On occasion I have drilled into hymns from the Roman Breviary, some of which remained in the “Novus Ordo” Liturgy of the Hours more or less the same.
Today, perhaps because there is a mockingbird outside going through its repertoire, in reading Lauds I was moved to look more carefully at the Lenten hymn.
We don’t know the date of this, though it could be as early as the 6th c. And why not? In any event, there are lots of variation in the MSS tradition and those who had to put the Breviary together did some of their own cobbling. I call to mind the work of Card. Sirletto, whom I mentioned in the Lenten podcast whose Station is S. Lorenzo in Panisperna (i.e., today).
| LATIN O sol salútis, íntimis, Iesu, refúlge méntibus, Dum, nocte pulsa, grátior Orbi dies renáscitur.dum can imply immediate succession |
SUPER LITERAL O sun of salvation, O Jesus shine into our innermost souls until, after night has been banished, the more pleasing day of the world is reborn. |
| Dans tempus acceptábile, Da lacrimárum rívulis Laváre cordis víctimam, Quam læta adúrat cáritas. caritas is “sacrificial love” which is usually the translation of Greek agape |
Giving (us) the acceptable time, grant (us) to cleanse by streams of tears the sacrifice of (our) heart which joyful agape-love burns. The image is that of an Old Testament burnt offering., not cattle, etc., but our hearts, i.e., everything. |
| Quo fonte manávit nefas, Fluent perénnes lácrimæ, Si virga pœniténtiæ Cordis rigórem cónterat. nefas is a strong word for something truly abominable and criminal. |
From the font whence once flowed sin there stream continuous tears, if the rod of penance shatters hardness of heart.This image is also probably from the OT, Moses striking the rock with his staff. |
| Dies venit, dies tua, In qua reflórent ómnia: Lætémur et nos in viam Tua redúcti déxtera. |
The day, Your day, in which all things bloom again: Let also us rejoice, guided back into the way by Your right hand. Dies.. dies… filled with longing, may refer to Easter, Haec dies quam fecit Dominus…. |
| Te prona mundi máchina, Clemens, adóret, Trínitas, Et nos novi per grátiam Novum canámus cánticum. Amen. |
O merciful Trinity, may the fabric of the cosmos, prostrate, worship You. and let us, new creatures through grace, sing a new song. |
Ronald Knox did a metrical translation:
O Jesus, Sun of Salvation,
shine within the depths of our souls,
so that all darkness being driven from thence,
a more perfect day may dawn here below.
In granting us this time of grace,
draw streams of tears from our repentant hearts,
that cleansed from all the guilty taint of sin,
they may become the victims that a joyous love consumes.
From that same source from whence flowed forth iniquity,
issueth forth a ceaseless stream of tears;
to cease not ’till the rod of penitence
has softened the hardness of our hearts.
Behold the day, they day now cometh
when all things bloom anew;
brought back to thy way by thy merciful right hand,
we will also rejoice thereon.
Let the entire universe bow down
and adore thee, O most august Trinity,
that restored by thy grace,
we may sing thy new canticle.
Amen.
I am impressed at his ability to stick so close to the Latin and get the meter.
I didn’t find this chant in Gregorian notation in the Liber hymnarius. Instead, I hunted it down in in Solesmes’ 1960 Liber antiphonarius.
Here it is, sung – alas, by me. I think I went a little flat which I don’t usually do.
Sing along! Follow the bouncing neum.
BUT WAIT! There’s more. There is a second tone.
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Excellent chanting, Fr. Z.
Are you available for Bah Mitzvahs and Weddings ?
And I’ll be at “Ha Ha’s” in Black Duck all next week. Be sure to tip the waitresses.
More posts on the Breviary vs. Litirgy if the Hours! This was a great read. Thank you, FrZ.
73’s
Ahh, the Urbanized version of 1632. The original was “Iam, Christe, sol iustitiae”. Some say 10th century, others the 6th century. Just goes to show you that fiddling with the Liturgy is not restricted to recent times.
Pope Urban VIII was an excellent classical Latinist and felt that the hymns of the Roman Breviary needed to be reshaped into classical models. He was by no means the first to feel this way, but he has the distinction of being the Pope who actually carried out such an extensive revision of the hymns of the Roman Breviary into classical models. While a committee was appointed for the task, it is clear that the Pope personally oversaw the revision. Urban VIII was not content to leave alone the works of such great Latin Hymnists such as Prudentius, Fortunatus, or even Ambrose, but instead molded their works and the works of others into classical forms. The revision of the hymn texts was approved by the Congregation of Rites on March 29, 1629 and on January 25, 1631, the revised Roman Breviary was authorized for publication.
History and scholars have generally held that these revisions were very ill-advised. Indeed, those orders who were able to resist the revisions did so. Claiming the privilege of exemption granted by Pope Pius V because of the antiquity of their own Breviaries, the Dominicans, Benedictines, Cistercians, and Carthusians refused to adopt the revisions. Moreover, the revisions were never accepted at St. Peter’s or the Lateran in Rome itself! This produced two distinct versions of the Latin hymnal that were to coexist for more than three hundred years.
Aside from whatever one may think of the Liturgia Horarum, at least the revision committe had the good sense to restore the hymns to their original forms.
cf. https://www.preces-latinae.org/thesaurus/Hymni/Quadragesimae/IamChriste.html