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Cum vox sanguinis Ursule et innocentis turbe eius ante thronum dei sonuit, antiqua prophetia venit per radicem Mambre in vera ostensione trinitatis et dixit: Iste sanguis nos tangit, nunc omnes gaudeamus. Et postea venit congregatio agni, per arietem in spinis pendentem, et dixit: Laus sit in Ierusalem per ruborem huius sanguinis. Deinde venit sacrificium vituli quod vetus lex ostendebat, sacrificium laudis circumamicta varietate, et que faciem dei Moysi obnubilabat, dorsum illi ostendens. Hoc sunt sacerdotes qui per linguas suas deum ostendunt et perfecte eum videre non possunt, et dixerunt: O nobilissima turba, virgo ista que in terris Ursula vocatur in summis Columba nominatur, quia innocentem turbam ad se collegit. O Ecclesia, tu es laudabilis in ista turba: turba magna, quam incombustus rubus quem Moyses viderat significat, et quam deus in prima radice plantaverat in homine quem de limo formaverat, ut sine commixtione viri viveret, cum clarissima voce clamavit in purissimo auro, thopazio, et saphiro circumamicta in auro. Nunc gaudeant omnes celi, et omnes populi cum illis ornentur. Amen.
Text Authorship:
- by Hildegard von Bingen (1098 - 1179) [author's text not yet checked 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 Hildegard von Bingen (1098 - 1179), "Cum vox sanguinis" [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , "When the Voice of the Blood", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2009-01-18
Line count: 44
Word count: 168
When the voice of the blood of Ursula and her innocent company cried out before the throne of God, the ancient prophecy came by the root of Mamre in a true revelation of the Trinity and said: "That blood touches us, now let us all rejoice." And afterwards came the congregation of the lamb, by the ram hanging on thorns, and said: "Praise be in Jerusalem by the redness of this blood." Then came the sacrifice of the calf that the former law revealed, a sacrifice of praise enwrapped in variety, which obscured the face of God to Moses, revealing his back to him. Such are the priests who by their tongues reveal God and are unable see him completely, and have said: "O most noble host, that virgin who on earth was called Ursula is given the name Columba on high, because of the innocent company she gathered to herself." O Church, you are to be praised in this company: a great company, signified by the unburnt bramble that Moses had seen, and which God in its first root had planted in the man he had formed from mud, so that without mingling with man it might live, when with clearest voice they cried out in purest gold, topaz, and sapphire enwrapped in gold. Now let all the heavens rejoice, and with them let all the people be adorned. Amen.
Note for lines 25-26: the literal Latin meaning of the name "Ursula" is "Little Bear." Hildegard says she is called "Columba," i.e., "Dove," in heaven on account of the innocent followers she has gathered to herself like a brood of chicks.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from Latin to English copyright © 2026 by Grant Hicks, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:
- a text in Latin by Hildegard von Bingen (1098 - 1179)
This text was added to the website: 2026-03-04
Line count: 44
Word count: 231