IN NATIVITATE S. IOANNIS BAPTISTÆ

 

 

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.