou, 1035; successively Archdeacon of Angers and Bishop of Rennes; died in 1125. Was author of a poem De Gemmis, which gives a mystical explanation of precious stones much in favour in the Middle Ages.
I
King of heaven, our nature wearing,
Pity lend the sad despairing;
’Neath the sway of sin repining,
Formed from dust, to dust declining—
Tottering in our ruined state,
Strengthen by Thy goodness great.
II
What is man from sin descending?
Child of death, all woes attending.
What is man? a worm that clingeth
To the earth from which he springeth.
Wilt Thou forth Thine anger bring,
On a weak, defenceless thing?
III
Shall not man, who earthward tendeth,
Look to God, who mercy sendeth?
’Twere a task most unbefitting,
God o’er man in judgment sitting—
Yet should God in judgment speak,
Where shall man an answer seek?
IV
As the shadow quickly flying,
Faint our life and sure our dying;
As the cloud by tempest driven,
As the grass cut down at even;—
King of heaven, in mercy great,
Pity the disconsolate.
Passion Week
VEXILLA REGIS PRODEUNT
By Venantius Fortunatus. Born in the district of Treviso, Italy, about 530. In 565 he made a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Martin at Tours, and spent the remainder of his years in Gaul. Through the influence of his friend Queen Rhadegunda, Fortunatus became Bishop of Poitiers in 597. Some place his death in the year 609. Fortunatus must have been an author of great industry and versatility. He wrote the life of St. Martin in four books, containing 2245 hexameter lines; he threw off in profusion vers de societé when wandering from castle to cloister in Gaul; and he composed a volume of hymns for all the festivals of the Christian year, which is now unhappily lost. This is his best known hymn, Dr. Neale’s translation of which is inserted for the Fifth Sunday in Lent, otherwise called Palm Sunday, in “Hymns Ancient and Modern” (No. 84).
I
See the Royal banners
Wave across the sky,
Bright the mystic radiance,
For the Cross is nigh;
And He who came our flesh to wear,
The Christ of God, was wounded there.
II
Deep the cruel spear thrust,
By the soldier given;
Blood and water mingle,
Where the flesh is riven;
To cleanse our souls the crimson tide
Leapt from the Saviour’s riven side.
III
In the distant ages
Zion’s harp was strung,
And the faithful saw Him,
While the prophet sung;
Now Israel’s Hope the nations see,
For Christ is reigning from the tree.
IV
Tree of wondrous beauty,
Tree of grace and light,
Royal throne to rest on,
Decked with purple bright;
The choice of God, this royal throne
Whence Christ, the King, should rule His own.
V
See the branches drooping!
Laden, see they sway!
For the price of heaven
On those branches lay;
Ah! great the price, that price was paid,
By Him on whom the debt was laid.
PANGE, LINGUA, GLORIOSI, PRŒLIUM CERTAMINIS
This, “one of the first of the Latin mediæval hymns,” has been credited to St. Hilary. It has also been ascribed to Claudianus Mamertus, who died in 474. But by the majority of authorities it is regarded as the composition of Fortunatus, and ranks next to the Vexilla Regis prodeunt in their estimate. A rendering of it by Keble will be found in his “Miscellaneous Poems,” beginning, “Sing, my tongue, of glorious warfare,” which is Dr. Neale’s “Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle,” in a somewhat altered form.
I
Tell, my tongue, the glorious conflict,
Crowned with victory nobly won;—
More than all the spoil of battle,
Praise the triumph of God’s Son;
How by death the crown of conquest
Graced Him when the strife was done.
II
Grieving sore o’er Eden’s sorrow
When our race in Adam fell;
And the fatal fruit he tasted,
Welcomed sin, and death, and hell;
God ordained a tree in Zion,
Eden’s poison to dispel.
III
In the work of our Redemption
Wisdom met the tempter’s foils;—
On the ground he claimed, the Victor
Fought, and bore away the spoils;
And the bane became the blessing,
Freedom sprang amid his toils.
IV
From the bosom of the Father,
Where He shared the regal crown,
At the time by God appointed,
Came the world’s Creator down—
God incarnate, born of Virgin,
Shorn of glory and renown.
V
List! the voice of infant weeping,
Cradled where the oxen stand,
And the Virgin mother watches,
Tending Him with loving hand,—
Hands and feet of God she bindeth,
Folding them in swaddling band.
VI
Blessing, blessing everlasting,
To the glorious Trinity;
To the Father, Son, and Spirit,
Equal glory let there be;
Universal praise be given,
To the Blessed One in Three.
LUSTRA SEX QUI JAM PEREGIT
By some attributed to St. Ambrose, but generally and with greater probability to Fortunatus. There is an imitation of this hymn in English by Bishop Mant, beginning, “See the destined day arise!” one of the Passion hymns in “Hymns Ancient and Modern” (No. 99).
I
Thirty years by God appointed,
And there dawns the woeful day,
When the great Redeemer girds Him
For the tumult of the fray;
And upon the cross uplifted,
Bears our load of guilt away.
II
Ah! ’tis bitter gall He drinketh,
When His heart in anguish fails;—
From the thorns His life-blood trickles,
From the spear wound and the nails;
But that crimson stream for cleansing,
O’er creation wide prevails.
III
Faithful Cross! in all the woodland,
Standeth not a nobler tree;
In thy leaf, and flower, and fruitage,
None can e’er thy equal be;
Sweet the wood, and sweet the iron,
Sweet the load that hung on thee.
IV
Noble tree! unbend thy branches,
Let thy stubborn fibres bend,
Cast thy native rigour from thee,
Be a gentle, loving friend;
Bear Him in thine arms, and softly,
Christ, the King eternal, tend.
V
Only thou could’st bear the burden
Of the ransom of our race;
Only thou could’st be a refuge,
Like the ark, a hiding-place,
By the sacred blood anointed,
Of the Covenant of Grace.
VI
Blessing, blessing everlasting,
To the glorious Trinity;
To the Father, Son, and Spirit,
Equal glory let there be;
Universal praise be given,
To the Blessed One in Three.
CRUX AVE BENEDICTA
This little poem, which he pronounces “perfect in its kind,” is taken by Trench from Daniel’s Thesaurus, without any note of author or of date.
I
Hail, thou Blessed Cross, all hail!
Death no longer can prevail.
On those arms extended high,
Did my King and Saviour die.
II
Queen of all the trees that grow,
Medicine when health is low,
Solace to the cumbered heart,
Comfort thou when sorrows smart.
III
O! most sacred wood, the sign
That eternal life is mine;
On the fruit thy branches give,
Feeds the human heart to live.
IV
When, around the Judgment-seat,
Friends of thine and foes shall meet,
Be my prayer, O Christ, to Thee,
And in love remember me.
HORÆ DE PASSIONE D. N. JESU CHRISTI
From a fourteenth-century MS., where it bears the title, “Hours of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, compiled from the Prophets and the New Testament by the Blessed Pope Urban” (b. 1302, d. 1370).
(AD PRIMAM)
(Tu qui velatus facie)
I
Veiled was the glory of Thy face,
O Jesus, Lord of heavenly grace,
When mocking knees were bent in scorn,
And bitter stripes were meekly borne.
II
To Thee the prayer of faith we send,
In Thee we hope: O Lord, attend,
And in Thy mercy lead the way
To where Thy glory shines as day.
III
To Thee be highest honours paid,
O Christ, who wast by man betrayed,
Who on the cross of anguish sore
Didst die, that we might die no more.
(AD TERTIAM)
(Hora qui ductus tertia)
IV
O Christ, who in that hour of dread
Forth as a sacrifice wast led;
Who, to retrieve our grievous loss,
Didst bear the burden of the cross.
V
O may Thy Love our hearts inflame;
Be Thy pure life our constant aim;
That we may win the heavenly rest,
And share the glories of the blest.
VI
To Thee be highest honours paid,
O Christ, who wast by man betrayed;
Who on the cross of anguish sore
Didst die, that we might die no more.
(AD SEXTAM)
(Crucem pro nobis subiit)
VII
For us the cruel cross He bare,
Endured the thirst while hanging there—
O Jesus! Thou hast anguish borne,
Thy hands and feet with nails were torn.
VIII
Honour and blessing be to Thee,
O Christ, who hung upon the tree,
Who, by the offering of Thy grace,
Didst save from death our fallen race.
(AD NONAM)
(Beata Christi passio)
IX
Thy blessed Passion, Christ, be ours,
To set us free from Satan’s powers;
To aid our fainting souls to rise
To joys prepared in Paradise.
X
To Christ the Lord all glory be,
Who, hanging on the shameful tree,
Gave up His life with bitter cry,
And saved a world prepared to die.
XI
To Thee be highest honours paid,
O Christ, who wast by man betrayed,
Who, on the cross of anguish sore,
Didst die, that we might die no more.
(AD COMPLETORIUM)
(Qui jacuisti mortuus)
XII
O spotless King, who shared its gloom,
And lay at peace within the tomb,
Teach us to find our rest in Thee,
And sing Thy praise eternally.
XIII
Come to our help, O Lord, who gave
Thy precious blood our souls to save;
Lead us to Thine eternal peace,
Whose sweetest joys shall never cease.
Easter
FINITA JAM SUNT PRÆLIA
Of unknown date and authorship. It has not been traced further back than the Hymnodia Sacra, Munster, 1753.
I
Alleluia! Alleluia!
The din of battle now is dead,
And glory crowns the Victor’s head;
Let mirth abound,
And songs resound—Alleluia!
II
Alleluia! alleluia!
The bitter pangs of death are past,
And Christ hath vanquished hell at last;
Cheers are ringing,
Psalms are singing—Alleluia!
III
Alleluia! alleluia!
And when the morn appointed broke,
All decked with beauty Christ awoke;
O shout with glee,
Sing merrily—Alleluia!
IV
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Hell hath He closed with His own hand,
The gates of heaven wide open stand;
Let mirth abound,
And songs resound—Alleluia!
V
Alleluia! Alleluia!
’Tis Thy wounds, O Blessed Jesus—
’Tis Thy death from dying frees us,
That living, we
May sing with glee—Alleluia!
PLAUDITE, CŒLI!
A Jesuit hymn, taken by Walraff, in 1806, out of the Psalteriolum Cantiorum Catholicarum a Patribus Societati Jesu.
I
Shout praises, ye heavens,
And sigh them, soft air;
From highest to lowest,
Sing, sing everywhere;
For black clouds of tempest
Are banished from sight;
And spring, crowned with glory,
Is pouring her light.
II
Come forth with the spring-time,
Sweet flow’rets, and spread
Your rich hues around us
Where nature lay dead;
Come, violets modest,
And roses so gay,
With lilies and marigolds,
Spangle the way.
III
Flow joy song in fulness,
Flow higher and higher;
Pour forth thy sweet measures,
Thou murmuring lyre;
O sing, for He liveth,
As truly He said,
Yea, Jesus hath risen
Unharmed from the dead.
IV
Shout praises, ye mountains,
Vales catch the refrain;
Frisk gaily, ye fountains;
Hills, tell it again—
He liveth, He liveth,
As truly He said;
Yea, Jesus hath risen
Unharmed from the dead.
MORTIS PORTIS FRACTIS
By Peter of St. Maurice, sometimes styled Peter of Cluny, but best known as Peter the Venerable. Born in Auvergne, 1092 or 1094; began life as a soldier; afterwards became a Benedictine monk; elected abbot of the monastery of his order at Cluny in Burgundy; died there in 1156 or 1157. The greater part of his literary activity was given to the controversy between the Clugnian and Cistercian, or “black” and “white” monks. This Resurrection hymn is taken from “Some Rhythms, Proses, Sequences, Verses, and Hymns,” contained in the Bibliotheca Cluniacencis, 1623.
I
Burst are the iron gates of death—
A stronger power prevails;
For, by the cross, the cruel king
Before the Victor quails,
O clear the light that shines afar,
Where darkness held its sway,
For God, who made the light at first,
Restores its gladdening ray.
II
That sinners might for ever live,
The great Creator dies,
And by His death to new estate
Our souls enraptured rise.
There, Satan groaned in baffled hate,
Where Christ our triumph won—
For what to Him was deathly loss,
To man was life begun.
III
He grasps the envied prize, but fails,
And while he wounds, he dies;
But calmly, and with mighty power,
The King secures the prize;
And, leaving earth, His triumph won,
He seeks His native skies.
IV
And now triumphant o’er the grave,
The Lord to earth returns;
To new create our fallen race,
His soul with ardour burns;
Down to the dwellings of the lost,
To dwell with man He came;
And hearts in grievous bondage held,
Receive Him with acclaim.
ALLELUIA, DULCE CARMEN
Found in three MSS. of the eleventh century in the British Museum Library, and published by the Surtees Society in the “Latin Hymns of the Anglo-Saxon Church,” from a MS. of the eleventh century, in Durham Library.
I
Alleluia, hymn of sweetness,
Joyful voice of ceaseless praise;
Alleluia, pleasant anthem,
Choirs celestial sweetly raise:
This the song of those abiding
In the house of God always.
II
Alleluia, Mother Salem,
All Thy people joy in song;
Alleluia, walls and bulwarks
Evermore the notes prolong:
Ah! beside the streams of Babel,
Exiled, weep we o’er our wrong.
III
Alleluia, ’tis befitting
That our song should falter here;
Alleluia, can we sing it
When the clouds of wrath appear?
To bemoan our sin with weeping,
Now the time is drawing near.
IV
Trinity, for ever blessed!
May we sing the gladsome lay,
When from sin our souls are severed,
And the clouds have passed away,
And we share the Easter glory,
In the realms of endless day?
Ascension
ÆTERNE REX ALTISSIME
A hymn of complex authorship and of frequently altered text.
I
Eternal King, enthroned on high,
Redeemer, strong Thy folk to save;
Thee, powerful death, by death o’ercome,
A royal crown of triumph gave.
II
Ascending to the throne of God,
Beyond the glittering host of heaven,
More power than human hand could give
To Thee, victorious King, is given.
III
Three kingdoms bow before Thee now—
The heavens above, the earth below,
Hell’s dark abode—and to their Lord,
On bended knee, submission show.
IV
All awe inspired, the angel host
Behold man’s changed estate, amazed;
Our sinful flesh, by flesh renewed,
And man, true God, to Godhead raised.
V
O Christ, with God who dwell’st on high,
Be Thou to us, we humbly pray,
A lasting joy while here we wait,
Our great reward in heaven for aye.
VI
In earnest prayer we come to Thee;
O may our sins be all forgiven,
And lift our hearts by Thy rich grace,
To where Thou art Thyself, in heaven.
VII
That when in clouds of Judgment dire,
Thou com’st with Thine angelic host,
We may escape the avenger’s power,
And wear anew the crowns we lost.
VIII
To Thee, O Christ, all glory be,
Victor returning now to heaven;
To Father, and to Holy Ghost,
Let praise through endless years be given.
POSTQUAM HOSTEM ET INFERNA
By Adam of St. Victor. (See p. 49.)
I
Broken are the bands that bound us,
Spoiled are Satan’s realms around us,
And to joys supernal now,
Christ returns with hosts attending,
And, as when at first descending,
Angel guards their homage bow.
II
Far above the stars ascending,
Faith alone His course attending,
Passing now from mortal sight;
To His hand all power is given,
One with God He rules in heaven,
One in honour and in might.
III
Victor on His throne uplifted,
See all rule to Him is gifted,
O’er Creation’s wide domain.
Now for evermore He liveth,
Nevermore His life He giveth—
Once the sacrifice was slain.
IV
Once He wore our flesh in weakness,
Once He suffered, once in meekness
Gave Himself for sin to die.
Now no longer pain He knoweth:
Perfect peace for ever floweth,
Perfect joy is ever nigh.
CŒLOS ASCENDIT HODIE
Of unknown date and authorship. The text is in Daniel’s Thesaurus, with “Alleluia” as a refrain. Dr. Neale gives it in his “Mediæval Hymns and Sequences” as “apparently of the twelfth century.”
I
To-day the lingering clouds are riven,
Alleluia!
Our glorious King ascends to heaven,
Alleluia!
II
The heaven and earth His rule obey,
Alleluia!
Who sits at God’s right hand for aye,
Alleluia!
III
See, all things are fulfilled at last,
Alleluia!
By David sung in ages past,
Alleluia!
IV
And on the throne of high renown,
Alleluia!
The Lord is with His Lord set down,
Alleluia!
V
Now blessings on our Lord we shower,
Alleluia!
In this chief triumph of His power,
Alleluia!
VI
Let praise the Trinity adore,
Alleluia!
To God be glory evermore,
Alleluia!
O CHRISTE, QUI NOSTER POLI
Appeared in the Cluniac Breviary of 1686, and in that of Paris, 1736, as also in later French Breviaries. From his connection with the revised Paris Breviary, this hymn has been ascribed to Archbishop Charles de Vintimille, born 1655, died 1746; but in neither the Cluniac nor Paris Breviary is it marked as his. Chandler’s version of the hymn, beginning, “O Jesu, who art gone before, To Thy blest realms of light,” appears in Dr. Martineau’s “Hymns of Praise and Prayer,” with opening lines altered to, “The Crucified is gone before, To the blest realms of light,” and with other variations.
I
O Christ, who art ascended now
To realms of bliss above,
Inspire our souls to rise to Thee,
Upborne by faith and love.
II
Make us to seek those holy joys,
That they who love receive;
That earthly mind can never know,
Nor faithless soul perceive.
III
There, where Thou art, they reap reward
Who toiled at duty’s call;
For Thou dost give Thyself to them,
And Thou art all in all.
IV
By power divine, O let us come
Where glory cannot fade;
And from Thy heavenly throne send down
The Spirit to our aid.
V
To Thee who art at God’s right hand,
O Christ, to Thee be praise,
To Father, and to Holy Ghost,
Be glory given always.