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by Rabanus Maurus Magnentius, Archbishop of Mainz (c784 - 856)
Translation by Franz Viktor Werfel (1890 - 1945)

Veni Creator Spiritus
Language: Latin 
Veni Creator Spiritus,
Mentes tuorum visita;
Imple superna gratia
Quæ tu creasti pectora.

Qui [Paracletus diceris]1,
[Donum Dei altissimi]2,
Fons vivus, ignis, caritas,
Et spiritalis unctio.

Tu septiformis munere,
[Dextræ Dei tu digitus]3,
Tu rite promissum Patris,
Sermone ditans guttura.

Accende lumen sensibus,
Infunde amorem cordibus,
Infirma nostri corporis
Virtute firmans perpeti.

Hostem repellas longius,
Pacemque dones protinus;
Ductore sic te prævio,
Vitemus omne noxium.

Per Te sciamus da Patrem,
Noscamus atque Filium,
Te utriusque Spiritum
Credamus omni tempore.

Deo Patri sit gloria,
Et Filio quia mortuis,
Surrexit, ac Paraclito,
In sæculorum sæcula. Amen.

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   H. Berlioz 

H. Berlioz sets stanzas 1-6
M. Trotta sets stanza 1

About the headline (FAQ)

View original text (without footnotes)
1 reversed in some versions; also "Paracletus" sometimes spelled "Paraclitus"
2 in some versions: "altissimi donum Dei"
3 in some versions: "digitus paternæ dexteræ"

Text Authorship:

  • by Rabanus Maurus Magnentius, Archbishop of Mainz (c784 - 856), Pentecost hymn [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Hector Berlioz (1803 - 1869), "Veni Creator", 1861-8, stanzas 1-6 [ chorus ], motet [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Louis-Emmanuel Jadin (1768 - 1853), "Veni Creator" [ two-part chorus ], from Six motets, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by José Carlos do Amaral Vieira Filho (b. 1952), "Veni Creator Spiritus", op. 241 (1989), first performed 1995 [ baritone and piano four-hands ] [sung text not yet checked]

This text (or a part of it) is used in a work
  • by Michael John Trotta (b. 1978), "Veni Creator Spiritus" [ SATB chorus a cappella ]
      • Go to the full setting text.

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832) ; composed by Hans Gál.
      • Go to the text.
  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Franz Werfel (1890 - 1945) , "Veni creator spiritus", appears in Einander ; composed by Carl Orff.
      • Go to the text.
  • Also set in Latin, [adaptation] ; composed by Gustav Mahler.
      • Go to the text.

Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (J. W. Schulte Nordholt) , "Kom Schepper, Geest", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (John Dryden) , "Creator spirit" [an adaptation]


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2003-11-02
Line count: 28
Word count: 100

Veni creator spiritus
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the Latin 
Komm heiliger Geist du, schöpferisch!
Den Marmor unsrer Form zerbrich,
Daß nicht mehr Mauer krank und hart
Den Brunnen dieser Welt umstarrt,
Daß wir gemeinsam und nach oben
Wie Flammen ineinander toben!

Tauch auf aus unsren Flächen wund,
Delphin von aller Wesen Grund,
Alt allgemein und heiliger Fisch!
Komm reiner Geist, Du schöpferisch,
Nach dem wir ewig uns entfalten,
Kristallgesetz der Weltgestalten!

Wie sind wir alle Fremde doch!
Wie unterm letzten Hemde noch
Die Schattengreise im Spital
Sich hassen bis zum letzten Mal,
Und jeder, eh er ostwärts mündet,
Allein sein Abendlicht entzündet,

So sind wir eitel eingespannt,
Und hocken bös an unserm Rand,
Und morden uns an jedem Tisch.
Komm heiliger Geist, Du schöpferisch,
Aus uns empor mit tausend Flügen!
Zerbrich das Eis in unsern Zügen,

Daß tränenhaft und gut und gut
Aufsiede die entzückte Flut,
Daß nicht mehr fern und unerreicht
Ein Wesen um das andre schleicht,
Daß jauchzend wir in Blick, Hand, Mund und Haaren,
Und in uns selbst Dein Attribut erfahren!

Daß, wer dem Bruder in die Arme fällt,
Dein tiefes Schlagen süß am Herzen hält,
Daß, wer des armen Hundes Schaun empfängt,
Von deinem weisen Blicke wird beschenkt,
Daß alle wir in Küssens Überflüssen
Nur deine reine, heilige Lippe küssen!

Confirmed with Franz Werfel, Einander, Kurt Wolff Verlag, Leipzig & München, 1915.


Text Authorship:

  • by Franz Viktor Werfel (1890 - 1945), "Veni creator spiritus", appears in Einander [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in Latin by Rabanus Maurus Magnentius, Archbishop of Mainz (c784 - 856), Pentecost hymn
    • Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Carl Orff (1895 - 1982), "Veni creator spiritus" [ voice and piano ], from Kompositionen nach Texten von Franz Werfel, no. 9 [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this page: Bertram Kottmann

This text was added to the website: 2020-05-30
Line count: 36
Word count: 205

Gentle Reminder

This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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