Traditional Catholic Prayers: The LITURGICAL SEQUENCES of ADAM of ST. VICTOR

Traditional Catholic Prayers: The LITURGICAL SEQUENCES of ADAM of ST. VICTOR



XXIII. DEDICATIO ECCLESIAE
[English]

QUAM DILECTA TABERNACULA DOMINI VIRTUTUM, et ATRIA!

Quam electi
Architecti
Tuta aedificia,
Quae non movent,
Imo fovent
Ventus, flumen, pluvia!

Quam decora fundamenta
Per concinna sacramenta
Umbrae praecurrentia!
Latus Adae dormientis
Evam fundit, in manentis
Copulae primordia.

Arca ligno fabricata
Noe servat, gubernata
Mundi per diluvium.
Prole sera tandem foeta,
Anus Sara ridet laeta,
Nostrum lactans gaudium.

Servus bibit qui legatur
Ex camelus adaquatur
Ex Rebeccae hydria.
Haec inaures et armillas
Aptat sibi, ut per illas
Virgo fiat congrua.

Synagoga supplantatur
A Jacob, dum devagatur
Nimis freta litterae.
Liam lippam latent multa:
Quibus Rachel videns fulta,
Pari nubit foedere.

In bivio tegens nuda,
Germinos parit ex Juda
Thamar diu vidua.
Hic Moyses a puella,
Dum se lavat, in fiscella
Reperitur scirpea.

Hic mas agnus immolatur,
Quo Israel satiatur,
Tinctus ejus sanguine.
Hic transitur rubens unda,
Aegyptios sub profunda
Obruens voragine.

Hic est urna manna plena,
Hic mandata legis dena,
Sed in arca foederis.
Hic sunt aedis ornamenta,
Hic Aaron indumenta
Quae praecedit poderis.

Hic Urias viduatur,
Bethsabee sublimatur,
Sedis consors regiae.
Haec regi varietate
Vestis astat deauratae,
Sicut regum filiae.

Huc venit Austri regina,
Salomonis quam divina
Condit sapientia.
Haec est nigra sed formosa,
Myrrhae est thuris fumosa,
Virga pigmentaria.

Haec futura
Quae figura
Obumbravit,
Reseravit
Nobis dies gratiae:
Jam in lecto
Cum dilecto
Quiescamus
Et psallamus:
Adsunt enim nuptiae.

Quarum tonat initium
In tubis epulantium
Et finis per psalterium.

Sponsum millena millia
Una canunt melodia,
Sine fine dicentia:
Alleluia!
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XXIII. ON the DEDICATION of a CHURCH
[Latin]

O HOW LOVELY ARE the COURTS DIVINE of the LORD of HOSTS, HIS HALLOWED SHRINE!

O how skilled the
Hands that build thee;
How secure thy walls remain;
Ne'er subverted,
But supported
Rather by wind, flood, and rain!

O how comely thy foundations,
By deep mysteries' celebrations
Shadowing forth the coming day!
Adam, when in sleep reclining,
From his side pours Eve, beginning
Thus a bond to last fro aye.

Noah, in ark of wood constructed,
O'er that flood is safe conducted,
Which did all the world destroy.
Great with offspring long awaited,
Aged Sarah laughs, elated,
Giving milk to feed our joy.

Thirst the servant-legate shaketh,
And its fill his camel taketh,
From Rebecca's water-pail.
She, as rings and chains she weareth,
Fitly thus herself prepareth
To assume the bridal veil.

Since it so the letter vaunteth,
Jacob now the Law supplanteth,
Whilst it roams forth far and wide.
Rachel, since she sees much hidden
From Leah's tender sight, is bidden
To an equal rank as bride.

Tamar, long a widow biding,
By the way her features hiding,
Doth twin-sons to Judah bear.
Here in basket made of rushes
Moses see, who, while she washes,
Was perceived by maiden fair.

Here the male lamb, immolated,
Wherewith Israel's tribes are sated,
And besprinkled with its blood.
Here the Red Sea, safe passed over,
Which the Egyptian host did cover
With its deep devouring flood.

Here the pot that manna filleth;
Here the Decalogue God willeth,
In the ark of covenant bound.
Here the Temple's decorations;
Aaron's robes for ministrations,
Chief the one that sweeps the ground.

Here his wife Uriah loseth;
Here the king for consort chooseth
Bathsheba, his throne to share.
As she by him takes her station,
Dons she gold's rich decoration,
Such as monarch's daughters wear.

Hither Sheba's queen progresseth,
She, whom Solomon impresseth
With his wisdom all-divine:
Black she is, but comely; blending
Charms, as when in smoke ascending
Myrrh and frankincense combine.

Things forth-coming,
Darkly looming,
'Neath types shaded,
Are paraded
Plainly by this day of grace:
With the dear one
Lying near one,
Rest we, raising
Psalms of praising;
For the marriage now takes place.

On first assembling for the feast
Is heard the trumpets' thrilling blast;
Sweet psalteries' notes ring forth at last.

The Bridegroom in ten thousand ways
These myriad minstrels hymn, whose lays
Are still the same, as still they raise
Their Alleluia's endless praise!
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On the Dedication of a Church

XXVI. DEDICATIO ECCLESIAE
[English]

Jerusalem et Sion filiae,
Coetus omnis fidelis curiae,
Melos pangas jugis laetitiae,
Alleluia!
Christus enim desponsat hodie
Matrem nostram, norma justitiae,
Quam de lacu traxit miseriae,
Ecclesiam.

In Spiritus Sancti clementia,
Sponsa sponsi laetatur gratia:
A reginis, laudum cum gloria,
Felix dicta.
Dos ut datur, crescit laetitia:
Quae dos! quanta! triplex potentia,
Tangens coelum, terram et stygia
Judicia.

Mira loquar, sed sanum credere:
Foederatam tam largo munere,
De proprio produxit latere
Deus-Homo
Formaretur ut sic Ecclesia
Figuravit in pari gloria
Adae costis formata femina,
Hostis Eva.

Eva fuit noverca posteris:
Haec est mater electi generis,
Vitae portus, asylum miseris
Et tutela.
Pulchra, potens, partu mirabilis,
Ut luna, sol, fulget spectabilis,
Plus acie multo terribilis
Ordinata.

Multiplex est, singularis, una,
Generalis et individua;
Omnis aevi, sexus, simul una
Paris turmas.
Haec signata Jordanis fluctibus;
Haec quae venit a terrae finibus,
Scientiam audire cominus
Salomonis.

Haec typicis descripta sensibus,
Nuptiarum induta vestibus,
Coeli praeest hodie civibus
Christo juncta.
O solemnis festum laetitiae;
Quo unitur Christus Ecclesiae,
In quo nostrae salutis nuptiae
Celebrantur!

Coetus felix, dulce convivium,
Lapsis ubi datur solatium,
Desperatis offertur spatium
Respirandi!
Justis inde solvuntur praemia,
Angelorum novantur gaudia,
Laeta nimis quod facit gratia
Charitatis.

Ab aeterno fons sapientiae,
Intuitu solius gratiae,
Sic praevidit in rerum serie
Haec futura.
Christus ergo nos suis nuptiis,
Recreatos veris deliciis,
Interesse faciat gaudiis
Electorum! Amen.

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XXVI. ON the DEDICATION of a CHURCH
[Latin]

Jerusalem and Sion's daughters fair!
And all the faithful crowd that worship there!
That ceaseless strain of tuneful joy prepare,
"Alleluia!"
For Christ, Who doth all righteousness display,
Is to our Mother-Church espoused to-day,
That Church, whom He in love hath drawn away
From depths of woe.

Through the blest Spirit's mercy from above
The Bride rejoices in the Bridegroom's love:
Earth's queens with glorious praises doth she move
To call her blest.
'Mid greater joy still is her dowry given:
What! and how great! that threefold power, which heaven,
And earth below, and the dread judgments even
Of hell affects.

Belief is wise, though strange my tale: - that bride,
By gifts of such vast magnitude allied
To Him, was taken out of His own side
By the God-Man:
That thus the Church should form and shape receive
In equal glory, we a type believe
Was woman, formed - source of our sorrow, Eve! -
From Adam's rib.

Eve a stepmother hath been to her seed;
The Church to her elect a mother indeed,
Life's haven, an asylum in their need,
And sure defence.
She, beautiful and great, in birth divine,
Fair as the moon, clear as the sun doth shine;
More terrible than armies' serried line,
With banners dight.

Multifold is she, yet but one alone;
As all together, and each singly, known;
Of every age and sex, yet only one;
Troops she brings forth.
Jordan! thy waves a type of her appear,
And she, that from the ends of earth drew near,
That, face to face, she might the wisdom hear
Of Solomon.

She, whom these types, when understood, portray,
Robed for her marriage-feast in bright array,
Presides o'er all the heavenly host to-day,
The bride of Christ.
O holy joy's bright feast-day in the skies,
Which joins the Church with Christ in marriage-ties!
That marriage-day, whose rite mankind allies
With saving-health!

O happy gathering! O sweet feast of heaven!
When consolation to the lapsed is given,
And to the sinner, to despair now driven,
A breathing-space!
Here their rewards are to the righteous paid,
And angels' joys, renewed again, displayed;
Feast, by the grace of charity thus made
Too full of joy!

The fount of wisdom from the first hath known,
Through the clear insight given by grace alone,
As the due course of things hath onward gone,
What is to be:
Therefore may Christ, by these His marriage-rites,
Make us, refreshed thereby with true delights,
Partake those joys to which His love invites
All His elect! Amen.

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