08 December 2009

Conditor Alme Siderum









Creator of the stars of night,
Thy people's everlasting Light:
O Christ, Redeemer, save us all
And hear Thy servants when they call.

Thou, grieving that the ancient curse
Should doom to death a universe,
Hast found the healing, full of grace,
To cure and save our fallen race.

Thou cam'st the Bridegroom of the bride,
As drew the world to eventide,
The spotless Victim all divine
Proceeding from a Virgin shrine.

At whose dread name, majestic now,
All knees must bend, all hearts must bow;
All things celestial Thee shall own,
And things terrestial, Lord alone.

O Thou, whose coming is with dread
To judge the living and the dead,
Preserve us from the ancient foe
While still we dwell on earth below.

To God the Father and the Son
And Holy Spirit, Three in One,
Praise, honor, might and glory be
From age to age eternally. Amen.
LSB 351 - Ancient Latin Hymn

8 comments:

Unknown said...

That's an Ambrosian hymn, if I'm not mistaken.

Chris said...

BTW, Fr. Weedon, you have a typo: It is "Conditor" not conditur. The latter means "it is founded." Sorry for being a Latin snob.

William Weedon said...

Yikes! Fixed.

Larry Luder said...

Now, that what I'm talking about! Beautiful in any language.

Kiran said...

There is a lovely Fauxbourdon version of this by the English composer, Thomas Morley "Dear Maker of the Starry Skies." Do you know it?

Past Elder said...

It's a piece by Palestrina last I knew.

Kiran said...

PE, it might be, but the version we sing is the fauxbourdon version by Thomas Morley, the English gent.... I can't find it online alas.

Past Elder said...

He was better than just English -- he was from East Anglia, which gave "England" its name.

Norwich though, which is the North Folk, Norfolk, as distinct from my ancestors the South Folk, or Suffolk, but all of us, East Anglia, originally from Angeln in northern Germany, what is now Schleswig-Holstein to be exact. Cue the "LCMS is too German" moaners and groaners.