Hymn to St. Anne

The morning star is on the rise
And soon the dawn will fill the skies,
Foretelling of the coming Sun
Whose light will shine on everyone.

The Sun of justice, Christ, true Light,
And Mary, grace's dawning bright,
And Anna, reddening the sky,
Have caused the night of Law to fly.

O mother Anna, fruitful root,
From you came your salvation's shoot,
For you brought forth the flow'ring rod
That bore for us the Christ of God.

Christ's mother's mother, by the grace
Your daughter's birth brought to our race,
And by her merits and her prayer
May we her favors come to share.

O Jesus, Virgin-born, to You
All glory is forever due.
To Father and the Spirit, praise
Be sung through everlasting days.

Trans. c. 2009 Kathleen Pluth. All rights reserved.

Nunc Tempus Acceptabile

An Office hymn for Lent:

Today is the accepted time.
Christ’s healing light, the gift divine
Shines forth to save the penitent
To wake the world by means of Lent.

The light of Christ will show the way
That leads to God’s salvation day.
The rigor of this fasting mends
The hearts that hateful sinning rends.

Keep all our minds and bodies true
In sacrifice, O God, to You,
That we may join, when Lents have ceased,
The everlasting Paschal Feast.

Let all creation join to raise
Most gracious Trinity, Your praise.
And when your love has made us new,
May we sing new songs, Lord, to You.
Amen.

Translation copyright 2006 by Kathleen Pluth. May be copied freely for use during Lent 2011.

Agnes beatae virginis

The blessed virgin Agnes flies
back to her home above the skies,
and she is born in heav'n above
because she gave her blood in love.

Mature enough to give her life,
though still too young to be a wife,
what joy she shows when death appears
that one would think: her bridegroom nears!

Her captors lead her to the fire
but she refuses their desire,
"For it is not such smold'ring brands
Christ's virgins take into their hands."

"This flaming fire of pagan rite
extinguishes all faith and light.
Then stab me here, so that the flood
may overcome this hearth in blood."

And she was stabbed, and she was brave,
and dying, further witness gave,
for as she fell on bended knee
she wrapped her robes in modesty.

O Virgin-born, all praises be
to You throughout eternity.
and unto everlasting days
to Father and the Spirit, praise.

Translation c. 2010 Kathleen Pluth. May be used only with permission.

Aeterne rerum conditor

One of the 4 universally-acknowledged Ambrosian hymns:

Eternal maker of all things
Of day and night the sov'reign King,
Refreshing mortals, You arrange
The rhythm of the seasons' change

The rooster sounds his morning cry
--Throughout the night he watched the sky--
For travelers, a guiding light
To tell the watches of the night.

The morning star that hears the cry
Dispels the darkness from the sky.
The demons, hearing the alarm
Abandon all their paths of harm.

The sailor hears and he is brave;
The sea becomes a gentle wave.
The rooster's call reached Peter's ears:
He washed away his sins in tears.

Our wav'ring hearts, Lord Jesus, see.
O look upon us, make us free,
For in Your gaze no fault can stay,
And sins by tears are washed away.

O Light, upon our senses shine.
Dispel our sleepiness of mind,
That we may sing Your morning praise,
Then, vows fulfilling, live our days.

Translation c. 2010 Kathleen Pluth

Gaude, mater Anna

Rejoice, O mother Anne, rejoice!
O holy mother, lift your voice!
The daughter you have brought to birth
Is mother of our God on earth.

Ring out your joy, exult and pray:
The Virgin Queen is born today!
And celebrate with Joachim
This child who springs from you and him.

Behold, the blessings of her birth
Shall overturn the curse of earth.
What our first mother lost by sin
This newborn mother's Son will win.

St. Anna, hear our joyful cries,
And raise our banners to the skies,
Where you delight to see His face
Who cleanses us from sin by grace.

Apostolorum passio

In honor of the liturgical leadership of our Holy Father Pope Benedict, here is my translation of this great Ambrosian hymn. Perhaps it could be nicely sung to the tune Deo gratias.

Apostolorum passio

Blest day by suff’ring sanctified:
Christ’s chosen high apostles died.
Today St. Peter wins renown.
Today St. Paul accepts the crown.

Together, equally, they bled:
Together: the victorious dead.
They followed God and sacrificed
And now their faith is crowned by Christ.

St. Peter holds the highest place,
Yet Paul is not the less by grace.
An equal faith was giv’n to Paul:
The chosen vessel of God’s call.

St. Peter, downward crucified—
To honor God in how he died—
Securely tied, he sees unfold
The death his Shepherd once foretold.

On such foundations Rome may claim
The highest service of God’s name.
His noble blood has dignified
The city where this prophet died.

Let all the world, then, run to Rome.
Let families of nations come!
The head of nations teaches there
Beside the nations’ teacher's chair.

O Lord, we ask that we may be
In their exalted company,
And with our princes sing Your praise
Forever, to unending days.

C. 2010 Kathleen Pluth. May be used only with permission.

Adoro Te Devote

Here is my translation of St. Thomas Aquinas' great Eucharistic hymn, Adoro Te Devote.

With devotion I adore
You, O God concealed;
Hidden under figures here,
yet by faith revealed.
Even prayer is silent now.
All my heart bows low.
Deepest truth is present here,
More than minds can know.

Seeing, touching, tasting You--
Senses can deceive.
Hearing is the path of faith
This shall I believe.
Jesus said it; I believe.
True His words must be:
God the Son, the Word of truth,
must speak truthfully.

On the cross You only hid
Your divinity.
Here You also have concealed
Your humanity.
Yet I still believe in both,
and this faith I say,
And the prayer the good thief prayed,
this I also pray.

Thomas saw Your wounded hands
And your wounded side
Even though I do not see
I am satisfied
Jesus Christ, my Lord, my God,
Gladly I adore.
Make me trust you, hope in you,
Love you more and more.

O memorial of the death
of my living Lord,
Living Bread whose saving health
Human life restored.
Let me find my life in You,
Ever-living food.
Let me ever taste of You,
Knowing You are good.

Pelican, so full of love,
Jesus, gracious Lord,
Wash me, cleanse me of my sins
in Your blood outpoured.
All the sins in all the world
that have ever been--
Just one drop is blood enough:
all may be made clean.

Jesus, hidden from my eyes,
Bring me to that place
Where your saints in endless joy
See you face to face.
How I long to gaze on you
Through eternity.
Blest are they who trust in you
And your glory see. Amen.

Hymn for St. Paul: Excelsam Pauli Gloriam

This is my translation of the Latin office hymn Excelsam Pauli Gloriam. It can be sung to many Long Meter (LM, or 8888) hymn tunes, such as Eisenach or Jesu Dulcis Memoria.

Let all the Church acclaim St. Paul

And sing the glories of his call
The Lord made an apostle be
From one who was his enemy

The name of Christ set Paul afire
Enkindling him with great desire;
And higher these same blazes reached
When of the love of Christ he preached.

His merits are forever praised
For to the heavens he was raised,
And there, the all-mysterious word,
That none dare speak, by Paul was heard.

The Word, like seed sown in a field
Producing an abundant yield
Fills heav’nly barns whose stores of grain
Are tilled and grown on earthly plains.

The shining of the lamplight gleams
And drenches earth with heaven's beams.
The dark of error's night is past;
The reign of truth has come at last.

To Christ all glory, and all praise
To Father and the Spirit raise,
Who for the nations’ saving call
Gave us the splendor of Saint Paul.

Translation © 2008 Kathleen Pluth. Permission was given for parish use June 28-29 2008 and January 24-25, 2009. All other rights reserved.

Stabat Mater Dolorosa

Here is a translation I made of the sequence Stabat Mater Dolorosa, with transliteration help from The Ultimate Stabat Mater Website.

There are five sequences sung at Mass. The Stabat Mater is part of the Mass of the day for Our Lady of Sorrows, but most parishes use it during Lent, for Stations of the Cross.

The translation follows the rhyme scheme of the Latin, and is quite literal. Anyone may freely use this translation during Lent, 2010.

On the Cross her Son was dying.

Mary stood beneath Him crying,

Sharing in His saving cross.

As He hangs, her soul is grieving,

and a sword her heart is cleaving

and she weeps the bitter loss.

O, the sad, afflicted Mother

of the Son beyond all others:

only Son of God most high.

Full of grief, her heart is aching;

watching Him, her body, quaking,

trembles as her offspring dies.

Who would see Christ’s mother crying

at the bitter crucifying

without tears of sympathy?

Who could see her depth of feeling—

thoughts of many hearts revealing—

and not share her agony?

Pardon for our sins entreating,
She saw Him endure the beating.
All our guilt on Him was cast.
She stood by in contemplation
When her Son, in desolation
Breathed His spirit forth at last.

Font of love, O Blessed Mother,

lend me tears to mourn my Brother.

Never let my ardor dim.

Let my heart be burning freely,

Christ my God be pleased to see me

all on fire with love for Him.

This I ask, O Holy Mary,

that His wounds I too may carry:

fix them deeply in my heart.

Mine the burden He was bearing;

let me in His pain be sharing;

of His suffering take a part.

Let me join in your lamenting,

through my life weep unrelenting

tears for Jesus Crucified.

Let me stand and share your weeping,

all the day death's vigil keeping,

glad to stand close by your side.

Queen of all the virgin choir,

judge me not when I aspire

your pure tears to emulate.

Let me share in Christ's affliction—

death by bitter crucifixion—

and His wounds commemorate.

Let me taste the pains He offered,

drunk with love for Him who suffered.

May His wounds become my own.

On the day of Christ's returning

may my heart be lit and burning.

Virgin, aid me at His throne.

May His Cross be interceding

and His death my vict'ry pleading.

May He hold me in His grace.

When my flesh by death is taken,

may my soul to glory waken

and in heaven take a place. Amen.

Trans. Copyright 2005 Kathleen Pluth. I grant rights to use and copy during Lent 2010. All other rights reserved.

A Hymn for Candlemas: Adorna, Sion, Thalamum

Here is my translation of Adorna, Sion, Thalamum, for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord:

Let Zion's bridal-room be clothed:
He comes, her Lord and her Betrothed.
Let man and woman, by faith's light,
A vigil keep throughout the night.

Saint Simeon, sent forth in joy,
Exults to see the baby Boy.
The Light through Whom all things are known

Is now to all the nations shown.

His parents to the temple bring
The Temple as an offering
The righteousness of law He chose
Though to the law He nothing owes.

So, Mary, bring this little one,
Yours and the Father's only Son
Through whom our offering is made
By whom our ransom price is paid.

And forward, queen of virgins, go
And let rejoicing overflow
With gifts bring forth your newborn Son
Who comes to rescue everyone.

Lord Jesus Christ, the Glory bright

Who guides the nations into light

Be praised, and for eternity

Be glorified, O Trinity. Amen.

Translation c. 2009 Kathleen Pluth. All rights reserved.