Jesu Dulcis Memoria
Encyclopedia
Jesu Dulcis Memoria is a Christian
hymn
authored by Saint
Bernard of Clairvaux
. The name can refer either to the entire poem, which, depending on the manuscript, ranges from forty-two to fifty-three stanzas, or only the first part.
Three sections of it are used as hymns in the Liturgy of the Hours
of the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus
: "Iesu dulcis memoria" (Vespers
), "Iesu rex admirabilis" (Office of Readings
), "Iesu decus angelicum" (Lauds
).
Several English
hymns sung today are based on translations of Jesu Dulcis Memoria. These include "Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts" (1858 translation by Ray Palmer) and "Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee" (1849 translation by Edward Caswall
).
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
authored by Saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux, O.Cist was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian order.After the death of his mother, Bernard sought admission into the Cistercian order. Three years later, he was sent to found a new abbey at an isolated clearing in a glen known as the Val...
. The name can refer either to the entire poem, which, depending on the manuscript, ranges from forty-two to fifty-three stanzas, or only the first part.
Three sections of it are used as hymns in the Liturgy of the Hours
Liturgy of the hours
The Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office is the official set of daily prayers prescribed by the Catholic Church to be recited at the canonical hours by the clergy, religious orders, and laity. The Liturgy of the Hours consists primarily of psalms supplemented by hymns and readings...
of the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus
Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus
The Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus is celebrated by a number of Christian denominations, on varying dates.The feast has been celebrated in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints, at least at local levels, since the end of the fifteenth century...
: "Iesu dulcis memoria" (Vespers
Vespers
Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Western Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours...
), "Iesu rex admirabilis" (Office of Readings
Matins
Matins is the early morning or night prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. The term is also used in some Protestant denominations to describe morning services.The name "Matins" originally referred to the morning office also...
), "Iesu decus angelicum" (Lauds
Lauds
Lauds is a divine office that takes place in the early morning hours and is one of the two major hours in the Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, it forms part of the Office of Matins...
).
Several English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
hymns sung today are based on translations of Jesu Dulcis Memoria. These include "Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts" (1858 translation by Ray Palmer) and "Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee" (1849 translation by Edward Caswall
Edward Caswall
Edward Caswall was an Anglican clergyman and hymn writer who converted to Roman Catholicism.He was born at Yateley, Hampshire, July 15, 1814 son of Rev. R. C. Caswall, sometime Vicar of Yateley, Hampshire...
).
Opening stanzas
(See Thesaurus Precum Latinarum)- Jesu, dulcis memoria,
- dans vera cordis gaudia:
- sed super mel et omnia
- ejus dulcis praesentia.
- Nil canitur suavius,
- nil auditur jucundius,
- nil cogitatur dulcius,
- quam Jesus Dei Filius.
- Jesu, spes paenitentibus,
- quam pius es petentibus!
- quam bonus te quaerentibus!
- sed quid invenientibus?
- Nec lingua valet dicere,
- nec littera exprimere:
- expertus potest credere,
- quid sit Jesum diligere.
- Sis, Jesu, nostrum gaudium,
- qui es futurum praemium:
- sit nostra in te gloria,
- per cuncta semper saecula.
- Amen.
English version
- Jesus, the very thought of Thee
- With sweetness fills the breast!
- Yet sweeter far Thy face to see
- And in Thy Presence rest.
- No voice can sing, no heart can frame,
- Nor can the memory find,
- A sweeter sound than Jesus' Name,
- The Saviour of mankind.
- O hope of every contrite heart!
- O joy of all the meek!
- To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
- How good to those who seek!
- But what to those who find? Ah! this
- Nor tongue nor pen can show
- The love of Jesus, what it is,
- None but His loved ones know.
- Jesus! our only hope be Thou,
- As Thou our prize shalt be;
- In Thee be all our glory now,
- And through eternity. Amen.