Hymnus Post Cibum
Pastis visceribus ciboque sumpto,quem lex corporis inbecilla poscit,laudem lingua Deo patri rependat;Patri, qui Cherubin sedile sacrum,nec non et Seraphin suum supremosubnixus solio tenet regitque.
Hic est, quem Sabaoth Deum vocamus,expers principii carensque fine,rerum conditor et repertor orbis:fons vitae liquida fluens ab arce,infusor fidei, sator pudoris,mortis perdomitor, salutis auctor.
Omnes quod sumus aut vigemus, inde est:regnat Spiritus ille sempiternusa Christo simul et Parente missus.Intrat pectora candidus pudica,quae templi vice consecrata rident,postquam conbiberint Deum medullis.
Sed si quid vitii dolive nasciinter viscera iam dicata sensit,ceu spurcum refugit celer sacellum.Taetrum flagrat enim vapore crassohorror conscius aestuante culpaoffensumque bonum niger repellit.
Nec solus pudor innocensve votumtemplum constituunt perenne Christoin cordis medii sum ac recessu:sed ne crapula ferveat cavendum est,quae sedem fidei cibis refertamusque ad congeriem coartet intus.
Parcis victibus expedita cordainfusum melius Deum receptant.Hic pastus animae est, saporque verus:sed nos tu gemino fovens paratuartus atque animas utroque pastuconfirmas Pater ac vigore conples.
Sic olim tua praecluens potestasinter raucisonos situm leones,inlapsis dapibus virum refovit.Illum fusile numen execrantemet curvare caput sub expolitaaeris materia nefas putantem
Plebs dirae Babylonis ac tyrannusmorti subdiderant, feris dicarantsaevis protinus haustibus vorandum.O semper pietas fidesque tuta!lambunt indomiti virum leonesintactumque Dei tremunt alumnum.
Adstant cominus et iubas reponunt,mansuescit rabies fameque blandapraedam rictibus ambit incruentis.Sed cum tenderet ad superna palmasexpertumque sibi Deum rogaret,clausus iugiter indigensque victu:
Iussus nuntius advolare terris,qui pastum famulo daret probato,raptim desilit obsequente mundo.Cernit forte procul dapes inemptas,quas messoribus Abbacuc prophetaagresti bonus exhibebat arte.
Huius caesarie manu prehensaplenis, sicut erat, gravem canistrissuspensum rapit et vehit per auras.Tum raptus simul ipse prandiumquesensim labitur in lacum leonum,et, quas tunc epulas gerebat, offert:
Sumas laetus, ait, libensque carpas,quae summus Pater, angelusque Christimittunt liba tibi sub hoc periclo.His sumptis Danielus excitavitin caelum faciem ciboque fortisAmen reddidit, Halleluia dixit.
Sic nos muneribus tuis refecti,largitor Deus omnium bonorum,grates reddimus et sacramus hymnos.Tu nos tristifico velut tyrannomundi scilicet inpotentis actuconclusos regis et feram repellis,
Quae circumfremit ac vorare temptatinsanos acuens furore dentes,cur te, summe Deus, precemur unum.Vexamur, premimur, malis rotamur;oderunt, lacerant, trahunt, lacessunt,iuncta est suppliciis fides iniquis.
Nec defit tamen anxiis medela;nam languente trucis leonis irainlapsae superingeruntur escae.Quas si quis sitienter hauriendonon gustu tenui, sed ore plenointernis velit inplicare venis,
Hic sancto satiatus ex propheta,iustorum capiet cibos virorum,qui fructum domino metunt perenni.Nil est dulcius ac magis saporum,nil quod plus hominem iuvare possit,quam vatis pia praecinentis orsa.
His sumptis licet insolens potestaspravum iudicet, inrogetque mortem,inpasti licet inruant leones,nos semper Dominum patrem fatentesin te, Christe Deus, loquemur unumconstanterque tuam crucem feremus.
Words in this poem 22
- cherubin a.
- Cherubic; angelic.
- quod v.
- Quoth; said. See Quoth.
- inde a.
- Azure-colored; of a bright blue color. Rom. of R.
- rident a.
- Laughing. Thackeray. [L. ridens, p. pr. of ridere to laugh.]
- quid n.
- A portion suitable to be chewed; a cud; as, a quid of tobacco. [See Cud.]
- 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.]
- solus a.
- Alone; -- chiefly used in stage directions, and the like. [L.]
- caput n.
- The head; also, a knoblike protuberance or capitulum. [L., the head.]
- plebs n.
- The commonalty of ancient Rome who were citizens without the usual political rights; the plebeians; -- distinguished from the patricians.
- ambit n.
- Circuit or compass. [L. ambitus circuit, fr. ambire to go around. See Ambient.]
- forte n.
- The strong point; that in which one excels. fort"a The construction of a fable seems by no means the forte of our modern poetical writers. Jeffrey. [IT. forte: cf. F. fort. See Fort.]
- quas n.
- A kind of beer. Same as Quass.
- bonus n.
- A premium given for a loan, or for a charter or other privilege granted to a company; as the bank paid a bonus for its charter. [L. bonus good. Cf. Bonny.]
- manu n.
- One of a series of progenitors of human beings, and authors of human wisdom. [Skr.]
- amen interj.
- An expression used at the end of prayers, and meaning, So be it. At the end of a creed, it is a solemn asseveration of belief. [L. amen, Gr. am certainly, truly.]
- omnium n.
- The aggregate value of the different stocks in which a loan to government is now usually funded. M'Culloch. [L., of all, gen. pl. of omnis all.]
- scilicet adv.
- To wit; namely; videlicet; -- often abbreviated to sc., or ss. [L., fr. scire licet you may know.]
- furore n.
- Excitement; commotion; enthusiasm. [It.]
- summe n.
- The aggregate of two or more numbers, magnitudes, quantities, or particulars; the amount or whole of any number of individuals or particulars added together; as, the sum of 5 and 7 is 12. [OE. summe, somme, OF. sume, some, F. somme, L. summa, fr. summus highest, a superlative from sub under. See Sub-, and cf. Supreme.]
- fides n.
- Faith personified as a goddess; the goddess of faith. [L., faith.]
- languente adv.
- In a languishing manner; pathetically. [It., p. pr. of languire. See Languish.]
- domino n.
- A kind of hood worn by the canons of a cathedral church; a sort of amice. Kersey. [F. domino, or It. dominò, or Sp. dominó, fr. L. dominus master. The domino was orig. a hood worn by the canons of a cathedral. See Don, Dame.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Hymnus Post Cibum 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 Post Cibum, in The Hymns of Prudentius (1905), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #14959, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/prudentius-hymns/hymnus-post-cibum.html, id L23672.
Form and metre
Hymnus Post Cibum is 102 lines in 17 stanzas of 6 lines each. The metre is trochaic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 80%).
See other poems in trochaic pentameter.
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 nasci · sensitA · sacellum · crasso · culpa · repellitA
- 7 ---A-A potestas · leones · refovit · execrantemA · expolita · putantemA
- 8 --A--A tyrannus · dicarant · vorandumA · tuta · leones · alumnumA
- 12 ---A-A carpas · christi · periclo · excitavitA · fortis · dixitA
- 16 -A-A-- propheta · virorumA · perenni · saporumA · possit · orsa
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 pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Pastis visceribus ciboque sumpto, | 10 | ·········· |
| quem lex corporis inbecilla poscit, | 11 | ··········· |
| laudem lingua Deo patri rependat; | 11 | ··/˘/˘····· |
| Patri, qui Cherubin sedile sacrum, | 11 | ···/˘˘····· |
| nec non et Seraphin suum supremo | 10 | ·········· |
| subnixus solio tenet regitque. | 9 | ·····/˘·· |
| Hic est, quem Sabaoth Deum vocamus, | 11 | ·˘/·/˘˘···· |
| expers principii carensque fine, | 8 | ········ |
| rerum conditor et repertor orbis: | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| fons vitae liquida fluens ab arce, | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| infusor fidei, sator pudoris, | 10 | ·········· |
| mortis perdomitor, salutis auctor. | 11 | /˘········· |
| Omnes quod sumus aut vigemus, inde est: | 11 | ·········˘/ |
| regnat Spiritus ille sempiternus | 10 | ·········· |
| a Christo simul et Parente missus. | 11 | ·/˘···˘/˘/˘ |
| Intrat pectora candidus pudica, | 11 | ··········· |
| quae templi vice consecrata rident, | 10 | ········/˘ |
| postquam conbiberint Deum medullis. | 10 | ·········· |
| Sed si quid vitii dolive nasci | 9 | ········· |
| inter viscera iam dicata sensit, | 11 | ˘//˘˘······ |
| ceu spurcum refugit celer sacellum. | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| Taetrum flagrat enim vapore crasso | 10 | ·········· |
| horror conscius aestuante culpa | 8 | /˘····/˘ |
| offensumque bonum niger repellit. | 9 | ···/˘/··· |
| Nec solus pudor innocensve votum | 10 | ·········· |
| templum constituunt perenne Christo | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| in cordis medii sum ac recessu: | 11 | ·/˘···//··· |
| sed ne crapula ferveat cavendum est, | 12 | ··········˘/ |
| quae sedem fidei cibis refertam | 10 | ·········· |
| usque ad congeriem coartet intus. | 9 | ········· |
| Parcis victibus expedita corda | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| infusum melius Deum receptant. | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| Hic pastus animae est, saporque verus: | 11 | ·····˘/···· |
| sed nos tu gemino fovens paratu | 11 | ··········· |
| artus atque animas utroque pastu | 10 | /˘········ |
| confirmas Pater ac vigore conples. | 10 | ···/˘//··· |
| Sic olim tua praecluens potestas | 9 | ········· |
| inter raucisonos situm leones, | 10 | ˘/······˘/ |
| inlapsis dapibus virum refovit. | 11 | ··········· |
| Illum fusile numen execrantem | 10 | ··/˘······ |
| et curvare caput sub expolita | 10 | ···˘/····· |
| aeris materia nefas putantem | 10 | ·········· |
| Plebs dirae Babylonis ac tyrannus | 11 | ······//··· |
| morti subdiderant, feris dicarant | 11 | ··········· |
| saevis protinus haustibus vorandum. | 11 | ··········· |
| O semper pietas fidesque tuta! | 9 | ········· |
| lambunt indomiti virum leones | 10 | ········˘/ |
| intactumque Dei tremunt alumnum. | 9 | ········· |
| Adstant cominus et iubas reponunt, | 11 | ··········· |
| mansuescit rabies fameque blanda | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| praedam rictibus ambit incruentis. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Sed cum tenderet ad superna palmas | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| expertumque sibi Deum rogaret, | 9 | ········· |
| clausus iugiter indigensque victu: | 10 | ·········· |
| Iussus nuntius advolare terris, | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| qui pastum famulo daret probato, | 11 | ··········· |
| raptim desilit obsequente mundo. | 10 | ········/˘ |
| Cernit forte procul dapes inemptas, | 10 | ··/˘······ |
| quas messoribus Abbacuc propheta | 11 | ··········· |
| agresti bonus exhibebat arte. | 10 | ˘/˘/˘····· |
| Huius caesarie manu prehensa | 9 | ····/···· |
| plenis, sicut erat, gravem canistris | 11 | ··········· |
| suspensum rapit et vehit per auras. | 11 | ·········/˘ |
| Tum raptus simul ipse prandiumque | 8 | ········ |
| sensim labitur in lacum leonum, | 10 | ·········· |
| et, quas tunc epulas gerebat, offert: | 11 | ··········· |
| Sumas laetus, ait, libensque carpas, | 9 | /˘······· |
| quae summus Pater, angelusque Christi | 10 | ···/˘···/˘ |
| mittunt liba tibi sub hoc periclo. | 11 | ····/······ |
| His sumptis Danielus excitavit | 10 | ·········· |
| in caelum faciem ciboque fortis | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Amen reddidit, Halleluia dixit. | 10 | ˘/········ |
| Sic nos muneribus tuis refecti, | 10 | ·········· |
| largitor Deus omnium bonorum, | 10 | ····/˘˘··· |
| grates reddimus et sacramus hymnos. | 10 | ·········· |
| Tu nos tristifico velut tyranno | 11 | ··········· |
| mundi scilicet inpotentis actu | 11 | /˘/˘˘······ |
| conclusos regis et feram repellis, | 11 | ···/˘······ |
| Quae circumfremit ac vorare temptat | 11 | ·····//···· |
| insanos acuens furore dentes, | 9 | ·····˘/˘· |
| cur te, summe Deus, precemur unum. | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| Vexamur, premimur, malis rotamur; | 11 | ······/˘··· |
| oderunt, lacerant, trahunt, lacessunt, | 11 | ··········· |
| iuncta est suppliciis fides iniquis. | 11 | ··˘/······· |
| Nec defit tamen anxiis medela; | 10 | ·········· |
| nam languente trucis leonis ira | 11 | ·˘/˘··˘/˘/˘ |
| inlapsae superingeruntur escae. | 9 | ········· |
| Quas si quis sitienter hauriendo | 9 | ········· |
| non gustu tenui, sed ore pleno | 9 | ········· |
| internis velit inplicare venis, | 10 | ·········· |
| Hic sancto satiatus ex propheta, | 10 | ·········· |
| iustorum capiet cibos virorum, | 10 | ·········· |
| qui fructum domino metunt perenni. | 11 | ···/˘······ |
| Nil est dulcius ac magis saporum, | 12 | ·˘/··///˘··· |
| nil quod plus hominem iuvare possit, | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| quam vatis pia praecinentis orsa. | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| His sumptis licet insolens potestas | 11 | ··········· |
| pravum iudicet, inrogetque mortem, | 10 | ········/˘ |
| inpasti licet inruant leones, | 9 | ·······˘/ |
| nos semper Dominum patrem fatentes | 10 | ·········· |
| in te, Christe Deus, loquemur unum | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| constanterque tuam crucem feremus. | 9 | ········· |
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