Dies Irae
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| ←Wikisource:Christian poetry | Dies Irae by , translated by William Josiah Irons |
| Dies Irae is a famous Latin hymn originally scripted by Tommaso da Celano. Often considered one of the foremost and widely known hymns of its time, it is distinguished by its classical three-line, perfect-rhyme stanza.
The Latin text is taken from the Requiem Mass in the 1962 Roman Missal. The English version below was translated by William Josiah Irons in 1849 and appears in the English Missal. Note that the below translation is not literal, but modified to fit the rhyme and meter. — Excerpted from Dies Irae on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. See also: Dies Iræ in Catholic Encyclopedia (1913). |
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The poem appears complete as it stands at this point. Some scholars question whether the remainder is an addition made in order to suit the great poem for liturgical use, for the last stanzas discard the consistent scheme of triple rhymes in favor of rhymed couplets, while the last two lines abandon rhyme for assonance and are, moreover, catalectic:
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In 1970 the Dies Iræ was removed from the Missal and since 1971 it is proposed ad libitum as a hymn for the Liturgy of the Hours at the Office of Readings, Lauds and Vespers. For this purpose stanza 19 was deleted and the poem divided into three sections: 1-6 (for the Office of Readings), 7-12 (for Lauds) and 13-18 (for Vespers. In addition Qui Mariam absolvisti in stanza 13 was replaced by Peccatricem qui solvisti so that that line would now mean, "You who freed the sinful woman". In addition a doxology is given after stanzas 6, 12 and 18:
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doxology: |
| This work published before January 1, 1923 is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago. |