Latin hymn, attributed to St
Thomas Aquinas and traditionally associated with the liturgy of
Maundy Thursday in the
Roman Catholic church, and the
high church Anglican tradition. It exists in
English translation by
John Mason Neale as '
Of the Glorious Body Telling'. Aquinas based the hymn on the form of
Venantius Fortunatus' much earlier
Passiontide hymn
Pange Lingua Gloriosi Proelium Certaminis, whose usual
English translation is '
Sing, my Tongue, the Glorious Battle'. It should be noted that Aquinas' version rhymes, whereas Fortunatus' version is purely rythymic, in the
classical style.
Pange lingua gloriosi
Corporis mysterium
Sanguinisque pretiosi,
Quem in mundi pretium
Fructus ventris generosi
Rex effudit gentium.
Nobis datus, nobis natus
Ex intacta Virgine
Et in mundo conversatus
Sparso verbi semine.
Sui moras, incolatus
Miro clausit ordine.
In supremae nocte coenae
Recumbens cum fratribus
Observata lege plene
Cibis in legalibus
Cibum turbae duodenae
Se dat suis manibus.
Verbum caro panem verum
Verbo carnem efficit.
Fitque sanguis Christi merum
Et si sensus deficit
Ad firmandum cor sincerum
Sola fides sufficit.
Tantum ergo Sacramentum
Veneremur cernui
Et antiquum documentum
Novo cedat ritui.
Praestet fides supplementum
Sensuum defectui.
Genitori genitoque
Laus et jubilatio
Salus, honor, virtus quoque
Sit et benedictio.
Procedenti ab utroque
Compar sit laudatio.
Amen.
Everything Hymnal