In Honor of the Holy Cross

In honorem sanctae crucis

All powerful strength, high majesty, heavenly host,

Omnipotens virtus, majestas alta, Sabaoth

Exalted Lord, highest creator of angels,

Excelsus Dominus, virtutum summe creator,

fashioner of the world: you are truly redeemer of human[kind].

Formator mundi: hominum tu vere redemptor

You are my praise, my virtue/strength, all glory and salvation,

Tu mea laus, virtus, tu gloria cuncta, salusque,

⁵You are king, you are teacher, you are leader and dear teacher,

Tu rex, tu doctor, tu es rector, care magister,

You, our nurturing shepherd, true protector of your sheepfold.

Tu pastor pascens, protector verus ovilis.

You are my portion, my holy savior and maker,

Portio tuque mea, sancte salvator et auctor,

You are Lord, way, light, life, good reward, gateway of the kingdom;

Dux, via, lux, vita, merces bona, janua regni es,

Voice, sense, word, joyful offspring of heaven.

Vox, sensus, verbum, virtutum laeta propago.

¹⁰To you have I directed, and now heaping them up I direct my words:

Ad te direxi, et cumulans nunc dirigo verba:

My mind speaks you, the whole extent of my mind,

Mens mea te loquitur, mentis intentio tota,

Whatever tongue, hand, and mouth happily pray,

Quicquid lingua, manus orat et bucca beate

Humble heart, just life, and sacred will,

Cor humile, et vita justa, sacrata voluntas.

All praise and sing you, fair Christ.

Omnia te laudant et cantant, Christe serene.

Namque ego te Dominum pronus et laetus adoro,

and this I say meekly to your cross in greeting:

Atque cruci demisse tuae hinc dico salutans:

I pray to you, hope, branch and altar, that I may be taken to the altar, and I pray for this.

Spem oro te ramus aram ara sumar, et oro hinc.

This is my bright/loud ardor, this is the fire of my love,

Hoc meus est ardor clarus, hoc ignis amoris,

This my mind asks first, this utterance and speech,

Hoc mea mens poscit primum, hoc famen et ora,

²⁰This is my soul’s thirst, the great appetite for a bite:

Hoc sitis est animi, mandendi magna cupido:

So that you might piously receive me, noble Christ,

Ut me tu pie suscipias, bone Christe, per aram

a servant offered on your altar, that I may be your sacrifice, Jesus.

Oblatum famulum, quod victima sim tua, Hiesus.

So that I may be your victim: your crucifixion

Hostia quod tua sim: memet crucifixio totum

Now consumes me whole, and your passion soothes the burning,

Jam tua consumat; et passio mitiget aestum

²⁵Worldly agitation, destroys sins, suppresses anger,

Carnalem, vitia confringat, deprimat iram,

Restrains speech, restores words of piety.

Refrenet linguam, pietatis verba reponat.

It pacifies the mind: it encourages honorable life.

Mentem pacificet: vitam deducat honestam.

For when from the whole heaven[ly realm] your

Namque tuus quando toto fulgescet Olympo

fiery approach will glitter, its heat will scorch the unjust,

Igneus adventus, torrebit et ardor iniquos,

³⁰ a storm will shriek, then bellow with its horn, and before the world

Tempestas stridet, cornu iam mugit et orbe

in the air the sign of the cross will appear:

Ante apparebit quando crucis aere signum:

then I ask [the cross] itself to rescue me from vengeful flames

Tum rogo me eripiat flammis ultricibus ipsa:

and defend its own poet from the anger of the lamb,

Atque poetam agni proprium defendat ab ira,

to whom I sing: rightly will I, Hrabanus, sing with verses from my mouth,

Cui cano: iure canam Hrabanus versibus ore,

³⁵ my heart, my hand, from my memorable song always a gift:

Corde, manu, semper donum memorabile cantu:

which had mercifully given me to the altar of life.

Quod dederat vitae memet clementer in ara.

When merciful Jesus from on top of his pyre dug out

Quando ipsa Hiesus clemens rogo ab eruit imo

relief from hell, now, O Christ, in the arc of the heavens,

Inferni requiem, nunc, o Christe, arce polorum

give me what I ask and hope for, and all the true things which I trust,

Da mihi, hoc posco, spero, et vera omnia credo,

⁴⁰ which you have promised: this I preserve with piety and faith.

Quae promisisti, hoc teneo pietate fideque.

You are truthful; you do all true things according to order and justice.

Quod verax facis ordine judicio omnia vera.

Now go to the heavens; you triumph well in the sky.

I nunc ad superos, in coelis rite triumphas.

O kind praise of the cross, always and endless, farewell.

O laus alma crucis semper sine fine valeto.

I ask that you, O pious and merciful in judgment, keep me, Rabanus, safe.

Hrabanus memet clemens rogo, Christe tuere, o pie iudicio.

⁴⁵I pray to you, cross and altar, that I may be saved by you.

Oro te ramus aram, ara sumar et oro.