A Solis Ortus Cardine

Here is today's Latin Christmas carol; you can read one carol per day for the month of December, or see the complete collection all at once. You can find various MIDI files with the musical theme for this medieval Latin Christmas song at the Hymns and Carols of Christmas website. This site also features an English version of the poem.

You can also find a MIDI file for a musical setting of the poem (by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina) at the CPDL website. This site also provides an English translation.

Christian Classics Ethereal Library has sheet music and MIDI file with four-part harmony available online.

The Latin words come from a poem by the 5th century Christian poet Sedulius. The original poem by Sedulius is much longer, because it is an alphabet poem, with verses that being with A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-V-X-Y-Z. What you see in the traditional Christmas carol are the versions A-B-C-D-E-F-G-I (the verse about Herod having been omitted). You can find a complete version of the poem at The Latin Library online.

A solis ortus cardine
Adusque terrae limitem
Christum canamus Principem,
Natum Maria Virgine.

Beatus auctor saeculi
Servile corpus induit,
Ut carne carnem liberans
Non perderet quod condidit.

Clausae parentis viscera
Caelestis intrat gratia;
Venter puellae baiulat
Secreta quae non noverat.

Domus pudici pectoris
Templum repente fit Dei;
Intacta nesciens virum
Verbo concepit Filium.

Enixa est puerpera
Quem Gabriel praedixerat,
Quem matris alvo gestiens
Clausus Ioannes senserat.

Faeno iacere pertulit,
Praesepe non abhorruit,
Parvoque lacte pastus est
Per quem nec ales esurit.

Gaudet chorus caelestium
Et Angeli canunt Deum,
Palamque fit pastoribus
Pastor, Creator omnium.

Iesu, tibi sit gloria,
Qui natus es de Virgine,
Cum Patre et almo Spiritu,
In sempiterna saecula.

---

Keep up with the latest posts... Subscribe by Email. I also post a daily round-up of all the Bestiaria Latina blogs: fables, proverbs, crosswords, and audio.

---

Here are the carols I have completed so far:
December 1: Rudolphus
December 2: Angelus ad Virginem
December 3: Aquifolia Ornate

---

Bolchazy-Carducci has a Latin Christmas Carol music CD! With 12 songs in Latin, O Abies: O Christmas Tree is available at amazon.com for $17.00

---