Old Stuff

John Mason Neale: Veni sancte spiritus

Here is John Mason Neale's translation of Veni sancte spiritus, also known as the "Golden Sequence"; we sing it on the feast of Pentecost.

Father Neale was kind enough to preserve the meter of the original, so it fits perfectly with the ancient chant melody. Dunno about you, but finding this translation and fitting it to the chant melody makes my spirit soar. I know what I'll be singing on the way home today!

Come, Thou holy Paraclete,
And from Thy celestial seat
Send Thy light and brilliancy:
Father of the poor, draw near;
Giver of all gifts, be here;
Come, the soul's true radiancy.

Come, of comforters the best,
Of the soul the sweetest guest,
Come in toil refreshingly:
Thou in labor rest most sweet,
Thou art shadow from the heat,
Comfort in adversity.

O Thou Light, most pure and blest,
Shine within the inmost breast
Of Thy faithful company.
Where Thou art not, man hath naught;
Every holy deed and thought
Comes from Thy divinity.

What is soilèd, make Thou pure;
What is wounded, work its cure;
What is parchèd, fructify;
What is rigid, gently bend;
What is frozen, warmly tend;
Strengthen what goes erringly.

Fill Thy faithful, who confide
In Thy power to guard and guide,
With Thy sevenfold mystery.
Here Thy grace and virtue send:
Grant salvation to the end,
And in Heav'n felicity.

UPDATE: This is marvelous! When I first read the hymn, the section below caught my eye with its list of adjectives: soilèd, wounded, parchèd, rigid, frozen. Singing the lines brings out something different: each of these lines with its "What is..." captures the sound of the original with its repeated "quod est":

What is soilèd, make Thou pure; What is wounded, work its cure; What is parchèd, fructify; What is rigid, gently bend; What is frozen, warmly tend; Strengthen what goes erringly.

Considered as English poetry, I think I prefer Father Neale's positive rendering here better than Dr. Paul Ford's series of negatives which better echo the original:

Venantius Fortunatus:

Sine tuo numine Nihil est in homine Nihil est innoxium.

Dr. Ford:

If you take your grace away Nothing pure in us will stay All our good is turned to ill.

Fr. Neale:

Where Thou art not, man hath naught; Every holy deed and thought Comes from Thy divinity.

Posted by billw at December 11, 2002 09:41 AM