Psalmi Et Hymni

Psalms and Hymns of Drepanius Florus. Psalm 22. Me the almighty Father governs with merciful rule; no dire hunger will harm me, no poverty will injure me. Here are grassy hills and joyful pastures; here are clear springs and abundant rivers. Nourished by these, always amply refreshed by them, I shall strive to tread the straight paths of righteousness, which the guide of my mind reveals to me in secret light, so that his name may be celebrated with everlasting praise. Following him in my heart, I shall trample the shadows of death and destruction with fearless foot, I shall fear no evils: for your pious rod, O king, corrects me; your staff, O nurturing father, strengthens and guides me. You have prepared delights for me, you have set a table and feasts. Sated, I shall gain invincible strength in my heart, and I shall conquer hostile battle lines in fair contest, so that after the mighty struggles of victorious combat, my head may be sprinkled with the abundant oil of joy, and the shining cup may wash me with a full draught, and, preserved by your mercy all my days, I may merit to ascend to the starry temple of Christ, under which I shall live happily through everlasting years.

Psalm 26. God is pure light to me, God is living strength to me: therefore I shall fear neither darkness nor the laws of death. With this guardian my life is finally fortified, so that dread cannot move me from my place by any harsh means; but I shall spurn all enemies with robust strength, who hasten to consume our flesh with evils. Behold, they who beat my breast with such great turmoil will perish in sad ruin, their strength shattered: whether therefore they sit in camps or attempt battles, I shall put fear from my heart, I shall take up hope again with my whole mind. There is one thing which I have earnestly begged from the Lord of heaven, and which I shall seek with the burning fervor of my vow, that I may remain all my years within the walls of Christ, and always be kindled with his holy love, and more often see the sacred thresholds of the eternal temple. For here, when I was surrounded on all sides by fierce wars, he hid me in his own chamber, and covered with sacred veils, he cherished me in a most pleasing shade. Here he placed me on a lofty rock of prevailing stone, and raised me above fierce enemies, so that my head might scorn the contests set beneath it. I shall therefore go through the venerable halls of the sacred temple, and devoutly pay the gift of praise at Christ's altars, and rejoicing, I shall sing songs and hymns: God, most gentle judge of the heavenly realm, open your saving ears to the sad cries, and look with pity upon the groaning prayers I pour forth. My face, my mind, my heart beseech you, Father; I seek your countenance and your face.

Do not take away your holy eyes, nor your sacred face, O Lord; do not abandon your servant when war presses in. Be merciful to me rather, and a faithful patron, and do not leave me, despised, to savage monsters. For my fierce parents once abandoned me, but this good Lord has refreshed me with sweet piety. Open for me the straight path through the tangled way, and grant that the excellent lamp of the Law may shine, so that I may not unwittingly run into enemies girded with swords; but with you as my guide, I may walk safe through hostile ranks. For false witnesses have surrounded me on all sides; yet vain lies will harm me, an innocent, not at all, but the lying tongue will bear its own guilt. But I trust that I shall joyfully see the abundant joys of the Lord in the life-giving homeland, without end. Wait for the kind Lord with a steadfast heart; always fight manfully with adverse arms, for the patient man will bear the glorious rewards of the eternal kingdom. Psalm 27. To you, the creator of the heavens, I, a suppliant, direct my cry and prayer from the depths of my heart; kindly lend your ear.

For if I bear unworthy hearts to your oracles, I am already most like them. Indeed, those who are devoured in the lake. Hear the anxious murmurs of the one praying, supreme Father, while I raise my arms, lifted to the high temples of the sky. Do not, I beg, drag me, mixed with wicked and criminal throngs, down to the lowest depths of devouring punishment, the Tartarus. Those who with deceitful tongue and mouth speak peace to their neighbor, but conceal a dire war in their fierce hearts. For these, then, best judge, repay an equal favor; crafty torments for the cunning, clever ones for the malicious. Let a fitting punishment strike the hand given to unjust acts and a life devoted to fraud; let fraud fall by fraud, life by life. Let the house smeared with deceitful paints collapse forever; let what the mind of God does not know shudder in thick darkness. Thanks to the prince of the skies, who has blessed the humble prayer and weak voice of a suppliant servant with such a great gift. He protects the one fighting here, helps, guards, raises him up; with his favoring divine power, I achieve glorious triumphs.

Then, after harsh trials, the flesh, free from pain, will flourish, and a new glory of beautiful salvation will it put on. Therefore, with a ready spirit, to this prince of my beauty I will dedicate due praises and sing sweet hymns. For here the renowned virtue of the blessed people holds the rewards; here the abundant Christ himself preserves the joys of salvation. Save, best Creator, the people redeemed by blood, and enrich with the rewards of your inheritance of glory. Always guide and protect this people with your mighty right hand, raise them up to the highest goods, through the ages of eternal time. HYMN OF ANANIAS, AZARIAS, AND MISHAEL, THE THREE HOLY YOUTHS. What the eternal author created through the Word, let it celebrate the author's name, let praises resound, and let it exult in its parent through all ages. Angelic troops, bless your king, and let the high voice of the poles resound the Unbegotten One at the same time: let the waters, which the lofty ether sustains, modulate this; let every power sing this with holy love; let the sun, glittering with silver, sing this; let the moon, shining with cold light, praise this; let the entire fire of the stars sing this together. Let the overflowing rain, let the gentlest dew utter you, and let the discordant breezes resound with a harmonious voice: let the most beautiful flame speak of its own maker, and let the swift heat simultaneously pant the name of the Lord. Let the icy winter, let the torrid summer proclaim this.

Dewy mildness, and seasons white with frosts, And dread cold, and the vast force of immense chill, And ice turning the waves with monstrous crusts, And snows cloaking the lands with a dense fleece, Let them sing their songs to God the Author through the ages. Let this night enfolding all in sleep-bringing shadows, And the day distinguishing varied colors with light, And lightnings scorching mortal minds praise him, And clouds enriching the lands with abundant udder. You, O sower, the earth founded upon vast seas, You also, mountains rejoicing with lofty peaks, And hills gazing at the stars with lowly neck, And airy forests resound with pleasant murmur, And let every offspring of the rich soil celebrate, Then springs tempering the heat with cool drink, And seas shaking the shores with dread wave, And let the river’s flow sing with sonorous clamor. You, the vast whales, and whatever creeps in the waves; You, let the sweet chorus of birds praise in the fields. You, let the gentle flock of cattle resound, O glorious one, and you Let even the grim force of ravening beasts echo. Let the whole race of men, powerful with mighty reason, Sing you back in countless tongues, and let the people of Israel, So dear to the Thunderer, resound you themselves. And you, priests, whom the noble shoot of Aaron Produced, and Levites born of sacred blood, Whom God wished to be ministers of his own temple, Pay perpetual praises to the supreme King.

This the spirits and souls of the pious through the ages stir, and holy and humble men frequent with pure devotion. Let Ananias the priest raise him up with highest honor, and Azarias at the same time proclaim him with reverent mouth, and Misael the holy praise him with beautiful love, who rescued them safe from the midst of the furnace's whirlwind, and cherished them with the breath of a dewy breeze, when, encircled by swift flames, they sang these songs, and the fire, forgetting its own power, would not harm the saints. O wondrous, and never to be abolished through all ages, not flesh, not clothing, not even a hair of the head felt the pitchy heat or the vapor of the flame: but joyful and eager, at the tyrant's own command, they came forth and subdued profane mouths with praises of the true God, at whose psalm-singing countenance the barbarian hearts trembled with immense horror. Therefore let us also exult with constant praises and worthy honor this highest and holy Father, who with his Son established the heights of heaven, and with the sacred breath, the author of mighty virtues. O Lord, the eternal axis of the heavens proclaims you, the army of heaven praises you with sacrosanct mouth, the vast machine of all things glorifies you, extols, fears, cries out, blesses, adores.

HYMN TO MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL. The sublime feast of the angelic day shines bright, bringing blessed gifts to the pious soul. For Michael, the nursling of the heavenly court, consecrates this day to us with a conspicuous countenance, having deigned to visit the see of Peter and Paul, and fostering your empire, glorious Rome, he who among the princes shone with a new world, his face radiant within the pious walls. When God, having driven out the shadows, brought forth light, and established a stable day as night fell. This one, at the water of the peaceful Jordan, revealed himself to the distinguished prophet as the leader of the Lord's camp, when on the sacred field he stood with drawn sword, and with pious trumpets overthrew the impious enclosures, casting down the seven nations with a victorious thunderbolt, and bringing mystic kingdoms to the consecrated God. Gabriel confesses that this one alone brings him aid, to guard the pious camp of the heavenly God, reporting the prayers admitted into Daniel's heavenly bowls, which, unfed, he had poured forth from his holy mouth. This one, blessed Zacharias, with the eyes of his mind, among the myrtle groves, saw on a rosy star, a horse, stretching his snow-white feet towards the heavenly temples, and asking the people with pious affection for God. When the four chariots rushed from the twin mountain, snatched precipitously by unequal horses, while the red, black, white, and dappled steeds traverse all the vast acres of the soil, and report the exact details to the highest minister of God, and hang upon the pious commands of their prince, who, promising hope to the downcast and solace to the sorrowful, orders the spirit of the prophet to resound thus.

Jerusalem the Lord will revisit with abundant mercy, and that place will already be an eternal court for God. So great a number of men and flocks has filled it that no wall can enclose it with its circuit: but God will surround it with a rampart of perpetual fire, consuming enemies, and guiding light within. Here at the end, even when that ancient serpent has brought vain battles against Christ, desiring to tear down the heavenly seat with weapons and to tear the sacred people with his fierce tooth, the whole host of heavenly battle will rise up, and with globes of flame it will crush the wicked camps. Then the people of Christ will enjoy perfect peace, and will always sing melody with angelic voice. ON THE PASCHAL CANDLE. Nurturing God of all things, under whose eternal laws the custody of heaven, stirred by perpetual revolution, turns, the social machine of the vast world: You, the sky, and whatever the golden vault of the sky covers; You, the chorus of stars; You, the sun and the monthly moon; You, the clouds and mists, and the winds sweeping the seas; You, the alternations of light and night; You, the four seasons of the year, returning into themselves in streams that have run their course; You, the earth, and whatever surrounds and covers the earth; You, the seas; You, the rivers wandering with curved banks; You, the swift springs; You, the marshes ordered to stand still; You, the prone cattle; You, the birds allotted the heights; You, the mute fish; You, the venomous serpents—each trembles for itself. Greatest ruler of things, send down the kindly gaze of your starry eyes upon your servants, and with serene countenance look upon the people assembled for such great mysteries, who celebrate a single divinity under a triple name.

Not so are the Dindyma of the Idaeans feigned for the Galli, nor is Eleusis watched over for Greek matrons by night, nor does Theban Cithaeron conduct its nocturnal orgies; it has nothing of mad uproar, nothing of incense vapors, nothing wet with blood, nothing immoderate in its processions. The night is to be devoted to your sacred rites only with pure prayer, with simple vows and upturned hands to the heights; we worship you and your son, who watches over all things, and whom you, as consort to the Word, created by the Father’s begetting—whom the fiery one, leaving the high walls of heaven and about to see his own lands under the image of man, the unwed mother, pregnant by an untouched womb, gave forth. So that we may speak of him throughout the whole night, we bring bright fires to the holy altars. With countless vestments, the wax of the papyrus, flowing around in a rounded circle, confines the sea-born substance; wax, the house of honey. Now the rest of the throng of worshippers thins the blackening shadows with varied splendor, soaks the tinder, and a harmonious discord seethes, so that while the sacred mysteries are performed with pious rite, the rival torchlights keep watch with the starry flames.

This is indeed the undiscriminating offspring of your father, shining with much light, the night gleams in every land, a night brighter than the clear day: no nation is so subject to the snowy pole, so sluggish with cold, so oppressed by the inclemency of eternal winter, that it denies you, Christ, the ruddy one: where the fiery sun drives its orbit, where the second limit of the day is the west, and where the first door of returning light lies open; you are worshipped, while the end will be, while the earth will remain, the sky will turn, the years will turn with the months, always your honor and your name and your praises will be sung. DREPANIUS MODUINUS AUGUSTODUNENSIS EPISCOPO. Exhortation to reading the sacred volumes. I give thanks, father, with a joyful heart for the flowing streams, because you unseal your kind lips for your Florus. From them the grace of very sweet honey distills, and ambrosial liquor refreshes our hearts. You had often heard the Lord's pious words commanding, "If you open your mouth, I will satisfy yours." Thirsting for the heavenly breath, you drew it into your vitals, whence now a sweet and nourishing fragrance emanates. You drew the placid waters from the fountains of Jesus, whence you abundantly refresh my thirst, O learned one. Thus I pray that your heart may burn with the divine flames which Christ sent from the citadel of the sky to the fathers. When a violent wind suddenly resounded from the ether, and a red tongue flashed on every summit: and the hearts of two men burned strongly, whom Christ wished to approach in the middle of the road, unlocking the mystical oracles of the sacred prophets, teaching that they all sang with one mouth.

Believe me, father, my innards rejoice with great motion, and with my soul rejoicing, my tongue is scarcely silent: that you, though I am undeserving, deem me worthy of such great love, and address me with such pious, such sacred song; that it is not defiled by the waters of the Assyrian deity, nor befouled by your turbid waters, Nile; but rather flows from the clear stream of the Jordan, by which the beautiful field of Christ is gladdened. Now let the sand of the Castalian spring run dry. Let no pipe sound in the Aonian grove: let the laurel of Apollo's forest finally wither, and let the white privet fall with its berries; may the victorious palms of Christ flourish through the ages, which a joyful singing crowd gave to him, tearing peaceful branches from the top of the olive tree, and strewing the sacred path with a shining garment, on which the gentle little donkey, carrying the Lord, would softly place its innocent feet. If we seek the life-giving water of a calm spring, Siloam's health-giving vein is here for us, which can abolish natural darkness and restore daylight to blind eyes. If mountains and hills delight, and sacred poets, behold, the summit of Zion will bear sacred walls. In praise of Christ, Thabor rejoices, and Hermon, Lebanon applauds with its airy heights and its cedars, Carmel is sacred, powerful with the lightning of Elijah, on its lofty summit it bears the holocausts of God, and Sinai, called by a double name and Horeb, itself shows us the law-giving old man, with fiery, horned light flashing from his face, and bearing the supreme laws on sacred tablets. Job first revealed his wars in heroic song, David himself resounds on the divine lyre.

I speak of the renowned Solomon with his swelling buskin, who sings of the marriage chamber of Christ and the Church? These, reverend father, let them follow with full love; from this source let all our thoughts and words flow. Let the pious tongue sing and resound its author; let the pious mind celebrate its own author; let the speech of a Christ-dweller call upon Christ with a faithful mouth: this is worthy, this is just; it is sweet, healthful, and pious. DREPANIUS TO HIS FRIEND. Thanksgiving for the undertaking of his own defense. How sweet a fragrance from the hall of your breast leaps forth, O brother of Christ, powerful in love. Senses are soothed, the whole innards are soothed, and the heavenly power delights every mind. Not so does the vine glow under the spring star, when the joyous honor of the grape emerges bejeweled; nor does the new grace of the fields, pouring forth white lilies mixed with crimson roses, smell so sweet: the gifts of the flowery forest are surpassed by this, and every fragrance of fruits is exceeded. You love both when present and equally when absent, and cunning deceit does not change your chaste mind, whether enemies or blameless comrades are near: your heart cherishes us, your tongue sings of us. You return thanks to these, you refute those with reason, and with diverse arms your burden of love fights, and because true love is victorious, it will always bear bright trophies into eternity. The sun is dark to hatreds, and to evil wishes and deeds, ruin comes headlong by right. But sincere love shines like eternal light: it yields not to shadows, but puts the shadowy to flight. What?

that you often also send pious words of greeting, and load me with many gifts both here and at home? This is true love, this is pure affection, this is the pious gift of the Father and Christ everywhere. Such gifts that flowing spirit distributes through chaste minds from the ethereal seats. Now it helps to recall the words of the old man, who, though deprived of sight, serene in mind, says: "Thus my offspring now smells like the famous fields, gifts that are blessed by divine favor; may the almighty give you from the wholesome dew of heaven, and from the rich fields the abundant gifts of salt: namely, the outstanding heaps of the eternal brother, overflowing oil, and exceedingly beautiful wines." With these words I willingly pay you, dear patron, perpetual thanks and kind vows. For it is fitting, and it recurs by a wholly beautiful reasoning, that divine gifts be sung with divine words. May you be happy, preserving your love through the ages, always an acceptable friend to high God. Drepanius to Vulfinus, Grammarian of Orléans.

An Exhortation to Write Back. The yearly cycle runs with the revolving months. Since your voice sounded in our ears, with such bright pages, with such clear and elegant letters, that the beautiful page gave a specimen of your heart: just as a liquid well pours forth bountiful waters, and swift heat leaps from swift fire. Just as a gleaming carbunculus vomits gleaming fire, and a hard cup bears pure and comely wine. From the beautiful top of the olive, a beautiful fruit is also plucked, and a more beautiful liquor flows from it; but envious fate has snatched away my honey-sweet song, and a wicked hand has broken the sweet cup. As if someone were to take away a cool cup from a thirsty man, or turn away pleasing feasts from a hungry mouth: and in place of joy, misery comes, which I often feared, and that fear of mine is now manifestly present. The once excellent voice of our cithara has fallen silent, and the friendly lyre has pressed down its sweet-sounding notes. I ask, brother, why do you keep such long silences? Or why has your love for us been so quickly driven out? Certainly, such flourishing poems of your muse did not lack a considerable delay to be revealed. Yet your power has barely shaken off the verses that have run out, while you order the swift letters to fly back. Therefore, it is right to begin, and write, and demand what is written: for thus sweet love is accustomed to grow. Speech binds minds, speech soothes hearts, it unites the absent, and reconciles what is divided: thus the beautiful mind of David clung to Jonathan's soul, not to be cast down by the father's dreadful threats. For a prudent voice, like glowing amber, burns, and by its touch seizes modest hearts.

Bring forth, I pray, the songs you are wont to sing with honeyed throat, and slake, sweet friend, our thirst.