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.
