Nauta mundo naufrago

Venite, exsultemus Domino; iubilemus Deo salutari nostro. Praeoccupemus faciem eius in confessione et in psalmis iubilemus ei.

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Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Saturday, June 19, 2021

Junii undevicesima

 Today is the first time the new federal holiday, June 19th, is celebrated. How appropriate that we find this prex at vespers:

Consule iis, qui discrimen ob genus, colorem, condicionem, sermonem aut religione patiuntur, ut iurium suorum ac dignitatis agnitione consequantur. Respice et exaudi nos Domine.


Monday, May 26, 2014

Mediissima in toto orbe

My five year old son, upon surveying a rather extensive tome of prehistoric animals, looked up a moment from his researches and told me, "Daddy, Woolly Mammoths are the most medium sized things in the whole world."

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Sancti Patricii Lorica

The Breastplate of St Patrick has long been one of my favorite hymns. I first became acquainted with it in Kuno Meyer's rendering from the Old Irish, "I arise today through a mighty strength", which can be found in an appendix to the ICEL breviary. Long suspecting an equally old Latin version must exist, I never had any luck googling for it until recently. I was led by a tip from Fr Basil, commenting at Fr Z's excellent blog, to a book called Lyra Hibernica Sacra (i.e., the Sacred Harps of Ireland) which contained the Latin as well as two free translations into English, James Henthorn Todd's "I bind to myself to-day" and James Clarence Mangan's "At Tarah to-day in this awful hour".

Both translations are rather free, with Mangan's being overall more free than Todd's, despite his more literal rendering of the refrain, "Ad Temoriam hodie".

The Latin original of the Lorica of St Patrick:

Sancti Patricii Hymnus ad Temoriam.

Ad Temoriam hodie potentiam praepollentem invoco Trinitatis,
Credo in Trinitatem sub unitate numinis elementorum.

Apud Temoriam hodie virtutem nativitatis Christi cum ea ejus baptismi,
Virtutem crucifixionis cum ea ejus sepulturae,
Virtutem resurrectionis cum ea ascensionis,
Virtutem adventus ad judicium aeternum.

Apud Temoriam hodie virtutem amoris Seraphim in obsequio angelorum,
In spe resurrectionis ad adipiscendum praemium.
In orationibus nobilium Patrum,
In praedictionibus prophetarum,
In praedicationibus apostolorum,
In fide confessorum,
In castitate sanctarum virginum,
In actis justorum virorum.

Apud Temoriam hodie potentiam coeli,
Lucem solis,
Candorem nivis,
Vim ignis,
Rapiditatem fulguris,
Velocitatem venti,
Profunditatem maris,
Stabilitatem terrae,
Duritiam petrarum.

Ad Temoriam hodie potentia Dei me dirigat,
Potestas Dei me conservet,
Sapientia Dei me edoceat,
Oculus Dei mihi provideat,
Auris Dei me exaudiat,
Verbum Dei me disertum faciat,
Manus Dei me protegat,
Via Dei mihi patefiat,
Scutum Dei me protegat,
Exercitus Dei me defendat,
Contra insidias daemonum,
Contra illecebras vitiorum,
Contra inclinationes animi,
Contra omnem hominem qui meditetur injuriam mihi,
Procul et prope,
Cum paucis et cum multis.

Posui circa me sane omnes potentias has
Contra omnem potentiam hostilem saevam
Excogitatam meo corpori et meae animae;
Contra incantamenta pseudo-vatum,
Contra nigras leges gentilitatis,
Contra pseudo-leges haereseos,
Contra dolum idololatriae,
Contra incantamenta mulierum,
Et fabrorum ferrariorum et druidum,
Contra omnem scientiam quae occaecat animum hominis.

Christus me protegat hodie
Contra venenum,
Contra combustionem,
Contra demersionem,
Contra vulnera,
Donec meritus essem multum praemii.

Christus mecum,
Christus ante me,
Christus me pone,
Christus in me,
Christus infra me,
Christus supra me,
Christus ad dextram meam,
Christus ad laevam meam,
Christus hine,
Christus illine,
Christus a tergo.

Christus in corde omnis hominis quem alloquar,
Christus in ore cujusvis qui me alloquatur,
Christus in omni oculo qui me videat,
Christus in omni aure quae me audiat.

Ad Temoriam hodie potentiam praepollentem invoco Trinitatis.
Credo in Trinitatem sub Unitate numinis elementorum.

Domini est salus,
Domini est salus,
Christi est salus,
Salus tua, Domine, sit semper nobiscum.


Todd's tranlsation, from which Kuno Meyer borrowed rather heavily:

I bind to myself to-day
The strong power of an invocation of the Trinity,
The faith of the Trinity in Unity,
The Creator of the elements.

I bind to myself to-day
The power of the Incarnation of Christ with that of His Baptism,
The power of the Crucifixion, with that of His Burial,
The power of the Resurrection with the Ascension,
The power of the coming to the sentence of Judgment.


I bind to myself to-day
The power of the love of Seraphim,
In the obedience of Angels,
In the hope of Resurrection unto reward,
In the prayers of the noble Fathers,
In the predictions of the Prophets,
In the preaching of Apostles,
In the faith of Confessors,
In the purity of holy Virgins,
In the acts of Righteous men.

I bind to myself to-day
The power of Heaven,
The light of the Sun,
The whiteness of Snow,
The force of Fire,
The flashing of Lightning,
The velocity of Wind,
The depth of the Sea,
The stability of the Earth,
The hardness of Rocks.

I bind to myself to-day
The power of God to guide me,
The might of God to uphold me,
The wisdom of God to teach me,
The eye of God to watch over me,
The ear of God to hear me,
The word of God to give me speech,
The hand of God to protect me,
The way of God to prevent me,
The shield of God to shelter me,
The host of God to defend me,
Against the snares of demons,
Against the temptations of vices,
Against the lusts of nature,
Against every man who meditates injury to me.
Whether far or near,
With few or with many.

I have set around me all these powers
Against every hostile savage power,
Directed against my body and my soul,
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the black laws of heathenism,
Against the false laws of heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry,
Against the spells of women and smiths and druids,
Against all knowledge which blinds the soul of man.

Christ protect me to-day
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wound,
That I may receive abundant reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
Christ in the fort,
Christ in the chariot-seat,
Christ in the poop.

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I bind to myself to-day
The strong power of an invocation of the Trinity,
The faith of the Trinity in Unity,
The Creator of the elements.

Salvation is of the Lord,
Salvation is of the Lord,
Salvation is of Christ,
May thy salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.

Mangan's translation, which is lyrically beautiful, although it lacks some of the force of Todd's version:

At Tarah to-day, in this awful hour,
I call on the Holy Trinity !
Glory to Him who reigneth in power.
The God of the elements, Father, and Son,
And Paraclete Spirit, which Three are the One,
The ever-existing Divinity !

At Tarah to-day I call on the Lord,
On Christ, the Omnipotent Word,
Who came to redeem from Death and Sin
Our fallen race ;
And I put and I place
The virtue that lieth and liveth in
His Incarnation lowly.
His Baptism pure and holy,
His life of toil, and tears, and affliction,
His dolorous Death - His Crucifixion,
His Burial, sacred and sad and lone,
His Resurrection to life again,
His Glorious Ascension to Heaven's high throne.
And, lastly, His future dread
And terrible Coming to judge all men —
Both the Living and Dead . . . . .

At Tarah to-day I put and I place
The virtue that dwells in the seraphim's love,
And the virtue and grace
That are in the obedience
And unshaken allegiance
Of all the archangels and angels above,
And in the hope of the Resurrection
To everlasting reward and election !
And in the prayer of the fathers of old,
And in the truths the prophets foretold,
And in the apostles' manifold preachings,
And in the confessors' faith and teachings,
And in the purity ever dwelling
Within the immaculate Virgin's breast,
And in the actions bright and excelling
Of all good men, the just and the blest.....

At Tarah to-day, in this fatal hour,
I place all Heaven with its power,
And the Sun with its brightness,
And the Snow with its whiteness,
And Fire with all the strength it hath,
And Lightning with its rapid wrath,
And the Winds with their swiftness along their path,
And the Sea with its deepness,
And the Rocks with their steepness,
And the Earth with its starkness,
All these I place -
By God's almighty help and grace,
Between myself and the Powers of Darkness.


At Tarah to-day
May God be my stay !
May the strength of God now nerve me !
May the power of God preserve me !
May God the Almighty be near me !
May God the Almighty espy me !
May God the Almighty hear me !
May God give me eloquent speech !
May the arm of God protect me !
May the wisdom of God direct me !
May God give me power to teach and to preach


May the shield of God defend me !
May the host of God attend me,
And ward me,
And guard me,
Against the wiles of demons and devils,
Against the temptations of vices and evils,
Against the bad passions and wrathful will
Of the reckless mind and the wicked heart,
Against every man who designs me ill,
Whether leagued with others, or plotting apart !

In this hour of hours,
I place all those powers
Between myself and every foe
Who threatens my body and soul
With danger or dole.
To protect me against the evils which flow
From lying soothsayers' incantations,
From the gloomy laws of the Gentile nations,
From heresy's hateful innovations,
From idolatry's rites and invocations,
Be those my defenders,
My guards against every ban —
And spell of smiths and Druids and women ;
In fine against every knowledge that renders
The light Heaven sends us dim in
The spirit and soul of man !

May Christ, I pray,
Protect me to-day
Against poison and fire,
Against drowning and wounding —
That so, in His grace abounding,
I may earn the preacher's hire !

Christ, as a light,
Illumine and guide me !
Christ, as a shield, o'ershadow and cover me !
Christ be under me ! Christ be over me !
Christ be beside me
On left hand and right !
Christ be before me, behind me, about me !
Christ this day be within and without me !

Christ, the lowly and meek,
Christ, the All-Powerful, be
In the heart of each to whom I speak.
In the mouth of each who speaks to me !
In all who draw near me.
Or see me or hear me !

At Tarah to-day, in this awful hour,
I call on the Holy Trinity !
Glory to Him who reigneth in power,
The God of the elements — Father, and Son,
And Paraclete Spirit — which Three are the One,
The ever-existing Divinity.

Salvation dwells with the Lord,
With Christ the Omnipotent Word,
From generation to generation —
Grant us, O Lord, Thy grace and salvation.

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Dominus Noster Jesus Christus Universorum Rex

This is the week for singing the Dies Irae at Matins, Lauds, and Vespers.

The Solemnity of Christ the King has passed, and we wrap up the passing liturgical year and look towards the Advent of the next. This week is indeed a week of considering the Lord's coming kingdom, and nothing draws our attention to it like this hymn, perhaps the greatest ever written.


1. Dies irae, dies illa
solvet saeclum in favilla,
teste David cum Sibylla.

2. Quantus tremor est futurus,
quando iudex est venturus
cunta stricte discussurus!

3. Tuba mirum spargens sonum
per sepulcra regionum,
coget omnes ante thronum.

4. Mors stupebit et natura,
cum resurget creatura
iudicanti responsura.

5. Liber scriptus proferetur,
in quo totum continetur
unde mundus iudicetur.

6. Iudex ergo cum sedebit,
quicquid latet apparebit;
nil inultum remanebit.

7. Quid sum miser tunc dicturus,
quem patronum rogaturus,
cum vix iustus sit securus?

8. Rex tremendae maiestatis,
qui salvandos salvas gratis,
salva me, fons pietatis.

9. Recordare, Iesu pie,
quod sum causa tuae viae,
ne me perdas illa die.

10. Quaerens me sedisti lassus,
redemisti crucem passus;
tantus labor non sit cassus.

11. Iuste iudex ultionis,
donum fac remissionis
ante diem rationis.

12. Ingemisco tamquam reus,
culpa rubet vultus meus;
supplicanti parce Deus.

13. Peccatricem qui solvisti
et latronem exaudisti,
mihi quoque spem dedisti.

14. Preces meae non sunt dignae,
sed tu, bonus, fac benigne
ne perenni cremer igne.

15. Inter oves locum praesta
et ab haedis me sequestra,
statuens in parte dextra.

16. Confutatis maledictis,
flammis acribus addictis,
voca me cum benedictis.

17. Oro supplex et acclinis,
cor contritum quasi cinis,
gere curam mei finis.

18. Lacrimosa dies illa,
qua resurget ex favilla
iudicandus homo reus:
huic ergo parce, Deus.

19. O tu, Deus maiestatis,
alme candor Trinitatis,
nos coniunge cum beatis. Amen.

The power of these words is accented by the simple sing-song meter and rhyme of the lyrics. This hymn is probably best known in America today in the magnificent orchestration of Mozart, but all of Mozart's bombast cannot do justice to the weight of these lyrics. I far prefer the understatement of the lowly plain chant, which intensifies the gravity of these words.

There are many beautiful translations of this hymn into English. There are also a few accurate ones too. This attempt belongs to the latter group:


1. The day is Wrath's. That day shall unravel a lifetime in bright embers, David being its witness, with the Sibyl.

2. How much fear there is going to be when the judge is going to come, going to burst all things in constriction.

3. The trumpet showering a wonderful sound through the tombs of realms shall drive all before the throne.

4. Death will be awed, and birth, when creation shall rise again, which shall answer the one judging.

5. A written scroll will be brought forth in which all shall be contained whence the world will be judged.

6. Thus when the judge shall sit, whatever lurks shall appear. Nothing shall remain unavenged.

7. What am wretched I going to say then, what patron beg, when a just man be scarcely at ease?

8. O King of a majesty which is to be feared, who freely savest those who shall be saved, save me O font of devotion.

9. Remember O devoted Jesus, that I am the object of thy path. Mayest thou not lose me on that day.

10. Seeking me thou hast sat weary, suffering the cross thou hast redeemed me. Let so much labor be not empty!

11. O righteous judge of vengeance, make a gift of forgiveness before the day of reckoning.

12. I groan like a guilty man; my face is red with guilt; grant pardon to the one who kneels.

13. Thou who hast unbound the sinful woman and who hast heard out the thief, to me also thou hast given hope.

14. My prayers are not worthy, but thou, who art good, do kindly, lest I be burned in perennial fire.

15. Among the sheep grant a place, and from the goats sequester me, standing me in the right-hand portion.

16a. By the quenching of the assigned flames, stinging and cursed, call me with the blessed.

17. I pray kneeling and clinging; my heart is ground down like ash. Bear thou the care of my end.

18. Tearful will that day be, on which man will rise again out of the bright embers, guilty and to be judged: to this one, therefore, grant pardon, O God.

19. O thou God of majesty, loving brilliance of the Trinity, wed thou us with the blessed. Amen.

The word "resurget," in verses 4 and 18, is the same word that makes our form "resurrection" in English. I have translated it as "will rise again."

The "Favilla" referred to in the first and last verses means hot embers in general, but it also is used particularly to refer to the still glowing ashes of the recently cremated dead in pagan Rome.

Particularly striking in the Latin is the ambiguity of verse 16. My translation above does not follow the punctuation found in the Breviary, but interprets it minus its first comma, the one after "maledictis." Using the Church's punctuation, verse 16 could be translated like so:

16b. When the cursed have been oppressed, assigned to the stinging flames, call me with the blessed.

The ambiguity in the meaning of the un-punctuated verse 16 epitomizes the contrast between terror and hope that the last day will bring.

Spare us, O God!

Thursday, September 01, 2005

Nexus Amoeni

Many thanks to a reader from France who sends in some truly delightful links related to the Liturgy of the Hours. There is a daily page of vespers in Latin and French. Also, a page of a whole day's worth of liturgy for select feasts and solemnities. And for PalmOS'ers, some liturgical software for your favorite toy.

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Dies juventutis pancosmius

Some World Youth Day blogs, via Amy:

Tim Drake

Brandon Evans

Father Todd

St. Bonifatius

Thursday, June 23, 2005

Solemnitas Sancti Joannis Baptistae

Hypothoses Non Fingo has a post on St. John the Baptist's feast day, which is tomorrow.