Hymnus VIII. Kalendas Ianuarias
Quid est, quod artum circulumsol iam recurrens deserit?Christusne terris nascitur,qui lucis auget tramitem?
Heu quam fugacem gratiamfestina volvebat dies,quam pene subductam facemsensim recisa extinxerat!
Caelum nitescat laetius,gratetur et gaudens humus,scandit gradatim denuoiubar priores lineas.
Emerge dulcis pusio,quem mater edit castitas,parens et expers coniugis,mediator et duplex genus.
Ex ore quamlibet Patrissis ortus et verbo editus,tamen paterno in pectoresophia callebas prius.
Quae prompta caelum condidit,caelum diemque et cetera,virtute verbi effecta sunthaec cuncta: nam verbum Deus.
Sed ordinatis seculis,rerumque digesto statufundator ipse et artifexpermansit in Patris sinu,
donec rotata annaliumtransvolverentur milia,atque ipse peccantem diudignatus orbera viseret.
Nam caeca vis mortaliumvenerans inanes neniasvel aera vel saxa algida,vel ligna credebat Deum.
Haec dum sequuntur, perfidipraedonis in ius venerant,et mancipatam fumidovitam barathro inmerserant:
Stragem sed istam non tulitChristus cadentum gentiuminpune ne forsan suiPatris periret fabrica.
Mortale corpus induit,ut excitato corporemortis catenam frangerethominemque portaret Patri.
Hic ille natalis dies,quo te creator arduusspiravit et limo indiditsermone carnem glutinans.
Sentisne, virgo nobilis,matura per fastidiapudoris intactum decushonore partus crescere?
O quanta rerum gaudiaalvus pudica continet,ex qua novellum seculumprocedit et lux aurea!
Vagitus ille exordiumvernantis orbis prodidit,nam tunc renatus sordidummundus veternum depulit.
Sparsisse tellurem reorrus omne densis floribus,ipsasque arenas syrtiumfragrasse nardo et nectare.
Te cuncta nascentem puersensere dura et barbara,victusque saxorum rigorobduxit herbam cotibus.
Iam mella de scopulis fluunt,iam stillat ilex aridosudans amomum stipite,iam sunt myricis balsama.
O sancta praesepis tui,aeterne rex, cunabula,populisque per seclum sacramutis et ipsis credita.
Adorat haec brutum pecusindocta turba scilicet,adorat excors natio,vis cuius in pastu sita est.
Sed cum fideli spirituconcurrat ad praesepiapagana gens et quadrupes,sapiatque quod brutum fuit:
Negat patrum prosapiaperosa praesentem Deum:credas venenis ebriamfuriisve lymphatam rapi.
Quid prona per scelus ruis?agnosce, si quidquam tibimentis resedit integrae,ducem tuorum principum.
Hunc, quem latebra et obstetrix,et virgo feta, et cunulaeet inbecilla infantiaregem dederunt gentibus,
peccator intueberiscelsum coruscis nubibus,deiectus ipse et inritusplangens reatum fletibus:
Cum vasta signum bucinaterris cremandis miserit,et scissus axis cardinemmundi ruentis solverit:
Insignis ipse et praeminensmeritis rependet congrua,his lucis usum perpetis,illis gehennam et tartarum.
Iudaea tunc fulmen crucisexperta, qui sit, senties,quem te furoris praesulemors hausit et mox reddidit.
Words in this poem
- quid n.
- A portion suitable to be chewed; a cud; as, a quid of tobacco. [See Cud.]
- quod v.
- Quoth; said. See Quoth.
- auget n.
- A priming tube connecting the charge chamber with the gallery, or place where the slow match is applied. Knight. [F., dim. of auge trough, fr. L. alveus hollow, fr. alvus belly.]
- humus n.
- That portion of the soil formed by the decomposition of animal or vegetable matter. It is a valuable constituent of soils. Graham. [L., the earth, ground, soil.]
- edit v. t.
- To superintend the publication of; to revise and prepare for publication; to select, correct, arrange, etc., the matter of, for publication; as, to edit a newspaper. [F. éditer, or L. editus, p. p. of edere to give out, put forth, publish; e out + dare to give. See Date a point of time.]
- duplex a.
- Double; twofold. Duplex escapement, a peculiar kind of watch escapement, in which the scape-wheel has two sets of teeth. See Escapement. [L., fr. duo two + plicare to fold. See Two, and Complex.]
- exordium n.
- A beginning; an introduction; especially, the introductory part of a discourse or written composition, which prepares the audience for the main subject; the opening part of an oration. [L. fr. exordiri to begin a web, lay a warp, begin; ex out + ordiri to begin a web, begin; akin to E. order. See Order.]
- puer n.
- The dung of dogs, used as an alkaline steep in tanning. [Etymol. uncertain.]
- barbara n.
- The first word in certain mnemonic lines which represent the various forms of the syllogism. It indicates a syllogism whose three propositions are universal affirmatives. Whately. [Coined by logicians.]
- amomum n.
- A genus of aromatic plants. It includes species which bear cardamoms, and grains of paradise.
- cunabula n.
- The earliest abode; original dwelling place; originals; as, the cunabula of the human race. [L., a cradle, earliest abode, fr. cunae cradle.]
- scilicet adv.
- To wit; namely; videlicet; -- often abbreviated to sc., or ss. [L., fr. scire licet you may know.]
- gens n.
- A clan or family connection, embracing several families of the same stock, who had a common name and certain common religious rites; a subdivision of the Roman curia or tribe. [L. See Gentle, a.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Hymnus VIII. Kalendas Ianuarias 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 VIII. Kalendas Ianuarias, in The Hymns of Prudentius (1905), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #14959, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/prudentius-hymns/hymnus-viii-kalendas-ianuarias.html, id L23685.
Form and metre
Hymnus VIII. Kalendas Ianuarias is 116 lines in 29 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.
- 10 -A-A perfidi · venerantA · fumido · inmerserantA
- 16 -A-A exordium · prodiditA · sordidum · depulitA
- 26 -AAA intueberis · nubibusA · inritusA · fletibusA
- 27 -A-A bucina · miseritA · cardinem · solveritA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Quid est, quod artum circulum | 9 | ·˘/······ |
| sol iam recurrens deserit? | 8 | ········ |
| Christusne terris nascitur, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| qui lucis auget tramitem? | 8 | ···˘/··· |
| Heu quam fugacem gratiam | 7 | ······· |
| festina volvebat dies, | 7 | ······· |
| quam pene subductam facem | 7 | ······· |
| sensim recisa extinxerat! | 9 | ········· |
| Caelum nitescat laetius, | 7 | ······· |
| gratetur et gaudens humus, | 8 | ······/˘ |
| scandit gradatim denuo | 7 | ······· |
| iubar priores lineas. | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| Emerge dulcis pusio, | 6 | ˘/···· |
| quem mater edit castitas, | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| parens et expers coniugis, | 8 | ········ |
| mediator et duplex genus. | 9 | /˘·˘·/·/˘ |
| Ex ore quamlibet Patris | 7 | ······· |
| sis ortus et verbo editus, | 9 | ········· |
| tamen paterno in pectore | 8 | ··˘/˘··· |
| sophia callebas prius. | 7 | ˘/˘···· |
| Quae prompta caelum condidit, | 8 | ········ |
| caelum diemque et cetera, | 7 | ····/˘˘ |
| virtute verbi effecta sunt | 8 | ········ |
| haec cuncta: nam verbum Deus. | 7 | ······· |
| Sed ordinatis seculis, | 8 | ········ |
| rerumque digesto statu | 7 | ······· |
| fundator ipse et artifex | 8 | ········ |
| permansit in Patris sinu, | 8 | ········ |
| donec rotata annalium | 8 | ········ |
| transvolverentur milia, | 7 | ······· |
| atque ipse peccantem diu | 6 | ······ |
| dignatus orbera viseret. | 9 | ········· |
| Nam caeca vis mortalium | 7 | ······· |
| venerans inanes nenias | 7 | ···˘/·· |
| vel aera vel saxa algida, | 9 | ········· |
| vel ligna credebat Deum. | 7 | ······· |
| Haec dum sequuntur, perfidi | 8 | ········ |
| praedonis in ius venerant, | 8 | ········ |
| et mancipatam fumido | 8 | ········ |
| vitam barathro inmerserant: | 9 | ········· |
| Stragem sed istam non tulit | 8 | ········ |
| Christus cadentum gentium | 7 | ······· |
| inpune ne forsan sui | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Patris periret fabrica. | 8 | ········ |
| Mortale corpus induit, | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| ut excitato corpore | 7 | ······· |
| mortis catenam frangeret | 8 | /˘······ |
| hominemque portaret Patri. | 8 | ········ |
| Hic ille natalis dies, | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| quo te creator arduus | 7 | ··˘/˘·· |
| spiravit et limo indidit | 9 | ····/˘··· |
| sermone carnem glutinans. | 7 | ······· |
| Sentisne, virgo nobilis, | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| matura per fastidia | 7 | ······· |
| pudoris intactum decus | 8 | ········ |
| honore partus crescere? | 6 | /˘···· |
| O quanta rerum gaudia | 7 | ······· |
| alvus pudica continet, | 8 | ········ |
| ex qua novellum seculum | 8 | ········ |
| procedit et lux aurea! | 8 | ·····˘/˘ |
| Vagitus ille exordium | 8 | ····˘/˘˘ |
| vernantis orbis prodidit, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| nam tunc renatus sordidum | 8 | ········ |
| mundus veternum depulit. | 8 | ········ |
| Sparsisse tellurem reor | 6 | ······ |
| rus omne densis floribus, | 7 | ······· |
| ipsasque arenas syrtium | 7 | ··˘/˘·· |
| fragrasse nardo et nectare. | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Te cuncta nascentem puer | 8 | ······/˘ |
| sensere dura et barbara, | 8 | ··/˘·/˘˘ |
| victusque saxorum rigor | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| obduxit herbam cotibus. | 8 | ········ |
| Iam mella de scopulis fluunt, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| iam stillat ilex arido | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| sudans amomum stipite, | 7 | ˘/˘/˘·· |
| iam sunt myricis balsama. | 8 | ········ |
| O sancta praesepis tui, | 7 | ······· |
| aeterne rex, cunabula, | 7 | ···˘/˘˘ |
| populisque per seclum sacra | 8 | ······/˘ |
| mutis et ipsis credita. | 8 | /······· |
| Adorat haec brutum pecus | 8 | ········ |
| indocta turba scilicet, | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| adorat excors natio, | 7 | ······· |
| vis cuius in pastu sita est. | 9 | ·······˘/ |
| Sed cum fideli spiritu | 8 | ········ |
| concurrat ad praesepia | 7 | ······· |
| pagana gens et quadrupes, | 7 | ······· |
| sapiatque quod brutum fuit: | 6 | ······ |
| Negat patrum prosapia | 7 | ······· |
| perosa praesentem Deum: | 7 | ······· |
| credas venenis ebriam | 7 | ······· |
| furiisve lymphatam rapi. | 7 | ······· |
| Quid prona per scelus ruis? | 8 | ······/˘ |
| agnosce, si quidquam tibi | 7 | ·····/· |
| mentis resedit integrae, | 7 | ······· |
| ducem tuorum principum. | 7 | ······· |
| Hunc, quem latebra et obstetrix, | 9 | ········· |
| et virgo feta, et cunulae | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| et inbecilla infantia | 8 | ········ |
| regem dederunt gentibus, | 8 | ········ |
| peccator intueberis | 7 | ······· |
| celsum coruscis nubibus, | 8 | ········ |
| deiectus ipse et inritus | 7 | ······· |
| plangens reatum fletibus: | 7 | ······· |
| Cum vasta signum bucina | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| terris cremandis miserit, | 8 | /˘······ |
| et scissus axis cardinem | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| mundi ruentis solverit: | 7 | /˘····· |
| Insignis ipse et praeminens | 8 | ········ |
| meritis rependet congrua, | 8 | ········ |
| his lucis usum perpetis, | 8 | ········ |
| illis gehennam et tartarum. | 9 | ······/˘˘ |
| Iudaea tunc fulmen crucis | 7 | ······· |
| experta, qui sit, senties, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| quem te furoris praesule | 8 | ········ |
| mors hausit et mox reddidit. | 8 | ········ |
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