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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