PANGE LINGUA
Pange lingua gloriosi
Corporis mysterium,
Sanguinisque pretiosi,
Quem in mundi pretium
Fructus ventris generosi
Rex effudit Gentium.
Nobis datus, nobis natus
Ex inacta Virgine,
Et in mundo conversatus,
Sparso verbi semine,
Sui moras incolatus
Miro clausit ordine.
In suprema nocte coenae
Recumbus cum fratribus
Observata lege plene
Cibis in legalibus,
Cibum turbae duodenae
Se dat suis manibus.
Verbum caro, panem verum
Verbo carnem efficit:
Fitque sanguis Christi merum,
Et si sensus deficit,
Ad firmandum cor sincerum
Sola fides sufficit.
Tantum ergo Sacramentum
Veneremur cernui:
Et antiquum documentum
Novo cedat ritui:
Praestet fides supplementum
Sensuum defectui.
Genitori, Genitoque
Laus et jubilatio,
Salus, honor, virtus quoque
Sit et benedictio:
Procedenti ab utroque
Compar sit laudatio.
Amen. Alleluia.
By St. Thomas Aquinas, of course. Here's a pretty accurate (or at least traditional) English translation, oh my Latin neophytes. The last two verses are the famous Tantum Ergo. I love love love it when it's used with this melody ("St. Thomas") by John F. Wade.
"Verbum caro, panem verum"
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"Word-made-Flesh, the bread of nature"?
"Bread of" Truth sounds better than "nature."
The eucharist is supernatural. Just my opine anyway.
I definately agree. In turning it into an English hymn the translators probably took lots of liberties with the Latin. I did a limp-wristed and typically pathetic google search and came up empty, but if anyone can find a straightforward translation (as though Latin is ever straightforward!) let me know :)
ReplyDeleteHmmmm I must write that one down! LOL ;)
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