Latin Hymns for Good Shepherd Sunday
  • Josh
    Posts: 109
    Today, the 2nd Sunday after Easter in the Extraordinary Form, being Good Shepherd Sunday, we sang the following two hymns during a procession (complete with statue of the Good Shepherd) after our sung Mass; I wasn't able to find their original melodies (though I would like to), so I set them to Christe sanctorum (originally a plainchant melody; my setting reflects an eighteenth-century source) and that of Jesu dulcis memoria respectively, both chosen for their familiarity and ease of singing - I attach a pdf of each. The hymns stem from the Mozarabic Rite, I believe.

    Hymn 1 (with ChatGPT prose translation and metrical version appended; I would like to find a pre-existing metrical translation also)

    1. Christe imménse, Dominátor sancte,
    Consérva gregem, quem tu redemísti,
    Sánguine sacro tuo pretióso;
    Ipse salvásti.

    2. Consérva gregem tuum, Jesu Christe,
    Et fac herédem; et in te manére
    Semper assíste paritérque omnes
    Laudes reférre.

    3. Exáudi precem pópuli rogántis,
    Qui tibi puro inhæsérunt corde,
    Ut tecum simus témpore ætérno
    In regno tuo.

    4. Ibíque cuncti ángeli lætántur
    Omnésque simul una voce clamant:
    Glória Christo detur infiníta,
    Regi ætérno.

    5. Tibi, defénsor alme, bone pastor,
    Grátias omnes ágimus, imménse,
    Tua nos semper déxtera consérvet
    Per omne sæclum.
    Amen.

    Prose:
    1. O infinite Christ, holy Ruler,
    Preserve the flock which thou hast redeemed,
    With thy sacred, precious blood;
    Thou thyself hast saved it.

    2. Preserve thy flock, O Jesus Christ,
    And make it thine heir; always help all
    both to remain in thee and equally
    To render praises unto thee.

    3. Hear the prayer of the supplicating people,
    Who have clung to thee with a pure heart,
    That with thee we may be in eternal time
    In thy kingdom.

    4. And there all the angels rejoice,
    And all together cry out with one voice:
    Infinite glory be given to Christ,
    The eternal King.

    5. To thee, gracious defender, O Good Shepherd,
    We all give thanks, O infinite one;
    May thy right hand always preserve us
    Through all the ages.
    Amen.

    Metrical:
    1. Christ, the almighty, holy Lord and Ruler,
    Guard thou the flock that by thy blood was ransomed,
    Yea, by thy sacred, priceless blood redeemèd:
    Thou alone savedst it.

    2. Lord Christ, O Jesu, guard thy flock for ever,
    Make it heir with thee, and in thee abiding,
    Give e’er thy help, that all may bring thee praises,
    One in devotion.

    3. Hear, gracious Saviour, this thy people pleading,
    They who cleave to thee with pure hearts unblemished;
    Grant thou that we with thee may reign forever
    In thy blest kingdom.

    4. There do the angels, all with joy exulting,
    Cry all aloud with one united chorus:
    "Unending glory unto Christ be given,
    King everlasting!"

    5. Thee, good and gracious Shepherd, kindly guarding,
    Thanks do we pay thee, great Defender, boundless,
    Do thou forever guard us with thy right hand
    Through all the ages.
    Amen.

    Hymn 2 (with metrical translation found online appended)

    1. Grex tuus tibi déditus
    Non teneátur crímine,
    Quem tuo, Christe, sánguine
    Voluísti redímere.

    2. Oves errántes próvide,
    Pastor bone piíssime,
    Ad aulam celsitúdinis
    Tuis reporta húmeris.

    3. Labefáctus et sáucius
    Abscédat princeps dǽmonum,
    Perdat prædam de fáucibus
    Fur importúnis rápidus.

    4. Exsúltet Christus Dóminus,
    Psallat chorus angélicus,
    Laudes sonans in órgano
    Ter “Sanctus” dicat Dómino.

    5. Glória tibi dícimus,
    Pater, una cum Fílio,
    Simul cum Sancto Spíritu
    In trina laude pérsonet. Amen.

    1. The flock bestowed on thee to save,
    May no polluting guilt enslave;
    Which thou hast willed, Christ the Good!
    To ransom with thy precious blood.

    2. Good Shepherd! ever kindly keep
    From every ill thy wandering sheep;
    And on the shoulders of thy love
    O bear them to thy courts above.

    3. O’erthrown and wounded before thee
    Far let the Prince of Demons flee;
    And from his ravening jaws, the prey
    With victor-speed be rent away.

    4. To Christ the Lord be joyful praise!
    Let Angel Choirs the anthem raise!
    Organs peal forth in mighty laud,
    Thrice Holy to the Lord our God!

    5. Glory to thee, Almighty One!
    So let the Father with the Son
    And Holy Ghost, exalted be
    With threefold praise eternally. Amen.
    Hymnus Christe immense Dominator sancte.pdf
    23K
    Hymnus Grex tuus tibi deditus.pdf
    22K
    Thanked by 2Kathy CHGiffen
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,728
    Can we not use AI translation?
  • RoborgelmeisterRoborgelmeister
    Posts: 226
    Very interesting, indeed, since these texts seem to be nowhere on the www, so, where on earth did you discover them?
  • smvanroodesmvanroode
    Posts: 1,034
    I’m also curious where these Latin texts originate from.

    In The Netherlands we use for hymns in the form of ‘Christe immense’ two popular melodies, one based on ‘Ad sacros virgo’ and the other newly written by Willem Mesdag.

    Based on ‘Ad sacros virgo’: youtube

    image

    Willem Mesdag: mp3
    Ad sacros virgo.jpg
    450 x 311 - 79K
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,850
    A Cantus search finds parts of them, I can't search the Analecta by hymn name yet, but they could be in that.

    Christe imménse, Dominátor sancte,
    https://latinhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/mozarabic-hymn-for-lauds-and-vespers.html
    and
    https://cantusindex.org/id/a07239

    Grex tuus tibi déditus,
    https://an1.hf.uio.no/minitexts/5681/
    and
    https://musicahispanica.eu/chant/128145

    Thanked by 2smvanroode CHGiffen