ADAM of ST. VICTOR ~ LITURGICAL SEQUENCES

XII. PASCHA
[English]

Sexta passus feria
Die Christus tertia
Resurrexit;
Surgens cum victoria,
Collocat in gloria
Quos dilexit.

Pro fideli populo
Crucis in patibulo
Immolatur;
Clauditur in tumulo,
Tandem in diluculo
Susciatur.

Christi crux et passio
Nobis est praesidio,
Si credamus;
Christ resurrectio
Facit ut a vitio
Resurgamus.

Hostia sufficiens
Christus fuit moriens
Pro peccato;
Sanguinis effusio
Abluit nos, impio
Triumphato.

Morte sua simplici
Nostrae morti duplici
Fert medelam;
Vitae pandit aditum,
Nostrum sanat genitum
Et querelam.

Leo fortis hodie
Dat signum potentiae
Resurgendo,
Principem nequitiae
Per arma justitiae
Devincendo.

Diem istam Dominus
Fecit, in qua facinus
Mundi lavit,
In qua mors occiditur,
In qua vita redditur,
Hostis ruit.

Geminatum igitur
Alleluya canitur
Corde puro,
Quia culpa tollitur
Et vita promittitur
In futuro.

In hoc mundi vespere
Fac tuos resurgere,
Jesu Christe;
Salutaris omnibus
Sit tuis fidelibus
Dies iste! Amen.
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XII. EASTER
[Latin]

Christ, upon the Friday slain,
On the Sunday once again
Rose victorious,
And those, whom He sought in love,
Gathers round Himself above,
Ever glorious.

For His faithful people He,
Offered on the Cross's tree,
Death sustaineth:
To the tomb's enclosure borne,
Life once more at early morn
He regaineth.

Christ's protection we receive
Through His Cross, if we believe,
And His Passion;
While His rising for our sakes
Possible our rising makes
From transgression.

A sufficient sacrifice
Jesus by his death supplies
For all evil:
Through His blood, shed, cleansed are we,
And thus gain the victory
O'er the devil.

He, by dying once for all,
Freedom from death's double thrall
For us gaining,
Opens wide the gate of life,
Thereby healing all our grief
And complaining.

He, the lion strong, to-day
Rising, of his powerful sway
Token showeth;
For iniquity's fell lord,
He with righteousness's sword
Overthroweth.

'Tis the Lord's own day, wherein
All the world, made clean from sin,
He recalleth,
Whereon, death's self being slain,
And our life restored again,
Satan falleth.

Therefore from pure hearts once more
Double alleluias soar
Up to heaven;
Since away man's guilt is ta'en,
And that he shall live again
Promise given.

Jesu Christ! make Thou Thine own
Rise before the sun goes down
O'er creation;
May this day to all who bear
True allegiance to Thee here
Bring salvation! Amen.
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XIII. PASCHA
[English]

Mundi renovatio
Nova parit gaudia;
Resurgenti Domino
Conresurgunt omnia.
Elementa serviunt,
Et auctoris sentiunt
Quanta sit sollemnia.

Ignis volat mobilis,
Et aer volubilis,
Fluit aqua labilis,
Terra manet stabilis:
Alta petunt levia,
Centrum tenent gravia,
Renovantur omnia.

Coelum fir serenius,
Et mare tranquilius;
Spirat aura levius,
Vallis nostra floruit.
Revirescunt arida,
Recalsecunt frigida
Postquam ver intepuit.

Gelu mortis solvitur
Princeps mundi tollitur,
Et ejus destruitur
In nobis imperium;
Dum tenere voluit
In quo nihil habuit,
Jus amisit proprium.

Vita mortem superat;
Homo jam recuperat
Quod prius amiserat
Paradisi gaudium:
Viam praebat facilem,
Cherubim versatilem
Amovendo gladium.

Christus coelos reserat
Et captivos liberat
Quos culpa ligaverat
Sub mortis interitu.
Pro tanta victoria
Patri, Proli gloria
Sit cum Sancto Spiritu! Amen.
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XIII. EASTER
[Latin]

Spring's renewal of earth's plain
New-born joys to man supplies;
When the Lord doth rise again,
With Him also all things rise:
Elements upon him wait,
Feeling, as their source, how great
Should be his solemnities.

Fires their swift flames upward throw,
Lightly the air-eddies blow,
running waters onward flow,
Earth remains unmoved below:
Light things soar above the plain,
Heavy things their place retain,
All things are renewed again.

Heights of heaven serener be,
And more tranquil grows the sea;
Breathes the air more buoyantly,
And our vale fresh verdure shows;
What is dry once more revives,
What is cold new heat receives,
When with warmth the springtide glows.

Icy death dissolves to-day;
This world's prince is borne away,
And o'er us his hateful sway
Is destroyed for evermore:
Since he in possession sought
Him in whom he had not aught,
He hath lost his ancient power.

Death by life is triumphed o'er;
Man recovers now once more
All the bliss, which, lost of yore,
Paradise's joys afford:
Easy hath the way there proved,
Since the cherubim removed
Thence his ever-turning sword.

Christ re-opens heaven again,
Loosing every captive's chain,
Bound to undergo death's pain
For his foul iniquity.
Glory for such victory won
To the Father and the Son
With the Holy Spirit be! Amen.
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XIV. PASCHA
[English]

Zyma vetus expurgetur
Ut sincere celebretur
Nova resurrectio:
Haec est dies nostrae spei,
Hujus mira vis diei
Legis testimonio.

Haec Aegyptum spoliavit
Et Hebraeos liberavit
De fornace ferrea:
His in arcto constitutis
Opus erat servitutis
Lutum, later, palea.

Jam Divina laus virtutis,
Jam triumphi, jam salutis
Vox erumpet libera!
Haec est dies quam fecit Dominus,
Dies nostri doloris terminus,
Dies salutifera!

Lex est umbra futurorum,
Christus, finis promissorum,
Qui consummat omnia:
Christi sanguis igneam
Hebetavit romphaeam,
Amota custodia.

Puer nostri forma risus,
Pro quo vervex est occisus,
Vitae signat gaudium.
Joseph exit de cisterna:
Christus redit ad superna,
Post mortis supplicium.

Hic dracones Pharaonis
Draco vorat, a draconis
Immunis malitia:
Quos ignitus vulnerat,
Hos serpentis liberat
Aenei praesentia.

Anguem forat in maxilla
Christi hamus et armilla:
In cavernam reguli
Manum mittit ablactatus,
Et sic fugit exturbatus
Vetus hospes saeculi.

Irrisores Elisaei,
Dum conscendit domum Dei,
Zelum calvi sentiunt:
David arreptitius,
Hircus emissarius
Et passer effugiunt.

In maxilla mille sternit,
Et de tribu sua spernit
Samson matrimonium:
Samson Gazae seras pandit,
Et asportans portas scandit
Montis supercilium.

Sic de Juda leo fortis,
Fractis portis dirae mortis,
Die surgit tertia;
Rugiente voce patris
Ad supernae sinum matris
Tot revexit spolia.

Cetus Jonam fugitivum,
Veri Jonae signativum,
Post tres dies reddit vivum
De ventris angustia.
Botrus Cypri reflorescit,
Dilatatur et excrescit;
Synagogae flos marescit,
Et floret ecclesia.

Mors et vita conflixere,
Resurrexit Christus vere,
Et cum Christo surrexere
Multi testes gloriae.
Mane novum, mane laetum
Vespertinum tergat fletum:
Quia vita vicit letum,
Tempus est laetitiae.

Jesu victor, Jesu vita,
Jesu vitae via trita,
Cujus morte mors sopita,
Ad Paschalem nos invita
Mensam cum fiducia.
Vive panis, vivax unda,
Vera vitis et fecunda,
Tu nos pasce, tu nos munda,
Ut a morte nos secunda
Tua salvet gratia. Amen.
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XIV. EASTER
[Latin]

Purge away the former leaven,
That true thanks may now be given
On the day which saw Christ rise!
Hope to us this great day yieldeth;
Mighty is the power it wieldeth,
As the Law's word testifies.

Egypt's sons this day were plundered;
Israel's tribes, their fetters sundered,
From the kilns were freed to-day;
Servile was the occupation
Of this bound and captive nation,
Making bricks of straw and clay.

Of God's goodness let laudation,
Songs of triumph and salvation,
Burst forth now in accents clear:
This is the day the Lord Himself hath made,
The day our sorrows all to rest are laid,
And which brings salvation near.

Things to come the Law's type veileth;
Christ the promises fulfilleth,
Who doth all things consummate;
Christ's own blood, for us outpoured,
Making blunt the flaming sword,
Drives the warders from the gate.

Life's joy he, that lad, implieth,
Who our laughter typifieth,
In whose stead the ram was slain:
Joseph from the pit ascendeth,
Back to heaven His way Christ wendeth,
Having died his death of pain.

'Tis the serpent that devoureth
Pharoah's serpents, and o'erpowereth,
Scatheless, the old serpent's spite.
He provideth an escape,
In a brazen serpent's shape,
From the fiery serpents's bite.

Christ the hook and thorn appeareth,
Which the serpent's jaw-bone teareth:
On the cockatrice's den
When His hand this weaned child layeth,
Driven off, no longer stayeth
That old dweller amongst men.

Mocking children, insults throwing
At the seer to Beth-el going,
Feel the bald-head's righteous wrath:
David, by feigned madness stirred,
The scapegoat, the "living bird,"
From the haunts of men flee forth.

Samson with a jaw-bone slayeth
Thousands, and contempt displayeth
For a wife from 'mongst his own:
Samson Gaza's bolts unfastens,
And, its gates uplifting, hastens
With them to the mountain's crown.

Judah's lion by this token
Boldly, death's dread portals broken,
Rises the third day once more:
Back to heaven rich fruits of daring
To our mother's bosom bearing,
When He hears the Father's roar.

Jonah, from his duty flying,
Three days in her belly lying,
Our true Jonah typifying,
Doth the whale restore alive.
Clustered camphire fresh life showeth,
Spreads abroad and larger groweth:
Blight alone the Law's bud knoweth,
And the Church doth bloom and thrive.

Death and life's long strife is ended!
Christ hath risen indeed, attended
By a witness crowd, ascended
With Him, who His glory show.
Morning new, morn gladness reaping!
Wipe away our eve of weeping;
Life o'er death is triumph keeping,
'Tis the time for joyance now!

Jesu victor, life bestowing!
Jesu, way to true life going!
Through Thy death death's self o'erthrowing!
At Thy Paschal feast o'erflowing
Grant us in full trust a place!
Bread of life and Water living!
Vine, the true Vine, much fruit giving!
Feed us, cleanse us from sin's striving,
That, at second death arriving,
We escape it through Thy grace! Amen.
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XV. ASCENSIO
[English]

Postquam hostem et inferna
Spoliavit, ad superna
Christus redit gaudia;
Angelorum ascendenti
Sicut olim descendenti
Parantur obsequia.

Super astra sublimatur;
Non apparet, absentatur
Corporis praesentia;
Cuncta tamen moderatur,
Cujus Patri coaequatur
Honor et potentia.

Modo victor, modo tutus,
Est in coelo constitutus
Rector super omnia.
Non est rursum moriturus,
Nec per mortem mandaturus
Hominum contagia.

Semel enim incarnatus,
Semel passus, semel datus
Pro peccatis hostia,
Nullam feret ultra poenam,
Nam quietem habet plenam
Cum summa laetitia.

Cum recessit, ita dixit,
Intimavit et infixit
Talia discipulis:
"Ite, mundum circuite,
Universos erudite
Verbis et miraculis.

"Nam as Patrem meum ibo;
Sed sciatis quod redibo:
Veniet Paraclitus
Qui desertos et loquaces,
Et securos, et audaces
Faciet vos penitus.

"Super aegros et languentes
Manus vestras imponentes,
Sanitatem dabitis;
Universas res nocentes,
Inimicos et serpentes
Et morbos fugabitis.

"Qui fidelis est futurus
Et cum fide suscepturus
Baptismi remedium,
In peccatis erit purus
Et cum justis habiturus
Sempiternum gaudium." Amen.
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XV. ASCENSION
[Latin]

Satan and the realms infernal
Having spoiled, to joys supernal
Christ returneth back once more:
As His upward way he wendeth,
As before, when he descendeth,
Angels set them to adore.

As above the stars He goeth,
Here no more Himself He showeth,
Bodily, to mortal sight;
But all rule to him is given,
Who is with His Sire in Heaven
One in majesty and might.

Victor now, from perils warded,
He in heaven hath been accorded
Empire over all therein:
Nevermore shall He be dying,
Nevermore through death supplying
Means to purify man's sin.

Once for all He took our nature,
Once He suffered, once, a creature,
Was for sin content to die:
Further pain shall He know never,
But, in perfect peace for ever,
Compass endless joys on high.

Thus he spake, as He ascended;
These things straitly He commanded,
And impressed upon His own:
"Go through all the world and preach ye,
Every nation therein teach ye
Both by word and wonder done.

"For I go unto my Father,
To return, as ye may gather,
Since shall come a Comforter,
Who shall make you bold and fearless,
Of all consequences careless,
Eloquent in speech and clear.

"Those laid low by sickness on them,
When ye lay your hands upon them,
Shall their former health regain:
All things hurtful and annoying,
With all deadly snakes, destroying,
Ye shall drive out plagues and pain.

"Whosoever but believeth,
And with simple faith receiveth
Baptism's sure remedy,
Shall be cleansed from all transgression,
And have with the saints possession
Of eternal joys on high!" Amen.
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