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Hino de Prudêncio - ao deitar

Draw near, Almighty Father,   Ades Pater supreme,
Ne'er seen by mortal eye;   quem nemo vidit unquam,
Come, O Thou Word eternal,   Patrisque sermo Christe,
O Spirit blest, be nigh.   et Spiritus benigne.
     
One light of threefold Godhead,   O Trinitatis huius
One power that all transcends;   vis una, lumen unum,
God is of God begotten,   Deus ex Deo perennis,
And God from both descends.   Deus ex utroque missus.
     
The hour of rest approaches,   Fluxit labor diei,
The toils of day are past,   redit et quietis hora,
And o'er our tired bodies   blandus sopor vicissim
Sleep's gentle charm is cast.   fessos relaxat artus.
     
The mind, by cares tormented   Mens aestuans procellis
Amid life's storm and stress,   curisque sauciata
Drinks deep the wondrous potion   totis bibit medullis
That brings forgetfulness.   obliviale poclum.
     
O'er weary, toil-worn mortals   Serpit per omne corpus
The spells of Lethe steal;   Lethaea vis, nec ullum
Sad hearts lose all their sorrow,   miseris doloris aegri
Nor pain nor anguish feel.   patitur manere sensum.
     
For to His frail creation   Lex haec data est caducis
God gave this law to keep,   Deo iubente membris,
That labour should be lightened   ut temperet laborem
By soft and healing sleep.   medicabilis voluptas.
     
But while sweet languor wanders   Sed dum pererrat omnes
Through all the pulsing veins,   quies amica venas,
And, wrapt in dewy slumber,   pectusque feriatum
The heart at rest remains,   placat rigante somno:
     
The soul, in wakeful vigour,   Liber vagat per auras
Aloft in freedom flies,   rapido vigore sensus,
And sees in many a semblance   variasque per figuras,
The hidden mysteries.   quae sunt operta, cernit.
     
For, freed from care, the spirit   Quia mens soluta curis,
That came from out the sky,   cui est origo caelum,
Born of the stainless aether,   purusque fons ab aethra
Can never idle lie.   iners iacere nescit.
     
A thousand changing phantoms   Imitata multiformes
She fashions through the night,   facies sibi ipsa fingit,
And 'midst a world of fancy   per quas repente currens
Pursues her rapid flight.   tenui fruatur actu.
     
But divers are the visions   Sed sensa somniantum
That night to dreamers shows;   dispar fatigat horror,
Rare gleams of straying splendour   nunc splendor intererrat
The future may disclose;   qui dat futura nosse.
     
More oft the truth is darkened,   Plerumque dissipatis
And lying fantasy   mendax imago veris
Deceives the affrighted sleeper   animos pavore maestos
With cunning treachery.   ambage fallit atra.
     
To him whose life is holy   Quem rara culpa morum
The things that are concealed   non polluit frequenter,
Lie open to his spirit   nunc lux serena vibrans
In radiant light revealed;   res edocet latentes.
     
But he whose heart is blackened,   At qui coinquinatum
With many a sin imbued,   vitiis cor inpiavit,
Sees phantoms grim and ghastly   lusus pavore multo
That beckon and delude.   species videt tremendas.
     
So in the Egyptian dungeon   Hoc patriarcha noster
The patriarch of old   sub carceris catena
Unto the king's two servants   geminis simul ministris
Their fateful visions told:   interpres adprobavit.
     
And one is brought from prison   Quorum reversus unus
The monarch's wine to pour,   dat poculum tyranno,
One, on the gibbet hanging,   ast alterum rapaces
Foul birds of prey devour,   fixum vorant volucres.
     
He warned the king, distracted   Ipsum deinde regem
By riddles of the night,   perplexa somniantem
To hoard the plenteous harvests   monuit famem futuram
Against the years of blight.   clausis cavere acervis.
     
Soon, lord of half a kingdom,   Mox praesul ac tetrarches
A mighty potentate,   regnum per omne iussus
He shares the royal sceptre   sociam tenere virgam
And dwells in princely state.   dominae resedit aulae.
     
But ah! how deep the secrets   O quam profunda iustis
The holy sleeper sees   arcana per soporem
To whom Christ shows His highest,    aperit tuenda Christus,
Most sacred mysteries.   quam clara! quam tacenda!
     
For God's most faithful servant   Evangelista summi
The clouds were rolled away,   fidissimus magistri
And John beheld the wonders   signata quae latebant
That sealed from mortals lay.   nebulis videt remotis:
     
The Lamb of God, encrimsoned   ipsum tonantis agnum
With sacrificial stains,   de caede purpurantem,
Alone the Book can open   qui conscium futuri
That destiny contains.   librum resignat unus.
     
By His strong hand is wielded   Huius manum potentem
A keen, two-edgèd brand   gladius perarmat anceps
That, flashing like the lightning,   et fulgurans utrimque
Smites swift on either hand.   duplicem minatur ictum.
     
Before His bar of judgment   Quaesitor ille solus
Both soul and body lie;   animaeque corporisque
He whom that dread sword smiteth   ensisque bis timendus
The second death shall die.   prima ac secunda mors est.
     
Yet mercy tempers justice,   idem tamen benignus
And few the Avenger sends   ultor retundit iram
(Whose guilt is past all pardon)   paucosque non piorum
To death that never ends.   patitur perire in aevum.
     
To Him the Father yieldeth   Huic inclitus perenne
The judgment-seat of Heaven;   tribuit Pater tribunal,
To Him a Name excelling   hunc obtinere iussit
All other names is given.   nomen supra omne nomen.
     
For by His strength transcendent   Hic praepotens cruenti
Shall Antichrist be slain,   extinctor antichristi,
And from that raging monster   qui de furente monstro
Fair trophies shall He gain:   pulchrum refert tropaeum.
     
That all-devouring Dragon,   Quam bestiam capacem
With blood of martyrs red,   populosque devorantem,
On whose abhorrèd power   quam sanguinis charybdem
John's solemn curse is laid.   Ioannis execratur.
     
And thus the proud usurper   Haec nempe, quae sacratum
Of His high name is cast   praeferre nomen ausa est,
By Him, the true Christ, vanquished   imam petit gehennam
To deepest hell at last.   Christo perempta vero.
     
Upon the saint heroic   Tali sopore iustus
Such wondrous slumber falls   mentem relaxat heros,
That, in the spirit roaming,   ut spiritu sagaci
He treads heaven's highest halls.   caelum peragret omne.
     
We may not, in our weakness,   Nos nil meremur horum,
To dreams like these aspire,   quos creber inplet error,
Whose souls are steeped in error   concreta quos malarum
And evil things desire.   vitiat cupido rerum.
     
Enough, if weary bodies   Sat est quiete dulci
In peaceful sleep may rest;   fessum fovere corpus:
Enough, if no dark powers   sat, si nihil sinistrum
Our slumbering souls molest.   vanae minentur umbrae.
     
Christian! the font remember,   Cultor Dei memento
The sacramental vow,   te fontis et lavacri
The holy water sprinkled,   rorem subisse sanctum,
The oil that marked thy brow!   te chrismate innotatum.
     
When at sleep's call thou seekest   Fac, cum vocante somno
To rest in slumber chaste,   castum petis cubile,
Let first the sacred emblem   frontem locumque cordis
On breast and brow be traced.   crucis figura signet.
     
The Cross dispels all darkness,   Crux pellit omne crimen,
All sin before it flies,   fugiunt crucem tenebrae:
And by that sign protected   tali dicata signo
The mind all fear defies.   mens fluctuare nescit.
     
Avaunt! ye fleeting phantoms   Procul, o procul vagantum
That mock our midnight hours;   portenta somniorum,
Avaunt! thou great Deceiver   procul esto pervicaci
With all thy guileful powers.   praestigiator astu!
     
Thou Serpent, old and crafty,   O tortuose serpens,
Who by a thousand arts   qui mille per Maeandros
And manifold temptations   fraudesque flexuosas
Dost vex our sleeping hearts,   agitas quieta corda,
     
Vanish! for Christ is with us;   Discede, Christus hic est,
Away! 'tis Christ the Lord:   hic Christus est, liquesce:
The sign thou must acknowledge   signum quod ipse nosti
Condemns thy hellish horde.   damnat tuam catervam.
     
And, though the weary body   Corpus licet fatiscens
Relaxed in sleep may be,   iaceat recline paullum,
Our hearts, Lord, e'en in slumber,   Christum tamen sub ipso
Shall meditate on Thee.   meditabimur sopore.