Saturday, April 24, 2010

The Lord's Most Holy Crown of Thorns – II

Here are the proper hymns for the feast of the Crown of Thorns (kept on the 24th of April in the Dominican Rite), which I think are quite fine, although I can't spare the time to translate them, alas – first, for Matins and Vespers:


Æternæ Regi gloriæ 
Devota laudum cantica
Fideles solvant hodie 
Pro Corona Dominica.

Coronat Regem omnium
Corona contumeliæ,
Cujus nobis opprobrium 
Coronam confert gloriæ.

De spinarum aculeis 
Christi Corona plectitur, 
Qua ministris tartareis 
Mundi potestas tollitur. 

Corona Christi capitis, 
Sacro perfusa sanguine, 
Pœnis solutis debitis, 
Reos purgat a crimine. 

Laus Christo, Regi gloriæ, 
Pro Coronæ virtutibus, 
Qua nos reformans gratiæ 
Coronet in cælestibus.  Amen.


And at Lauds:



Lauda, fidelis concio,
Spinae trophæum inclytum,
Per quam perit perditio
Vitæque datur meritum.

Nos a puncturis liberat
Æterni Patris Filius,
Dum spinis pungi tolerat,
Spinarum culpæ nescius.

Dum spinarum aculeum
Christus pro nobis pertulit,
Per diadema spineum
Vitæ coronam contulit.

Plaudat turba fidelium,
quod per spinæ ludibrium
purgat Creator omnium
spineti nostri vitium.

Laus Christo, Regi gloriæ,
Pro Coronæ virtutibus,
Qua nos reformans gratiæ
Coronet in cælestibus.  Amen.

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