1 the Six Nights of Creation in the Hymns of the Roman Breviary Peter

The Six Nights of Creation in the Hymns of the Roman Breviary Peter Jeffery ([email protected])

hymn texts edited from MS = Sankt Paul in Kärnten MS MS 86b/1, olim 25.2.31b, olim XXV d 86, ff. 6r-8r

MS f. 6r. Cf. Walpole 280-81. AH 51:34-35. Wieland 32. Cf. Milfull 138-39. Walsh 156-57. hymnus dominico die ad uesperos  [f. 6r hymn on Sunday at Vespers Lucis creator optime. Best creator of light, lucem dierum proferens. bringing forth the light of days, primordiis lucis nouae. preparing the origin of the world mundi parans originem. in the first stirrings of new light, qui mane iunctum uesperi. [you] who instruct morning-joined-to-evening diem uocari praecipis. to be called “day”— tetrum chaos illabitur. [MS chaus corr. chaos foul darkness descends: audi preces cum fletibus. Hear [our] prayers with [our] wailings, ne mens grauata crimine. [MS grauat acrimine. Nor may the mind, weighed down by sin, uitae sit exul munere. be an exile from the task of life, dum nil perenne cogitat. while it gives no thought to what is lasting seseque culpis illigat. and binds itself with faults. caelorum pulset intimum. Let [the mind] knock at the innermost of the heavens. uitale tollat praemium. Let it take up the reward of life. uitemus omne noxium. Let us shun all that is harmful. purgemus omne pessimum.. Let us purge all that is worst [in us].

Cf. Walpole 281-82. AH 51: 35. Mone 375-76. Wieland 39-40. Cf. Milfull 145-47. Walsh 158-59. Feria .ii.. Feria II (Monday) Immense caeli conditor. Immeasurable founder of heaven, qui mixta ne confunderent. who gave heaven a boundary, aquae fluenta diuidens. dividing the streams of water— caelum dedisti limitem. though mixed, they were not confused— firmans locum caelestibus. making firm a place for the heavens simulque terrae riuulis. and at the same time for the rivulets on earth, ut unda flammas temperet. so that flowing water could cool flames, terrae solum ne dissipet. [but] the soil of the land would not dissipate. infunde nunc piissime. Pour now, most merciful one, donum perennis gratiae. the gift of lasting grace. fraudis nouae ne casibus. [MS nouenae May the old error not wear us down nos error atterat uetus.. with cases of a new deceit.

Lucem fides inueniat. May faith discover light sic luminis iubar ferat[.] so may it carry the brightness of a lamp. haec uana cuncta terreat. Let this [light] terrify all the vain things, hanc falsa nulla comprimant. may no false things hinder this [faith]

MS f. 6v. Cf. Walpole 283-84. AH 51:36. Mone 376. Wieland 42. Cf. Milfull 151-52. Walsh 160-61. Fr. iii ‧ [f. 6v Feria III (Tuesday) Telluris ingens conditor. Vast founder of the globe mundi solum qui eruens. who, stirring up the soil of the world pulsis aquae molestiis. with forceful blows of water, terram dedisti imobilem. gave an immovable earth, ut germen aptum proferens. so that, bringing forth the ready seedling, fuluis decora floribus. adorned with bright flowers, fecunda fructu sisteret. [the earth] would present itself fertile with fruit pastumque gratum redderet.. and bestow welcome nourishment. mentis perustae uulnera. [MS uulnere The wounds of the parched mind mundabit rore gratiae¹ it will purify with the dew of grace, ut facta fletu diluat. so that it may wash away [our] deeds with weeping motusque prauos atterat. and wipe away crooked motivations: iussis tuis obtemperet. May [the mind] conform to your commands. nullis malis approximet. May it approach no evils. bonis repleri gaudeat. May it rejoice to be filled with good things, et mortis actum nesciat. and may it not know the deathly deed.

¹munda uiroris gratia W | Munda vi roris gratiae AH

Cf. Walpole 284-86. AH 51:36-37. Mone 378-79, 243-44. Wieland 45. Cf. Milfull 157-59; Walsh 162-63 FERIA .iiii. Feria IV (Wednesday) Caeli deus sanctissime. Most holy God of heaven, qui lucidum centrum poli. who paint the bright center of the sky candore pingis igneo. [MS pinguis with fire of dazzling whiteness, augens decori lumina¹ spreading the lamps of beauty, quarto die qui flammeam. who, placing the fiery disk of the sun solis rotam constituens. on the fourth day, lunae ministrans ordini.² [MS ordinem. providing as attendants in the moon’s procession Uagos recursus siderum. the wandering courses of the constellations, ut noctibus vel lumini. [MS luminis. so that you have furnished a boundary of separation diremptionis terminum. to the nights and to daylight, primordiis et mensium. and a well-known sign signum dares³ notissimum. to the beginnings of the months. illumina cor hominum. Enlighten the heart of men. absterge⁴ sordes mentium. Wipe off the dirt-marks of [our] minds. resolve culpae uinculum. Unfasten the bond of fault. euerte moles criminum. [MS creminum.. Overturn the heavy weights of [our] sins.

¹decoro lumine W ² ordini W AH ³daret MS | dares W AH ⁴absterge W AH | absterget MS

Cf. Walpole 286-87. AH 51: 37. Wieland 48. Cf. Milfull 163-64. Walsh 164-65. FERIA . V.. Feria V (Thursday) Magnae deus potentiae. God of great power qui ex aquis ortum genus. who, the genus that arose out of the waters, partim¹ remittis gurgiti. you send partly back to the abyss, partim¹ leuas in aere.² you lift partly into the air, dimersa lymphis imprimens. pressing down those that are plunged into the waters, subuecta caelis irrogans. appointing to the heavens those that are lifted up, ut stirpe una prodita. so that, sprung from one stock, diuersa rapiant loca. they may snatch different places. largire cunctis seruulis. Bestow on all your little servants quos mundat unda sanguinis. whom the water, the blood, cleanses, ne scire lapsum criminum. [MS creminum. not to know the failure of sins, nec ferre mortis taedium. nor bear the weariness of death,

Ut culpa nullum deprimat. so that fault will press no one down, nullum leuet iactantia. nor boasting lift anyone up. elisa mens ne concidat. May no broken mind tumble down. elata mens ne corruat.. May no proud mind fall.

¹partem MS | partim W AH ²aere MS | aera W AH

Cf. Walpole 287-88. Mone 380, 243-44. AH 51:38; Wieland 51 Cf. Milfull 169-71. FERIA . Vi. Feria VI (Friday) Plasmator hominis deus. Moulder of mankind, God, qui cuncta solus ordinans. who alone, ordaining all things, humum iubes producere. command the dirt to produce reptantis et ferae genus. the genus of creeping thing and wild beast, qui magna rerum corpora. who gave the mighty bodies of [living] things— dictu iubentis uiuida. living at the bidding of [your] command— ut seruiant per ordinem. to mankind, subduing them subdens dedisti homini. so that they might serve, [each] in its place. repelle a servis tuis. [MS aservis MS Repel from your servants quicquid per immunditiam. whatever, through uncleanness, aut moribus se suggerit. either suggests itself to [our] habits, aut actibus se interserit¹. or interposes itself in [our] deeds. da gaudiorum praemia. Grant the rewards of joys da gratiarum munera. grant the gifts of grace disolue litis uincula. dissove the bonds of strife abstringe pacis foedera.. knit together treaties of peace.

¹A marginalium reads: uel cs Apparently the scribe was wondering if interserit should be incesserit.

MS ff. 6v-7r. Ambrose. Fontaine 237-39. Cf. Walpole 46-49. Cf. Mone Cf. Milfull 111-15; Walsh 10-13 381-82; AH 50:13; Wieland 53-55 SABBATO AD VESPEROS Saturday at Vespers Deus creator omnium. God, creator of all things polique rector uestiens. and straightener of the [earth’s] axis, diem decoro lumine. clothing the day with beauteous light, noctem soporis gratia. the night with the grace of slumber, artus soluens¹ ut quies. so that rest, unbinding [our] limbs, reddat laboris usui. may restore [them] to useful labor mentesque fessas alleuet. and relieve [our] wearied minds, luctusque² soluat anxios. and set free [our] worried grief. grates peracto iam die. But now, singing a hymn, we release et noctis exortu preces. thanks for a completed day, uoti reos ut adiuues. [MS uotis and prayers at the rise of night, hymnum canentes soluimus. that you might help those who owe a vow. te cordis ima concinant. Let the depths of the heart together sing you. te uox canora concrepet. Let the sonorous voice reverberate you. te diligat castus amor. [MS deligat Let chaste love cherish you. te mens adoret sobria³. [MS subria Let the sober mind adore you. ut⁴ cum profunda clauserit. [MS et So that, when the deep fog diem caligo noctium. of night will enclose the day fides tenebras nesciat[.] [MS nesciat written over erasure faith will not know darkness, et nox fideli luceat.⁵ and night can illumine the faithful one.

Dormire mentem ne sinas[.] Do not allow the mind to sleep— dormire culpa nouerit let fault be accustomed to sleep. castis⁶ fides refrigeret⁷. Let faith be refreshing to the chaste; somni uaporem temperet. let it cool the heat of slumber.

exuta sensu lubrico. Having slipped off the fickle mind, te cordis alta⁸ somnient.. may the depths of the heart dream you. nec hostis inuidi dolo. [f. 7r. MS ne Nor, by the artifice of the envious foe, pauor quietos suscitet. may terror awaken those who are resting.

xpistum rogemus⁹ et patrem Let us ask Christ and the Father, xpisti patrisque spiritum. [and] the spirit of Christ and of the Father unum potens per omnia. one power through all things: fove precantes trinitas. amen enfold those who call upon [you], Trinity. Amen.

AH 50 = Analecta Hymnica Medii Aevi 50. Ed. Guido Maria Dreves. Leipzig: O. R. Reisland, 1907. AH 51 = Analecta Hymnica Medii Aevi 51. Ed. Clemens Blume. Leipzig: O. R. Reisland, 1908. Bulst, Walther. Hymni Latini Antiquissimi LXXV, Psalmi III. Heidelberg: F. H. Kerle, 1956. F=Fontaine, Jacques et al., eds. Ambroise de Milan: Hymnes: Texte établi, traduit et annoté. Paris: Cerf, 2008. Lentini, Anselmo. Te decet hymnus: L’innario della “Liturgia horarum.” Vatican City: Typis Polyglottis Vaticanis, 1984. Milfull, Inge B. The Hymns of the Anglo-Saxon church: A Study and Edition of the ‘Durham Hymnal.’ Cambridge Studies in Anglo-Saxon England 17. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Mone, F. J. Lateinische Hymnen des Mittelalters 1: Lieder an Gott und die Engel. Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder, 1853. W=Walpole, A. S., ed. Early Latin Hymns, with introduction and notes. Ed. Arthur James Mason. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1922; repr. Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 1966. Walsh, Peter G., with Christopher Husch, eds. One Hundred Latin Hymns: Ambrose to Aquinas. Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library 18. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2012. Wieland, Gernot R., ed. The Canterbury Hymnal; Edited from British Library Ms. Additional 37517. Toronto Medieval Latin Texts. Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 1982.