Sunday: Weeks I & III

 

Vespers 1 : St. Ambrose

 

Walpole: Ambrose probably wrote it for daily use throughout the year and Ambrosian MSS give as rubric simply hymnus uespertinalis. It was adopted into the later hymnary and there assigned to vespers on Saturday. 'Its general use is on Saturdays from that preceding the 1st Sunday after the Octave of the Epiphany to the Saturday before Quadragesima Sunday, both inclusive; and from the Saturday preceding the 1st Sunday in August to Advent.'

 

Walsh & Hutch: This hymn consoled Augustine at his mother's death: “I remembered the very true verses of your Ambrose . . .”  The first two stanzas then follow (Conf. 9.12.32). He recalled that earlier his mother had quoted the final line at Cassiciacum (De beata vita 35). At Arles, Caesarius prescribed it as an evening hymn. It is structured with a fourfold division: invocation to the Creator, who grants the night for necessary rest (SS 1—2); thanksgiving for the day now past (SS 3—4); prayer for faith to sustain us in sleep (SS 5—6); and entreaty to the Trinity to repel the devil's guile in the night hours (SS 7-8).

 

Deus, creátor ómnium (1)

políque rector, véstiens

diem decóro lúmine,

noctem sopóris grátia,

 

Artus solútos ut quies (2)

reddat labóris úsui

mentésque fessas állevet

luctúsque solvat ánxios,

 

Grates perácto iam die (3)

et noctis exórtu preces,

voti reos ut ádiuves, (4)

hymnum canéntes sólvimus.

 

Te cordis ima cóncinant,

te vox canóra cóncrepet,

te díligat castus amor,

te mens adóret sóbria,

 

Ut cum profúnda cláuserit

diem calígo nóctium, (5)

fides ténebras nésciat

et nox fide relúceat.

 

Christum rogámus et Patrem,

Christi Patrísque Spíritum;

unum potens per ómnia,

fove precántes, Trínitas. Amen.

 

1.1 Deus, creator omnium.• The scriptural exordium is from the prayer of Nehemiah at 2 Mcc 1.'24: "Domine Deus, omnium Creator ." (O Lord God, Creator of all things)

2.1—2 solutos.. . reddat,• As often in Latin, there is a combination of participle and finite verb where English prefers two finite verbs.

 

3.1—2 Grates . , , preces: The elegant chiasmic order should be noted. The thanks are for the blessings of the past day, and the prayers for the coming night.

 

3-3 voti reos: A Virgilian phrase (Aen. 5.237: "voti reus"), expressing the notion of obligation to fulfill a vow, here specified in the stanzas following.

 

4-4 mens... sobria: Not with the suggestion of drinking to be avoided, but an exhortation to adopt the serious demeanor appropriate to prayer.

 

5.2—3 caligo.. . fides: As often, Ambrose contrasts the physical darkness with the shining faith to which we aspire.

 

6.1 Dot-mire mentem: Suggestive ofspiritual lethargy, as at Corinthians 11:30: "Ideo inter vos multi infirmes et inbecilles, et dormiunt multi" Wherefore are there many infirm and weak among you, and many sleep).

 

6.4 somni vaporem: The heat of sexual arousal is perhaps implied, as in hymn 23.2.4 below, "ne polluantur corpora." Faith here cools as elsewhere it heats.

 

8.1—2 Christum . . . Patrem . . . Spiritum.• This plea to the Tinity can be regarded as an anticipation of the doxology glorifying the Trinity with which hymns later close.

 

O God, Creator of all, Ruler of the sky, vesting the day with beauteous light, night with the grace of rest. That quiet might loosen limbs and restore us for work and relieve weary minds, relax anxious grief. Grateful for the day that has passed and urged by the prayers of night, we sing and offer you a hymn that you would help us keep our vows. May our inmost hearts sing to you, tuneful voice resound, chaste desire love you, sober minds adore you. That when the deep darkness of night covers the day, faith may know no darkness and night may sparkle with faith. We ask this of Christ and his Father and the Spirit of Christ and the Father, one power through all things, O Trinity, favor those who pray. Amen.

 

Lauds : St. Ambrose

 

This hymn was appointed by Caesarius of Arles to be sung ad secundum nocturnum (i.e. at what was afterwards known as Lauds).

 

This hymn is certainly Ambrose's, for Augustine (Retract. 1.21) cites lines 15—16 "ex versibus beatissimi Ambrosii" (from the verses of the most blessed Ambrose). Moreover, Ambrose repeats many of the motifs at Hexaemeron 5.88. The hymn is specified as a hymnus nocturnalis in AmbroSian manuscripts. Caesarius of Arles appointed it to be sung at the Second Nocturn as an appropriate composition with which to greet the dawn. The poem is structured round the two interconnected themes of the cock as herald of the dawn and of the repentance it inspired in Peter after his triple denial of Christ.

 

 

Ætérne rerum cónditor,

noctem diémque qui regis,

et témporum das témpora

ut álleves fastídium,

 

Præco diéi iam sonat,

noctis profúndæ pérvigil,

noctúrna lux viántibus

a nocte noctem ségregans.

 

Hoc excitátus lúcifer

solvit polum calígine;

hoc omnis errónum chorus

vias nocéndi déserit.

 

Hoc nauta vires cólligit

pontíque mitéscunt freta;

hoc, ipse Petra Ecclésiæ,

canénte, culpam díluit.

 

Iesu, labántes réspice

et nos vidéndo córrige;

si réspicis, lapsus cadunt

fletúque culpa sólvitur.

 

Tu, lux, refúlge sénsibus

mentísque somnum díscute;

te nostra vox primum sonet

et vota solvámus tibi.

 

1.4       ut alleves: That is, to alleviate weariness by alternating (most relevantly for this hymn) night and day.

 

2.4 a nocte noctem segregans: Isidore, Orig. 5-30, suggests that the cock crows at midnight, but the more obvious sense is that his crowing separates the dark hour before the dawn from the earlier night hours.

 

3.1 lucifer: "The morning star," not, of course, itself dissipating the darkness, but signaling the dawn, Walpole understood it as the sun.

 

3-3 errorum: Walpole rightly defends this reading against the "correction" erronum ("truant slaves"). Errorum errantium), the abstract word for the concrete, appropriately registers the sense of "vagrant demons. "

 

4.1—3 nauta . . . Petra: These motifs are developed at Ilex. 5.88, where Ambrose likewise writes ipse petra. For Peter's denials, the cock crows, and Peter's bitter tears, see Mt Lk 22:56—62.

 

5-4 negantes arguit: The Arian Monophysites who deny Christ's divinity are visualized as heirs to Peter's denial.

7.1 labantes respice: As Christ did to Peter (Lk 22:61). The connection is made more explicitly at Hex. 5.88.. . . solvitur: We thus imitate the repentant Peter.

 

Eternal Creator of things, you who rule night and day, and give the time of the seasons that you may relieve our boredom. The cock, the watchman through the deep of night, now sounds, a nocturnal light for travelers, separating one from another. By this the morning star is aroused, the sky is parted from the darkness; by this every band of errors  abandons its harmful ways. By this the sailor regains his strength and the raging sea is calmed; by this Peter himself, the rock of the Church, by song washes away his guilt. O Jesus, look upon those who are falling, for by one glance you correct; if you see us, our lapses fall and crime is absolved by tears. You, O Light, shine on our senses, may sleep of our souls depart; our voices sing to you and our promises to you are kept.

 

When the Office of Readings is read in the daytime: Aron 12^th Century?

 

Dies ætásque céteris

octáva splendet sánctior

in te quam, Iesu, cónsecras,

primítiæ surgéntium.

 

Tu tibi nostras ánimas

nunc primo conresúscita;

tibi consúrgant córpora

secúnda morte líbera.

 

Tibíque mox in núbibus,

Christe, ferámur óbviam

tecum victúri pérpetim:

tu vita, resurréctio.

 

Cuius vidéntes fáciem,

configurémur glóriæ;

te cognoscámus sicut es,

lux vera et suávitas.

 

Regnum, cum Patri tráditos,

plenos septéno chrísmate,

in temet nos lætíficas,

consúmmet Sancta Trínitas. Amen.

 

The eighth day is more holy and brighter than other days, which you, O Jesus, consecrated as the first fruits of the resurrection.  First now raise our souls together with you; then may our bodies rise free from the second death. O Christ, may we soon be carried to meet you in the clouds, with you conquering forever: for you are life and resurrection. Seeing your face, may we be transfigured into glory; may we know you as you are: true light and goodness. May the Holy Trinity bring the kingdom to fulfillment: making us glad in Christ, handed over to the Father and filled with the seven-fold anointing.  Amen.

 

Vespers II: St. Gregory the Great ?

 

The five hymns, probably composed by the same author, are taken from the first five days of Creation in Genesis. This, the first, refers to the creation of light.

 

Lucis creátor óptime,

lucem diérum próferens,

primórdiis lucis novæ

mundi parans oríginem;

 

Qui mane iunctum vésperi

diem vocári prǽcipis:

tætrum chaos illábitur;

audi preces cum flétibus.

 

Ne mens graváta crímine

vitæ sit exsul múnere,

dum nil perénne cógitat

seséque culpis ílligat.

 

Cælórum pulset íntimum,

vitále tollat prǽmium;

vitémus omne nóxium,

purgémus omne péssimum.

 

Greatest Creator of light, providing the light of day and fashioning the first beginnings of new light at the beginning of the world; You who bid morning joined to evening to be called day: now dark disorder falls upon us: hear our prayers with tears. Let not our minds heavy with sin be deprived of the rewards of life and bind ourselves to sin with no thought for things eternal. May our soul knock at the door of heaven, carry away the prize of life; let us shun everything harmful, let us purge all that is evil.