Personent hodie
Personent hodie is a Latin carol from 1582.
Personent hodie
This Day Resounds
Christmas Carol
Christmas Carol
(Latin)
(English)
Personent hodie
voces puerulae,
laudantes iucunde
qui nobis est natus,
summo Deo datus,
et de virgineo ventre procreatus.
In mundo nascitur,
pannis involvitur
praesepi ponitur
stabulo brutorum,
rector supernorum.
perdidit spolia princeps infernorum.
Magi tres venerunt,
parvulum inquirunt,
Bethlehem adeunt,
stellulam sequendo,
ipsum adorando,
aurum, thus, et myrrham ei offerendo.
Omnes clericuli,
pariter pueri,
cantent ut angeli:
advenisti mundo,
laudes tibi fundo.
ideo gloria in excelsis Deo.
This day resounds
With the voices of children
Pleasantly praising
He who was born and given to us,
The Lord most high
Born of the Virgin womb.
Born in the world,
Wrapped in swaddling garments
Placed in the manger,
In the stall of beasts
Lord of above
Destroyed the spoils of the prince of hell.
The three Magi came
In search of a little child,
They go to Bethlehem
Following the little stars
Worshiping him,
Offering him gold, frankincense and myrrh.
All the clergy,
Children as well
Sing like the angels:
You come to the world
Praise to thee.
Glory to God in the Highest.
Notes
The translation above is more literal than the one below, which is a well-known English translation by Jane M. Joseph (1894–1929).
On This Day Earth Shall Ring
On this day earth shall ring
with the song children sing
to the Lord, Christ our King,
born on earth to save us;
him the Father gave us.
Refrain
Id-e-o-o-o, id-e-o-o-o,
Id-e-o gloria in excelsis Deo!
His the doom, ours the mirth;
when he came down to earth,
Bethlehem saw his birth;
ox and ass beside him
from the cold would hide him.
Refrain
God's bright star, o'er his head,
Wise Men three to him led;
kneel they low by his bed,
lay their gifts before him,
praise him and adore him.
Refrain
On this day angels sing;
with their song earth shall ring,
praising Christ, heaven's King,
born on earth to save us;
peace and love he gave us.
Refrain
Comments
The image is of Personent hodie from the 1582 edition of Piae Cantiones.
Thanks and Acknowledgements
First translation: Lisa Yannucci
Image: Nativity (Detail), Piero della Francesca, Italy, 1475.
