by Venantius Fortunatus, Saint (c530 - c609)
Translation by John Mason Neale (1818 - 1866)
Faithful Cross
Language: English  after the Latin
Faithful cross, above all other: one and only noble tree! None in foliage, none in blossom, none in fruit thy peer may be: sweetest wood and sweetest iron, sweetest weight is hung on thee. Bend thy boughs, O tree of glory! Thy relaxing sinews bend; for awhile the ancient rigor that thy birth bestowed, suspend; and the King of heavenly beauty gently on thine arms extend. Praise and honor to the Father, praise and nonor to the Son, praise and honor to the Spirit, ever Three and ever One: one in might and one in glory while eternal ages run.
Text Authorship:
- by John Mason Neale (1818 - 1866), "Faithful Cross" [an adaptation] [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Latin by Venantius Fortunatus, Saint (c530 - c609)
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by John Theodore Livingston Raynor (1909 - 1970), "Faithful Cross", op. 672 (1966) [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2023-04-30
Line count: 18
Word count: 100