Hymns

AMBROSE

CHRIST’S ETERNAL GIFTS

Christ’s eternal gifts,

the glory of the apostles,

duly singing the praises,

with joyful spirit we sing.

The princes of the Church,

those from war hailing triumphant,

the soldiers of the heavenly court,

and true lights of the world.

The pious faith of saints,

unconquerable hope of believers,

Christ’s perfect charity

triumphs over the worldly prince.

In all this the Fatherly glory,

in all this the will of the Spirit,

in all this the Son rejoicing,

with Heaven is full of happiness.

We, now, beseech you, Redeemer,

that with your same spouse

You join the praying servants

from now to all ages.

AMBROSE

ETERNAL MAKER OF ALL THINGS

Eternal maker of all things,

who rules night and day

and to time adds more time,

that we may be relieved of hardship,

Keeping wake over deep night,

the herald of day already hearkens,

a night light to pilgrims,

separating one night from the other.

This enlivened light bearer

dissolves the heavenly darkness,

all these vagrant brigands

abandon harm’s evil ways.

Now the sailor gathers strength

as sea and channel tame to calmness,

this same Church built on a rock

singing praise and washing all faults away.

Let us hence vigorously arise,

the cock is rousing those who are reclining

and crying out over the sleepers,

the cock pointing out those who deny.

The crowing cock gives back the faith,

he restores health to the feeble,

the bandit’s sword-point is sheathed,

those who lost their faith find it back.

O Jesu, look into the soul of the fallen

and seeing us, correct us;

if You but glance, the fallen ones are shedding tears

and their faults will be absolved.

Thou ray of light, shine over the senses

and shatter the drowsiness of our mind:

it is to You that our voice is first raised,

and open up our praises to you.

Glory be to God the Father

and to his only Son

together with the Spirit Paraclete

both now and evermore.

AMBROSE

AT DAWN HEAVEN IS PURPLE CLAD

At dawn heaven is purple clad,

the skies rebound with praise,

a triumphant world rejoices,

to which horrible satan bellows,

as this most mighty king treads

death from a lofty position in hell

free from the ancient father

He leads out life to radiant light.

Whose sepulchre was marked

with a slab as a best guard,

the victor triumphs over death

which he buries in the sepulchre.

"Enough burials, enough tears,

there has been enough sorrow!

The annihilator of death has risen"

the fast-moving angel proclaims.

So that, Oh Jesus, with Paschal joy

long-lasting in our minds, deliver

us from the death of awful faults,

being born to a new life!

Glory be to God the Father and to his Son,

Who from among the dead arose,

and also to the Paraclete

for all ages unto eternity.

AMBROSE

CHRIST REDEEMER OF ALL PERSONS

Christ, redeemer of all persons,

from the Father, His only begotten,

Alone before the beginning

born without being made.

You are the light, the Father’s splendour,

you are the everlasting hope of all persons,

accept, how prayers flow throughout

the world from your begotten.

Remember, Author of salvation,

how being born of a chaste virgin

You have assumed the form

of our self-same body.

So does today testify, and throughout

the orbit of years, that You are

the sole Advent from the Father’s

throne for the world’s salvation.

Be it this heaven, this earth,

be it this sea and all these contain,

that they praise lifting their chant

to the Author of your coming forth.

And even we, redeemed

with Your holy blood,

on this your christmasday,

sing together this new hymn:

Glory be to you, o Lord,

who was of a virgin born,

with Father and Holy Spirit

for all ages everlasting.

AMBROSE

GOD CREATOR OF EVERY THING AND BEING

God, creator of every thing and being

and Ruler of the heavens,

Who dressed days with the garb of light,

and night with the grace of sleep,

as repose renders nimbleness

to the limbs hardened by work

and relieves the exhausted mind

and breaks up the anxiety of grief.

Thankful as end of day draws near

and at night lifting beseeching prayers,

ever hopeful of forthcoming help,

we pass singing hymns.

To You with concordance of the heart,

to You a singing voice we raise,

to You pleases a chaste love,

to You our mind gives prudent praise,

so that, when the deep darkness

of night closes the day,

faith knows no obscurity

and it will rekindle the night with faith.

In sleep the mind has no secret,

in sleep guilt renews itself,

freezing a chaste faith

softened with the mist of dream;

having thrown out the senses’ deceit

our hearts raise their dreams to You,

let not the envious enemy vex our

tranquillity with the fear of guilt.

We beg Christ and His Father,

and Christ’s Spirit and His Father’s,

Prodigious Trinity and One

mighty source for all enkindlement.

AMBROSE

NOW THAT IT IS ALREADY DAWNING

Now that it is already dawning

we pray God entreating humbly,

that in the day’s doings

from harm He may keep us free.

That He restrains and moderates our tongue

lest we speak about the horridness of strife;

to protect what our eyes hold to be tender,

and not to give in to vanity.

That our heart’s thoughts may be pure,

and we desist from all folly;

the flesh sheds aways its haughtiness

with a sparingness of drink and food,

so that as the day fades away

and the darkness of night catches on,

spotless because of our temperance

to Him we may enjoy singing in praise.

To God the Father glory be,

and to his only Son,

with the Spirit Paraclete,

as of now and evermore.

AMBROSE

IN THE NIGHT OF THE LORD’S BIRTH

Hearken unto us, Ruler over Israel,

who overseeing the Cherubs,

manifest yourself before Ephraim,

raise Your might and come unto us.

Oh come, redeemer of nations,

show us a Virgin give birth;

an admiration for all times,

such as is comely for the birth of God.

Not out of man’s seed,

but from a mystic breathing

is the Word of God made flesh

and the womb flowers with fruit.

The virgin’s womb grows,

yet it remains chastely closed,

a banner of virtues spreading out,

flowing in God’s temple.

There came out of its abode

a kingly chamber of modesty

the substance of a twin son of the earth,

lively to run the whole way.

He is issue from the father,

He did return to the father,

having set out as far as the underworld,

He returned to God’s seat.

Equal to the eterrnal Father,

he girt his flesh with victory,

so that the weakness of our body

He may firmly to endure with virtue.

Your light now brightens the manger

and night breathes out its own light,

that no night may corrupt the faith

and it will keep on shining evermore.

AMBROSE

OH SPLENDOUR OF FATHERLY GLORY

Oh splendour of Fatherly glory,

Who spreads out light from light,

Light of light and Spring of light,

Day kindling all days’ daylight

and real drenching Sun, shine,

Your uninterrupted radiant glare,

and irradiate our senses with

the radiant light of the holy spirit.

We avowedly also call the Father,

father of everlasting glory,

the father of powerful grace,

to banish the guilt of deceit.

He confirms our vigorous doings,

keeping in check envious teeth

which cause fortuitous harshness,

for which he gives the grace to bear.

He governs the mind and rules

over a chaste, faithful body;

He kindles the warmth of faith

and forgets the poison of ill-doings,

and our food will Christ be,

as our drink will be the faith;

and happily we shall drink the

wholesome inebriation of the Spirit.

Rejoicingly the day so passes,

like break of day our chastity will be,

faith will appear as if at mid-day,

and the mind will forget the sun-down gloom.

Dawn brings forth the motion,

Dawn shows out everything

in the Father the whole Son

and the whole Father in the Word.

Glory be to God the father

and to his only Son,

with the Spirit Paraclete

now and for evermore.

ALCUIN

SEQUENCE ABOUT SAINT MICHAEL

The sequence about Saint Michael,

which Alcuin composed for Charles the emperor.

Thou, Archangel Michael of the most high King,

Hearken, we beseech, to our voices.

Thou we hereby avow to be

the prince of celestial citizens.

You who when the human race pleads to God,

dispatch angels,

Not to be harmed by enemies,

as much as they wish, whenever

with their cunning they overrun feeble mankind.

Thus you keep eternally

the power of heaven,

the angels constantly honouring you among saints.

In God’s temple

you are to be seen holding in your hands

the golden censer.

Therefrom rises the smoke

of the best aromas

to reach up before the presence of God.

You struggle with the cruel dragon with a strong hand,

forcefully rooting out his soul from his throat.

After which they praise greatly from the midst of heavenly silence,

thousands upon thousands saying “salvation to the kingly lord”.

Hear us, Michael,

angel of the most high,

come down hither for a short while

from your heavenly seat,

bearing unto us the Lord’s action

and also his indulgence.

Overthrow, Gabriel,

our enemies,

Help cure, Raphael,

those who carry a disease,

Allay all distress, lessen all harm

and make us participate in the happiness of the blessed.

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