The Hymns of Prudentius
1905
The Hymns of Prudentius
1905
Translated by R. Martin (Robert Martin) Pope
Prudentius wrote these hymns at the twilight of the ancient world, when Rome was still learning to speak Christian and the old gods had not yet faded from memory. A civil servant turned monk, he composed verses meant to be sung in church, weaving the grandeur of classical Latin poetry into the raw new faith of the Cross. The collection opens with the poet confronting his own aging body, lamenting years wasted on worldly ambition before turning, at last, to genuine devotion. This Sets the emotional stakes: these are hymns born from late-life reckoning, from a man who knows his time is short and wants to spend it in praise. The most famous hymn calls the faithful to wake at dawn, to rise from the "slumber of sin" as the sun rises over the world. It is both literal and transcendent: a morning prayer and an allegory of spiritual resurrection. The darkness-to-light imagery runs through the collection like a pulse. For readers curious about where Western Christian worship comes from, or anyone drawn to poetry written in the dying years of antiquity, these hymns offer an astonishing window into a soul attempting to redeem the time it has lost.
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“But from the wide roof of the skyChrist's voice peals forth with urgent cry,Calling our sleep-bound hearts to riseAnd greet the dawn with wakeful eyes.””
— Prudentius
“Christ, our Captain, for a season deigned to dwell in Death's domain,That the dead, long time imprisoned, might return to life again,Breaking by His great example ancient sins' enthralling chain.””
— Prudentius
“Let me chant in sacred numbers, as I strike each sounding string,Chant in sweet, melodious anthems, glorious deeds of Christ our King;He, my Muse, shall be thy story; with His praise my lyre shall ring.””
— Prudentius
“Mine is no rhetorician's fame,No petty usury I claim;Nor am I skilled to face the foe:'Tis Thou, O Christ, alone I know.Yea, I have learnt to wait on TheeWith heart and lips of purity,Humbly my knees in prayer to bend,And tears with songs of praise to blend.””
— Prudentius
“But thou, O Christ, put sleep to flightAnd break the iron bands of night,Free us from burden of past sinAnd shed Thy morning rays within.””
— Prudentius
“With sober prayer on Jesus call;Let tears with our strong crying fall;Sleep cannot on the pure soul stealThat supplicates with fervent zeal.””
— Prudentius
“Our sins are as a ghastly night,And seal with slumbers deep our sight.””
— Prudentius
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