The hymn for the feast of the Nativity of St. John
the Baptist. One hymn: the first four verses at Vespers, the second four at
Matins (Office of Readings) and the last five(three in LH) at Lauds.
Ad I & II Vesperas:
Paulus Diaconus?
Ut
queant laxis resonáre fibris (1)
mira
gestórum fámuli tuórum,
solve
pollúti lábii reátum, (2)
sancte Ioánnes.
Núntius
cælo véniens suprémo, (3)
te
patri magnum fore nascitúrum,
nomen
et vitæ sériem geréndæ
órdine promit.
Ille
promíssi dúbius supérni (4)
pérdidit
promptæ módulos loquélæ;
sed
reformásti génitus perémptæ
órgana vocis.
Ventris
obstrúso pósitus cubíli (6)
sénseras
regem thálamo manéntem; (7)
hinc
parens nati méritis utérque (8)
ábdita pandit.
Láudibus
cives célebrant supérni
te,
Deus simplex paritérque trine;
súpplices
ac nos véniam precámur:
parce redémptis. Amen.
Notes
from Connelly:
1. 1. Queant; cf. quit. Laxis
fibris; (1) with loosened tongue and throats—Zachary's lips and tongue were loosened
to praise God after John's birth; (2) suggesting a good, pleasant voice; (3)
connected in thought with the next lines, for God's praise is better sounding
if it comes from one who is pleasing to God. The hymn is said to have been
written in gratitude for its author having been cured of a throat malady, and
from early times St John has been honored as the patron of singers and invoked
in case of throat ailments. Famuli, the choir and, in general, the Church.
2. solve, loosen, i.e.
remove, cleanse; polluti; cf. pollutus labiis, Is. 6,5. The Romanized syllables
of this verse suggested to Guido of Arezzo the (continental) names of the notes
of the musical scale, as each half-line of the melody begins on the next
ascending note of the scale. The name of the seventh note, si, is sometimes
said to be formed from the initial letters of Sancte Joannes in the fourth
line; but the note itself is not used in the melody.
3. cf. Luke
1, 13—17.
4. ille,
i.e. Zachary.
5. Modulos,
measure, music, melody; here, use, power.
6.
obstruso or abstruso, hidden, secret. The reference is to the
Visitation.
7. thalamo. The word is suggested by
sponsus procedens de thalamo suo, Ps. 18, 6.
8. parens
. . . uterque, i.e. Zachary, lines 9—12, and Elizabeth, lines 13—14; nati
refers to the genitus of line 11; hinc indicates what happened to the parents because
of their son John. Both Elizabeth and Zachary were filled with the holy Ghost
and then spoke the hidden things of God; Lk. 1, 41—45 and 67—69. The hymn keeps
close to the life of John to the exclusion of all else and obviously has in
mind the gift and use of speech in relation to John. This must therefore rule
out the interpretation of parens uterque as referring to Mary and Elizabeth.
Moreover, uterque would scarcely refer to two ladies and nati has no
qualification which would refer it to someone other than John or to someone
with John. The confusion perhaps arises from referring hinc only to lines 13
and 14.
That your servants might sing with clear voices
the wonders of your deeds, O holy John, loosen their lips from the corruption
of guilt. A messenger came from heaven high and told your father that in due
course you would be born, your name and the course of your life. Your father doubting the heavenly promise,
lost the means of ready speech, but once you were born you restored his lost
means of speech. While placed in the hidden room of your mother’s womb, you
recognized the King abiding in the wedding chamber. Wherefore both parents by
virtue of their son’s merits revealed hidden mysteries. May the citizens of
heaven praise you, God simple and equally three; but we humbly pray pardon:
spare the redeemed. Amen.
Ad Officium lectionis:
Paulus Diaconus
Antra
desérti téneris sub annis,
cívium
turmas fúgiens, petísti,
ne
levi saltem maculáre vitam
fámine posses.
Præbuit
hirtum tégimen camélus (1)
ártubus
sacris, stróphium bidéntes,
cui
latex haustum, sociáta pastum
mella locústis.
Céteri
tantum cecinére vatum
corde
præságo iubar affutúrum; (2)
tu
quidem mundi scelus auferéntem
índice prodis. (3)
Non
fuit vasti spátium per orbis
sánctior
quisquam génitus Ioánne, (4)
qui
nefas sæcli méruit lavántem
tíngere lymphis. (5)
Láudibus
cives célebrant supérni
te,
Deus simplex paritérque trine;
súpplices
ac nos véniam precámur:
parce redémptis. Amen.
1.
Praebuit is the verb of all the verse. Bidentes, animals for sacrifice—sheep,
oxen, swine and later signifying mostly sheep. But here it means the animals
who provided the leathern girdle of Mt. 3, 4. Cui—et tibi; sociata= et—both
used for metrical reasons only.
2.
corde praesago, with prophetic spirit.
3.
prodis, cf.John 1, 29.
4.
sanctior quisquam, cf. Mt. 11, 11.
5.
tingere lymphis, bathe with water, baptize.
Fleeing the teeming city dwellers, while still
young you sought to live in desert caves, that you could avoid even the
slightest stain of a sin of speech. A
camel provided you with rough clothing for your holy limbs, sheep your girdle.
water your drink, honey and locusts mixed your food. All the other prophets had foretold that
there would a light in the future; but you pointed out with your finger him,
who would take away the wickedness of the world. There was not anyone born in
the whole holier than John, who was worthy to baptize him who washes away
sin. May the citizens of heaven praise
you, God simple and equally three; but we humbly pray pardon: spare the
redeemed. Amen.
Ad Laudes matutinas:
Paulus Diaconus
O
nimis felix meritíque celsi, (1)
nésciens
labem nívei pudóris,
præpotens
martyr eremíque cultor, (2)
máxime vatum.
Nunc
potens nostri méritis opímis (3)
péctoris
duros lápides repélle,
ásperum
planans iter, et refléxos
dírige calles,
Ut
pius mundi sator et redémptor,
méntibus
pulsa mácula polítis,
rite
dignétur véniens sacrátos (4)
pónere gressus.
Láudibus cives célebrant supérni
te,
Deus simplex paritérque trine;
súpplices
ac nos véniam precámur:
parce redémptis. Amen.
1. nimis, exceedingly; cf.
108, 5.
2. The hermits took St John's
way of life as their model.
3. nunc.
What John had once done by his preaching, may he now do by his intercession.
4. rite,
fitly, duly, rightly. Here it suggests something that becomes our Lord as God.
5. redemptis.
Visitavit et fecit redenlptionettg plebis suae, Lk. 1, 68.
O mighty martyr, cultivator of solitude, greatest of the prophets, exceedingly blessed and worthy of heaven, knowing no fall from your snow-white purity. Now powerful in your great merits, drive away the hard stones of our hearts, making its way smooth and its crooked paths straight. That when the holy Creator and Redeemer of the world comes, souls polished and stain removed, he might make his holy way rightly and worthily. May the citizens of heaven praise you, God simple and equally three; but we humbly pray pardon: spare the redeemed. Amen.
