Verbum supernum prodiens
a Patre lumen exiens,
qui natus orbi subvenis
cursu declivi temporis:
Illumina nunc pectora
tuoque amore concrema;
audita per praeconia
sint pulsa tandem lubrica.
Iudexque cum post aderis
rimari facta pectoris,
reddens vicem pro abditis
iustisque regnum pro bonis,
Non demum artemur malis
pro qualitate criminis,
sed cum beatis compotes
simus perennes caelites.
Sit, Christe, rex piissime,
tibi Patrique gloria
cum Sancto Spiritu Paraclito,
in sempiterna saecula. Amen.
O Supernal Word processing
O Light exiting from the Father
You who were born aiding
the deviant world from the curse of our age:
Illumine now our breasts
and burn them to ashes with your love;
through the proclamations heard
at last let slippery deceits be driven out.
And after when O Judge you will have approached
to pry open the deeds of the heart,
repaying vice for those who hide it,
At last may we not be compressed by wicked deeds
for the nature of our crime
but with the blessed attaining
may we be everlasting celestial beings
Let glory be, O Christ, most merciful king,
to you and to the Father
with the Holy Spirit the Comforter,
into the eternal ages. Amen
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This hymn was reasonably difficult, but I enjoyed it. The imagery is very vivid. I think I might have taken a few liberties here and there, but in general its a pretty accurate translation.
The Western Church has generally seen Advent as a time in which Christians should meditate on the Second Coming of Christ, and this hymn seems to reflect that practice. Especially notable is the naming of Jesus as Judge, which is then balanced in the last stanza where He is referred to as "most merciful." Apparently this hymn was sung every day during Advent in the mornings.
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