Went to put Dom Prosper...

Went to put Dom Prosper-- more precisely, Adam of Saint-Victor's sequence for Saint Stephen's feast, Heri mundus exsultavit-- onto a new page and was reminded that for some reason the Christmas volume of L'Année liturgique isn't allowing itself to be copied, tsk. While I may be up to typing in the 22 strophes of the blessed Adam's work, this doesn't bode well for the old Benedictine's future here. Hmm.

I found a different edition at Archive and it is letting me copy but, eh, it is a pain to work with, and there is no point in copying the French! For Adam's sequence, it should be manageable. The edition of Dom Laurence Shepherd OSB's English translation seems to have been removed. Hmm.

There seems to be no recording at YouTube of an or the plainchant version of Heri mundus but this is the melody that the Anglicans (Hymns Ancient and Modern) sang for many years. One notices, skimming, that they edited out Saint Augustine; Forward, champion, in thy quarrel!/ Certain of a certain laurel,/ Holy Stephen, persevere! is neat, though.  

 

Heri mundus exsultavit. 

et exsultans celebravit 

Christi natalitia. 

Heri chorus angelorum

prosecutus est cœlorum 

regem cum laetitia.

 

Protomartyr et levita 

clarus fide, clarus vita, 

clarus et miraculis--

sub hac luce triumphavit, 

et triumphans insultavit 

Stephanus incredulis.

Fremunt ergo tanquam ferae,

quia victi defecere 

lucis adversarii. 

Falsos testes statuunt 

et linguas exacuunt 

viperarum filii. 

"Agoniza, nulli cede, 

Certa certus de mercede,

persevera, Stephane.

Insta falsis testibus, 

Confuta sermonibus 

synagogam satanae. 

"Testis tuus est in cœlis, 

testis verax et fidelis, 

testis innocentiae. 

Nomen habes coronati. 

Te tormenta decet pati 

Pro corona gloriae.

"Pro corona non marcenti 

perfer brevis vim tormenti, 

te manet victoria. 

Tibi fiet mors natalis: 

tibi pœna terminalis 

dat vitae primordia."

Plenus sancto Spiritu, 

Penetrat intuitu 

Stephanus cœlestia. 

Videns Dei gloriam,

crescit ad victoriam, 

suspirat ad praemia. 

"En, a dextris Dei stantem 

Iesum, pro te dimicantem, 

Stephane, considera. 

Tibi cœlos reserari,

tibi Christum revelari. 

Clama voce libera!"

Se commendat salvatori 

pro quo dulce ducit mori, 

sub ipsis lapidibus. 

Saulus servat omnium

vestes lapidantium, 

lapidans in omnibus. 

Ne peccatum statuatur 

his, a quibus lapidatur, 

genu ponit et precatur, 

condolens insaniae.

In Christo sic obdormivit, 

qui Christo sic oboedivit,

et cum Christo semper vivit

martyrum primitiae. 

Quod sex suscitaverit 

mortuos in Africa, 

Augustinus asserit, 

fama refert publica. 

Huius Dei gratia

revelato corpore, 

mundo datur pluvia 

siccitatis tempore.

Solo fugat hic odore 

morbos et daemonia.

Laude dignus et honore

iugique memoria.

Martyr, cuius est iucundum

nomen in Ecclesia, 

languescentem fove mundum

caelesti fragrantia. Amen.

LDVM