Te lucis ante terminum
Encyclopedia
Te lucis ante terminum is an old Latin hymn
. It is the hymn at Compline
in the Roman Breviary.
in his Cursus, etc.) of the eighth or early ninth century; but the classical prosody
of its two stanzas (solita in the third line of the original text is the only exception) suggests a much earlier origin. In this hymnary it is assigned, together with the hymn Christe qui splendor et dies (also known as Christe qui lux es et dies), to Compline.
An earlier arrangement (as shown by the Rule of Caesarius of Arles, c. 502) coupled with the Christe qui lux the hymn Christe precamur adnue, and assigned both to the "twelfth hour" of the day for alternate recitation throughout the year. The later introduction of the Te lucis suggests a later origin.
The two hymns Te lucis and Christe qui lux did not maintain everywhere the same relative position; the latter was used in winter, the former in summer and on festivals; while many cathedrals and monasteries replaced the Te lucis by the Christe qui lux from the first Sunday of Lent
to Passion Sunday
or Holy Thursday - a custom followed by the Dominicans
. The old Breviary of the Carthusian
s used the Christe qui lux throughout the year. The Roman Breviary assigns the Te lucis daily throughout the year, except from Holy Thursday to the Friday after Easter, inclusively. Merati
, in his notes on Galvanus
's Thesaurus, says that it has always held without variation, this place in the Roman Church. As it is sung daily, the Vatican Antiphonary gives it many plainsong
settings for the varieties of season and rite (e.g. the nine melodies, pp. 117–121, 131, 174, 356, 366).
The text given below is the original version of the hymn. It was altered by Pope Urban VIII. The 1974 Breviary of Pope Paul VI restores the earlier form of the first and last verse, but replaces the second verse with two additional verses. Pope Urban's version is still used by some, especially since the motu proprio
Summorum Pontificum authorized continued use of the Roman Breviary in its 1962 form. Most monasteries adopted Pope Paul's form in the 1970s, meaning the original version is seldom sung in monasteries.
and Henry Balfour Gardiner
both composed memorable settings of the text, among many others.
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...
. It is the hymn at Compline
Compline
Compline is the final church service of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours. The English word Compline is derived from the Latin completorium, as Compline is the completion of the working day. The word was first used in this sense about the beginning of the 6th century by St...
in the Roman Breviary.
Origin
The authorship of Ambrose of Milan, for which Pimont contends, is not admitted by the Benedictine editors or by Luigi Biraghi. The hymn is found in a hymnary in Irish script (described by June 2011Clemens Blume
Clemens Blume was a Jesuit hymnologist.-Biography:Blume was educated at the Jesuit gymnasium, Feldkirch, Austria, Jesuit scholasticates in Holland and England and the universities of Prague and Bonn. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1878, was gymnasium professor at Feldkirch in 1887-90 and...
in his Cursus, etc.) of the eighth or early ninth century; but the classical prosody
Prosody (music)
In music, Prosody is the way the composer sets the text of a vocal composition in the assignment of syllables to notes in the melody to which the text is sung. For example, a songwriter might align downbeats or accents with stressed syllables or important words....
of its two stanzas (solita in the third line of the original text is the only exception) suggests a much earlier origin. In this hymnary it is assigned, together with the hymn Christe qui splendor et dies (also known as Christe qui lux es et dies), to Compline.
An earlier arrangement (as shown by the Rule of Caesarius of Arles, c. 502) coupled with the Christe qui lux the hymn Christe precamur adnue, and assigned both to the "twelfth hour" of the day for alternate recitation throughout the year. The later introduction of the Te lucis suggests a later origin.
The two hymns Te lucis and Christe qui lux did not maintain everywhere the same relative position; the latter was used in winter, the former in summer and on festivals; while many cathedrals and monasteries replaced the Te lucis by the Christe qui lux from the first Sunday of Lent
Lent
In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...
to Passion Sunday
Passion Sunday
Passion Sunday is a name that the Roman Rite liturgy gives to the sixth Sunday of Lent, but that in the pre-1960 form of that liturgy was given to the fifth Sunday...
or Holy Thursday - a custom followed by the Dominicans
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
. The old Breviary of the Carthusian
Carthusian
The Carthusian Order, also called the Order of St. Bruno, is a Roman Catholic religious order of enclosed monastics. The order was founded by Saint Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns...
s used the Christe qui lux throughout the year. The Roman Breviary assigns the Te lucis daily throughout the year, except from Holy Thursday to the Friday after Easter, inclusively. Merati
Merati
-References:*...
, in his notes on Galvanus
Galvanus de Bettino
Galvanus de Bettino was an Italian theologian. He was the first to hold the chair in canon law at Fünfkirchen in Hungary in 1371....
's Thesaurus, says that it has always held without variation, this place in the Roman Church. As it is sung daily, the Vatican Antiphonary gives it many plainsong
Plainsong
Plainsong is a body of chants used in the liturgies of the Catholic Church. Though the Eastern Orthodox churches and the Catholic Church did not split until long after the origin of plainchant, Byzantine chants are generally not classified as plainsong.Plainsong is monophonic, consisting of a...
settings for the varieties of season and rite (e.g. the nine melodies, pp. 117–121, 131, 174, 356, 366).
The text given below is the original version of the hymn. It was altered by Pope Urban VIII. The 1974 Breviary of Pope Paul VI restores the earlier form of the first and last verse, but replaces the second verse with two additional verses. Pope Urban's version is still used by some, especially since the motu proprio
Motu proprio
A motu proprio is a document issued by the Pope on his own initiative and personally signed by him....
Summorum Pontificum authorized continued use of the Roman Breviary in its 1962 form. Most monasteries adopted Pope Paul's form in the 1970s, meaning the original version is seldom sung in monasteries.
| Original Latin text | English translation |
|---|---|
| Te lucis ante terminum, rerum Creator, poscimus, ut solita clementia, sis praesul ad custodiam. Procul recedant somnia, et noctium phantasmata: hostemque nostrum comprime, ne polluantur corpora. Praesta, Pater omnipotens, per Iesum Christum Dominum, qui tecum in perpetuum regnat cum Sancto Spiritu. Amen. |
To thee before the close of day, Creator of the world, we pray That, with thy wonted favour, thou Wouldst be our guard and keeper now. From all ill dreams defend our sight, From fears and terrors of the night; Withhold from us our ghostly foe, That spot of sin we may not know. O Father, that we ask be done, Through Jesus Christ, thine only Son, Who, with the Holy Ghost and thee, Doth live and reign eternally. Amen. |
Alternatives
The 1974 revision replaces the second strophe with the text, Te corda nostra somnient,/ te per soporem sentiant,/ tuamque semper gloriam/ vicina luce concinant. Vitam salubrem tribue,/ nostrum calorem refice,/ taetram noctis caliginem/ tua collustret claritas.Musical Settings
This text has frequently been set to music. The earliest is the plainsong version found in the Liber Usualis (used as the opening of Benjamin Britten's Curlew River); another, from the Sarum Rite, is much used in England. Thomas TallisThomas Tallis
Thomas Tallis was an English composer. Tallis flourished as a church musician in 16th century Tudor England. He occupies a primary place in anthologies of English church music, and is considered among the best of England's early composers. He is honoured for his original voice in English...
and Henry Balfour Gardiner
Henry Balfour Gardiner
Henry Balfour Gardiner was an English musician, composer, and teacher. Between his conventional education at Charterhouse School and New College, Oxford, where he obtained only a pass degree, Gardiner was a piano student at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt am Main where he was taught by Knorr...
both composed memorable settings of the text, among many others.