Hymnus Ante Somnum
Ades Pater supreme,quem nemo vidit unquam,Patrisque sermo Christe,et Spiritus benigne.
O Trinitatis huiusvis una, lumen unum,Deus ex Deo perennis,Deus ex utroque missus.
Fluxit labor diei,redit et quietis hora,blandus sopor vicissimfessos relaxat artus.
Mens aestuans procelliscurisque sauciatatotis bibit medullisobliviale poclum.
Serpit per omne corpusLethaea vis, nec ullummiseris doloris aegripatitur manere sensum.
Lex haec data est caducisDeo iubente membris,ut temperet laboremmedicabilis voluptas.
Sed dum pererrat omnesquies amica venas,pectusque feriatumplacat rigante somno:
Liber vagat per aurasrapido vigore sensus,variasque per figuras,quae sunt operta, cernit.
Quia mens soluta curis,cui est origo caelum,purusque fons ab aethrainers iacere nescit.
Imitata multiformesfacies sibi ipsa fingit,per quas repente currenstenui fruatur actu.
Sed sensa somniantumdispar fatigat horror,nunc splendor intererratqui dat futura nosse.
Plerumque dissipatismendax imago verisanimos pavore maestosambage fallit atra.
Quem rara culpa morumnon polluit frequenter,nunc lux serena vibransres edocet latentes.
At qui coinquinatumvitiis cor inpiavit,lusus pavore multospecies videt tremendas.
Hoc patriarcha nostersub carceris catenageminis simul ministrisinterpres adprobavit.
Quorum reversus unusdat poculum tyranno,ast alterum rapacesfixum vorant volucres.
Ipsum deinde regemperplexa somniantemmonuit famem futuramclausis cavere acervis.
Mox praesul ac tetrarchesregnum per omne iussussociam tenere virgamdominae resedit aulae.
O quam profunda iustisarcana per soporemaperit tuenda Christus,quam clara! quam tacenda!
Evangelista summifidissimus magistrisignata quae latebantnebulis videt remotis:
ipsum tonantis agnumde caede purpurantem,qui conscium futurilibrum resignat unus.
Huius manum potentemgladius perarmat ancepset fulgurans utrimqueduplicem minatur ictum.
Quaesitor ille solusanimaeque corporisqueensisque bis timendusprima ac secunda mors est.
idem tamen benignusultor retundit irampaucosque non piorumpatitur perire in aevum.
Huic inclitus perennetribuit Pater tribunal,hunc obtinere iussitnomen supra omne nomen.
Hic praepotens cruentiextinctor antichristi,qui de furente monstropulchrum refert tropaeum.
Quam bestiam capacempopulosque devorantem,quam sanguinis charybdemIoannis execratur.
Haec nempe, quae sacratumpraeferre nomen ausa est,imam petit gehennamChristo perempta vero.
Tali sopore iustusmentem relaxat heros,ut spiritu sagacicaelum peragret omne.
Nos nil meremur horum,quos creber inplet error,concreta quos malarumvitiat cupido rerum.
Sat est quiete dulcifessum fovere corpus:sat, si nihil sinistrumvanae minentur umbrae.
Cultor Dei mementote fontis et lavacrirorem subisse sanctum,te chrismate innotatum.
Fac, cum vocante somnocastum petis cubile,frontem locumque cordiscrucis figura signet.
Crux pellit omne crimen,fugiunt crucem tenebrae:tali dicata signomens fluctuare nescit.
Procul, o procul vagantumportenta somniorum,procul esto pervicacipraestigiator astu!
O tortuose serpens,qui mille per Maeandrosfraudesque flexuosasagitas quieta corda,
Discede, Christus hic est,hic Christus est, liquesce:signum quod ipse nostidamnat tuam catervam.
Corpus licet fatiscensiaceat recline paullum,Christum tamen sub ipsomeditabimur sopore.
Words in this poem 22
- sopor n.
- Profound sleep from which a person can be roused only with difficulty. [L.]
- facies n.
- The anterior part of the head; the face. [L., from, face. See Face.]
- quas n.
- A kind of beer. Same as Quass.
- culpa n.
- Negligence or fault, as distinguishable from dolus (deceit, fraud), which implies intent, culpa being imputable to defect of intellect, dolus to defect of heart. Wharton. [L.]
- frequenter n.
- One who frequents; one who often visits, or resorts to customarily.
- catena n.
- A chain or series of things connected with each other. [L., a chain.]
- quorum n.
- Such a number of the officers or members of any body as is competent by law or constitution to transact business; as, a quorum of the House of Representatives; a constitutional quorum was not present. [L., of whom, gen. pl. of qui who, akin to E. who. See the Note below.]
- gladius n.
- The internal shell, or pen, of cephalopods like the squids. [L., a sword.]
- solus a.
- Alone; -- chiefly used in stage directions, and the like. [L.]
- idem pron.
- The same; the same as above; -- often abbreviated id. [L.]
- imam n.
- Among the Mohammedans, a minister or priest who performs the regular service of the mosque. [Ar. imam.]
- petit a.
- Small; little; insignificant; mean; -- Same as Petty. [Obs., except in legal language.] [F. See Petty.]
- nihil n.
- Nothing. Nihil album Etym: [L., white nothing] (Chem.), oxide of zinc. See under Zinc. [L.]
- memento n.
- A hint, suggestion, token, or memorial, to awaken memory; that which reminds or recalls to memory; a souvenir. [L., remember, be mindful, imper. of meminisse to remember. See Mention.]
- sanctum n.
- A sacred place; hence, a place of retreat; a room reserved for personal use; as, an editor's sanctum. Sanctum sanctorum Etym: [L.] , the Holy of Holies; the most holy place, as in the Jewish temple. [L., p.p. of sanctire to consecrate.]
- cubile n.
- The lowest course of stones in a building. [L., bed.]
- signet n.
- A seal; especially, in England, the seal used by the sovereign in sealing private letters and grants that pass by bill under the sign manual; -- called also privy signet. [OF. signet a signet, F., a bookmark, dim. of signe. See Sign, n., and cf. Sennet.]
- crux n.
- Anything that is very puzzling or difficult to explain. Dr. [L., cross, torture, trouble.]
- tortuose a.
- Wreathed; twisted; winding. Loudon [See Tortuous.]
- serpens n.
- A constellation represented as a serpent held by Serpentarius. [L. See Serpent.]
- discede v. i.
- To yield or give up; to depart. [L. discedere; dis- + cedere to yield.]
- quod v.
- Quoth; said. See Quoth.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Hymnus Ante Somnum is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Hymns of Prudentius, Project Gutenberg ebook #14959; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Prudentius, Hymnus Ante Somnum, in The Hymns of Prudentius (1905), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #14959, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/prudentius-hymns/hymnus-ante-somnum.html, id L23676.
Form and metre
Hymnus Ante Somnum is 152 lines in 38 stanzas of 4 lines each. The metre is trochaic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%).
See other poems in trochaic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 4 A-A- procellisA · sauciata · medullisA · poclum
- 5 -A-A corpus · ullumA · aegri · sensumA
- 6 AA-- caducisA · membrisA · laborem · voluptas
- 12 AA-- dissipatisA · verisA · maestos · atra
- 16 --AA unus · tyranno · rapacesA · volucresA
- 17 AA-- regemA · somniantemA · futuram · acervis
- 23 A-A- solusA · corporisque · timendusA · est
- 24 --AA benignus · iram · piorumA · aevumA
- 27 AAA- capacemA · devorantemA · charybdemA · execratur
- 30 A-AA horumA · error · malarumA · rerumA
- 35 AA-- vagantumA · somniorumA · pervicaci · astu
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against trochaic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Ades Pater supreme, | 5 | ·/˘˘/ |
| quem nemo vidit unquam, | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| Patrisque sermo Christe, | 5 | ····· |
| et Spiritus benigne. | 6 | ······ |
| O Trinitatis huius | 6 | ······ |
| vis una, lumen unum, | 7 | ·/˘/˘/˘ |
| Deus ex Deo perennis, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Deus ex utroque missus. | 6 | ····/˘ |
| Fluxit labor diei, | 5 | ··/˘· |
| redit et quietis hora, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| blandus sopor vicissim | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| fessos relaxat artus. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Mens aestuans procellis | 6 | ······ |
| curisque sauciata | 5 | ····· |
| totis bibit medullis | 7 | /˘····· |
| obliviale poclum. | 6 | ······ |
| Serpit per omne corpus | 6 | ····/˘ |
| Lethaea vis, nec ullum | 6 | ······ |
| miseris doloris aegri | 8 | ········ |
| patitur manere sensum. | 7 | ······· |
| Lex haec data est caducis | 9 | ··/˘˘/··· |
| Deo iubente membris, | 6 | /˘···· |
| ut temperet laborem | 7 | ······· |
| medicabilis voluptas. | 8 | ········ |
| Sed dum pererrat omnes | 6 | ······ |
| quies amica venas, | 6 | ····/˘ |
| pectusque feriatum | 5 | ····· |
| placat rigante somno: | 6 | ······ |
| Liber vagat per auras | 7 | /˘···/˘ |
| rapido vigore sensus, | 7 | ······· |
| variasque per figuras, | 6 | ···˘/˘ |
| quae sunt operta, cernit. | 7 | ······· |
| Quia mens soluta curis, | 7 | ······· |
| cui est origo caelum, | 8 | ·˘/····· |
| purusque fons ab aethra | 6 | ······ |
| iners iacere nescit. | 6 | ······ |
| Imitata multiformes | 7 | ······· |
| facies sibi ipsa fingit, | 8 | /˘······ |
| per quas repente currens | 6 | ····/˘ |
| tenui fruatur actu. | 6 | ······ |
| Sed sensa somniantum | 6 | ······ |
| dispar fatigat horror, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| nunc splendor intererrat | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| qui dat futura nosse. | 6 | ······ |
| Plerumque dissipatis | 6 | ······ |
| mendax imago veris | 7 | ··˘/˘·· |
| animos pavore maestos | 7 | ······· |
| ambage fallit atra. | 6 | ····/˘ |
| Quem rara culpa morum | 7 | ·/˘/˘·· |
| non polluit frequenter, | 6 | ······ |
| nunc lux serena vibrans | 7 | ··˘/˘·· |
| res edocet latentes. | 6 | ····/˘ |
| At qui coinquinatum | 6 | ······ |
| vitiis cor inpiavit, | 6 | ······ |
| lusus pavore multo | 6 | ······ |
| species videt tremendas. | 7 | /˘····· |
| Hoc patriarcha noster | 6 | ······ |
| sub carceris catena | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| geminis simul ministris | 8 | /˘······ |
| interpres adprobavit. | 6 | ······ |
| Quorum reversus unus | 7 | /˘····· |
| dat poculum tyranno, | 7 | ······· |
| ast alterum rapaces | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| fixum vorant volucres. | 6 | ······ |
| Ipsum deinde regem | 5 | ····· |
| perplexa somniantem | 6 | ······ |
| monuit famem futuram | 7 | ······· |
| clausis cavere acervis. | 7 | ······· |
| Mox praesul ac tetrarches | 8 | ···//··· |
| regnum per omne iussus | 6 | ······ |
| sociam tenere virgam | 6 | ······ |
| dominae resedit aulae. | 6 | ······ |
| O quam profunda iustis | 7 | ······· |
| arcana per soporem | 7 | ˘/˘···· |
| aperit tuenda Christus, | 7 | ······· |
| quam clara! quam tacenda! | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| Evangelista summi | 7 | ˘˘˘/˘·· |
| fidissimus magistri | 7 | ······· |
| signata quae latebant | 7 | ······· |
| nebulis videt remotis: | 8 | ········ |
| ipsum tonantis agnum | 7 | ······· |
| de caede purpurantem, | 6 | ······ |
| qui conscium futuri | 6 | ······ |
| librum resignat unus. | 7 | ······· |
| Huius manum potentem | 6 | ······ |
| gladius perarmat anceps | 8 | /˘˘····· |
| et fulgurans utrimque | 6 | ······ |
| duplicem minatur ictum. | 8 | ········ |
| Quaesitor ille solus | 6 | ······ |
| animaeque corporisque | 6 | ······ |
| ensisque bis timendus | 6 | ······ |
| prima ac secunda mors est. | 10 | /˘//˘/˘·˘/ |
| idem tamen benignus | 7 | /˘····· |
| ultor retundit iram | 7 | ······· |
| paucosque non piorum | 5 | ····· |
| patitur perire in aevum. | 8 | ········ |
| Huic inclitus perenne | 6 | ······ |
| tribuit Pater tribunal, | 7 | ··/˘˘/˘ |
| hunc obtinere iussit | 6 | ······ |
| nomen supra omne nomen. | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Hic praepotens cruenti | 6 | ······ |
| extinctor antichristi, | 7 | ······· |
| qui de furente monstro | 6 | ······ |
| pulchrum refert tropaeum. | 6 | ······ |
| Quam bestiam capacem | 6 | ······ |
| populosque devorantem, | 7 | ······· |
| quam sanguinis charybdem | 7 | ······· |
| Ioannis execratur. | 6 | ······ |
| Haec nempe, quae sacratum | 6 | ······ |
| praeferre nomen ausa est, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| imam petit gehennam | 7 | /˘/˘··· |
| Christo perempta vero. | 7 | /˘···/˘ |
| Tali sopore iustus | 6 | ······ |
| mentem relaxat heros, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| ut spiritu sagaci | 7 | ······· |
| caelum peragret omne. | 6 | ······ |
| Nos nil meremur horum, | 7 | ······· |
| quos creber inplet error, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| concreta quos malarum | 7 | ······· |
| vitiat cupido rerum. | 7 | ······· |
| Sat est quiete dulci | 6 | ·˘/··· |
| fessum fovere corpus: | 6 | ····/˘ |
| sat, si nihil sinistrum | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| vanae minentur umbrae. | 5 | ····· |
| Cultor Dei memento | 6 | ···˘/˘ |
| te fontis et lavacri | 7 | ······· |
| rorem subisse sanctum, | 6 | ····/˘ |
| te chrismate innotatum. | 7 | ······· |
| Fac, cum vocante somno | 6 | ······ |
| castum petis cubile, | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| frontem locumque cordis | 6 | ····/˘ |
| crucis figura signet. | 7 | ··˘/˘/˘ |
| Crux pellit omne crimen, | 6 | ······ |
| fugiunt crucem tenebrae: | 7 | ····/˘˘ |
| tali dicata signo | 7 | ······· |
| mens fluctuare nescit. | 5 | ····· |
| Procul, o procul vagantum | 8 | ········ |
| portenta somniorum, | 6 | ······ |
| procul esto pervicaci | 8 | ········ |
| praestigiator astu! | 6 | ······ |
| O tortuose serpens, | 6 | ·/˘˘/˘ |
| qui mille per Maeandros | 5 | ····· |
| fraudesque flexuosas | 5 | ····· |
| agitas quieta corda, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Discede, Christus hic est, | 7 | ˘/···˘/ |
| hic Christus est, liquesce: | 7 | ···˘/·· |
| signum quod ipse nosti | 6 | ······ |
| damnat tuam catervam. | 6 | ······ |
| Corpus licet fatiscens | 7 | /˘····· |
| iaceat recline paullum, | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| Christum tamen sub ipso | 7 | ······· |
| meditabimur sopore. | 7 | ······· |
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