Hymnus Post Ieiunium

Prudentius (348–413) · 1905

trochaic pentameter · 80 lines · from The Hymns of Prudentius

Christe servorum regimen tuorum,mollibus qui nos moderans habenisleniter frenas facilique septoslege coerces:

ipse cum portans onus inpeditumcorporis duros tuleris labores,maior exemplis famulos remissodogmate palpas.

Nona submissum rotat hora solempartibus vixdum tribus evolutis,quarta devexo superest in axeportio lucis.

Nos brevis voti dape vindicatasolvimus festum fruimurque mensisadfatim plenis, quibus inbuaturprona voluptas.

Tantus aeterni favor est magistri,doctor indulgens ita nos amicolactat hortatu, levis obsequela utmulceat artus.

Addit et, ne quis velit invenustosordidus cultu lacerare frontem,sed decus vultus capitisque pexumcomat honorem.

Terge ieiunans, ait, omne corpus,neve subducto faciem ruboreluteus tinguat color aut noteturpallor in ore.

Rectius laeto tegimus pudore,quidquid ad cultum Patris exhibemus:cernit occultum Deus et latentemmunere donat.

Ille ovem morbo residem gregiqueperditam sano male dissipantemvellus adfixis vepribus per hirtaedevia silvae.

Inpiger pastor revocat lupisquegestat exclusis humeros gravatus,inde purgatam revehens apricoreddit ovili:

Reddit et pratis viridique campo,vibrat inpexis ubi nulla lappisspina, nec germen sudibus perarmatcarduus horrens:

Sed frequens palmis nemus et reflexavernat herbarum coma, tum perennisgurgitem vivis vitreum fluentislaurus obumbrat.

Hisce pro donis tibi, fide pastor,servitus quaenam poterit rependi?nulla conpensant pretium salutisvota precantum.

Quamlibet spreto sine more pastusponte confectos tenuemus artus,teque contemptis epulis rogemusnocte dieque;

Vincitur semper minor obsequentumcura, nec munus genitoris aequat,frangit et cratem luteam laborisgrandior usus.

Ergo ne limum fragilem solutaedeserant vires et aquosus albishumor in venis dominetur aegrumcorpus inervans,

Laxus ac liber modus abstinendiponitur cunctis, neque nos severusterror inpellit, sua quemque cogitvelle potestas.

Sufficit, quidquid facias, vocatonuminis nutu prius, inchoare,sive tu mensam renuas cibumvesumere temptes.

Adnuit dexter Deus et secundoprosperat vultu, velut hoc salubrefidimus nobis fore, quod dicatascarpimus escas.

Sit bonum, supplex precor et medelamconferat membris, animumque pascatsparsus in venas cibus obsecrantumchristicolarum.

Words in this poem

regimen n.
Orderly government; system of order; adminisration. Hallam. [L. regimen, -inis, fr. regere to guide, to rule. See Right, and cf. Regal, Régime, Regiment.]
lege v. t.
To allege; to assert. Bp. Fisher. [Abbrev. fr. allege to assert.]
onus n.
A burden; an obligation. Onus probandi ( Etym: [L.], obligation to furnish evidence to prove a thing; the burden of proof. [L.]
pallor n.
Paleness; want of color; pallidity; as, pallor of the complexion. Jer. Taylor. [L., fr. pallere to be or look pale. See Pale, a.]
inde a.
Azure-colored; of a bright blue color. Rom. of R.
epulis n.
A hard tumor developed from the gums.
ergo conj.
Therefore; consequently; -- often used in a jocular way. [L.]
modus n.
The arrangement of, or mode of expressing, the terms of a contract or conveyance. [L. See Mode.]
quod v.
Quoth; said. See Quoth.

Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.

About this text

Hymnus Post Ieiunium 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 Ieiunium, in The Hymns of Prudentius (1905), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #14959, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/prudentius-hymns/hymnus-post-ieiunium.html, id L23680.

Form and metre

Hymnus Post Ieiunium is 80 lines in 20 stanzas of 4 lines each. The metre is trochaic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 83%).

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.

  1. 3 -A-A solem · evolutisA · axe · lucisA
  2. 6 -A-A invenusto · frontemA · pexum · honoremA
  3. 7 -A-A corpus · ruboreA · notetur · oreA
  4. 9 --AA gregique · dissipantem · hirtaeA · silvaeA
  5. 12 -AA- reflexa · perennisA · fluentisA · obumbrat
  6. 19 --AA secundo · salubre · dicatasA · escasA
  7. 20 --AA medelam · pascat · obsecrantumA · christicolarumA
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.

LineSyl.Stress
Christe servorum regimen tuorum,8····/˘··
mollibus qui nos moderans habenis11···········
leniter frenas facilique septos10··········
lege coerces:4·˘/˘
ipse cum portans onus inpeditum10····/˘····
corporis duros tuleris labores,10···/····/˘
maior exemplis famulos remisso10··········
dogmate palpas.4····
Nona submissum rotat hora solem11/˘·····/˘/˘
partibus vixdum tribus evolutis,11···········
quarta devexo superest in axe9·····/˘··
portio lucis.4····
Nos brevis voti dape vindicata10··········
solvimus festum fruimurque mensis9·········
adfatim plenis, quibus inbuatur10··········
prona voluptas.5·····
Tantus aeterni favor est magistri,12·····/˘˘/···
doctor indulgens ita nos amico11/˘···/˘·˘/˘
lactat hortatu, levis obsequela ut12·····/˘·····
mulceat artus.4··/˘
Addit et, ne quis velit invenusto11···········
sordidus cultu lacerare frontem,10··········
sed decus vultus capitisque pexum10··········
comat honorem.5·····
Terge ieiunans, ait, omne corpus,7·····/˘
neve subducto faciem rubore8········
luteus tinguat color aut notetur10····/˘····
pallor in ore.4/˘··
Rectius laeto tegimus pudore,9·········
quidquid ad cultum Patris exhibemus:11···········
cernit occultum Deus et latentem10··········
munere donat.4··/˘
Ille ovem morbo residem gregique10··········
perditam sano male dissipantem10···/˘·····
vellus adfixis vepribus per hirtae10··········
devia silvae.3···
Inpiger pastor revocat lupisque10···/˘·····
gestat exclusis humeros gravatus,11···········
inde purgatam revehens aprico10··········
reddit ovili:5·····
Reddit et pratis viridique campo,10········/˘
vibrat inpexis ubi nulla lappis11···········
spina, nec germen sudibus perarmat11/˘·/˘······
carduus horrens:4····
Sed frequens palmis nemus et reflexa11···········
vernat herbarum coma, tum perennis11·····/˘····
gurgitem vivis vitreum fluentis9·········
laurus obumbrat.5/˘···
Hisce pro donis tibi, fide pastor,9··/˘/··/˘
servitus quaenam poterit rependi?11···········
nulla conpensant pretium salutis10··········
vota precantum.5·····
Quamlibet spreto sine more pastu9·········
sponte confectos tenuemus artus,9·······/˘
teque contemptis epulis rogemus10····˘/˘···
nocte dieque;2··
Vincitur semper minor obsequentum10·····/····
cura, nec munus genitoris aequat,11···········
frangit et cratem luteam laboris10··········
grandior usus.4····
Ergo ne limum fragilem solutae10/˘········
deserant vires et aquosus albis10··········
humor in venis dominetur aegrum11/˘·········
corpus inervans,5/˘···
Laxus ac liber modus abstinendi12··///˘/˘····
ponitur cunctis, neque nos severus10··········
terror inpellit, sua quemque cogit9/˘·······
velle potestas.5·····
Sufficit, quidquid facias, vocato10··········
numinis nutu prius, inchoare,8········
sive tu mensam renuas cibumve8········
sumere temptes.3···
Adnuit dexter Deus et secundo9··/˘·····
prosperat vultu, velut hoc salubre10··········
fidimus nobis fore, quod dicatas10···/˘·····
carpimus escas.5·····
Sit bonum, supplex precor et medelam11·/˘········
conferat membris, animumque pascat10··········
sparsus in venas cibus obsecrantum11···/˘······
christicolarum.5·····

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