Saturday 12 December 2009

Jubilo

Carrying on with my Christmas Carol theme, today we have another traditional and rather ancient piece. The original version of this was written in about 1328 by a German called Heinrich Seuse. One of the latest and better known incarnations of the piece was by Mike Oldfield as far back as 1976 when it reached number 4 in the charts. It is, of course, In Dulce Jubilo.

The words sung here are a little different from the original but roughly are as follows:

In dulci jubilo
Let us our homage show;
Our heart' joy reclineth
In praesepio,
And like a bright star shineth
Matris in gremio;
Alpha es et O,
Alpha es et O.

O Jesu parvule,
My heart is sore for Thee;
Hear me, I beseech Thee,
O Puer optime;
My prayer let it reach Thee,
O Princeps gloriae;
Trahe me post te,
Trahe me post te.

O Patris caritas!
O Nati lenitas!
Deeply we were stained
Per nostra crimina;
But Thou for us hast gained
Caelorum gaudia:
Oh, that we were there!
Oh, that we were there!

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