LiederNet logo

CONTENTS

×
  • Home | Introduction
  • Composers (20,109)
  • Text Authors (19,482)
  • Go to a Random Text
  • What’s New
  • A Small Tour
  • FAQ & Links
  • Donors
  • DONATE

UTILITIES

  • Search Everything
  • Search by Surname
  • Search by Title or First Line
  • Search by Year
  • Search by Collection

CREDITS

  • Emily Ezust
  • Contributors (1,114)
  • Contact Information
  • Bibliography

  • Copyright Statement
  • Privacy Policy

Follow us on Facebook

by Aurelius Prudentius Clemens (348 - c413)

Himnus ad Galli Cantum
Language: Latin 
Ales diei nuntius
lucem propinquam praecinit;
nos excitator mentium
iam Christus ad vitam vocat.
 
Auferte, clamat, lectulos
aegros, soporos, desides:
castique recti ac sobrii
vigilate, iam sum proximus.
 
Post solis ortum fulgidi
serum est cubile spernere,
ni parte noctis addita
tempus labori adieceris.
 
Vox ista, qua strepunt aves
stantes sub ipso culmine
paulo ante quam lux emicet,
nostri figura est iudicis.
 
Tectos tenebris horridis
stratisque opertos segnibus
suadet quietem linquere
iam iamque venturo die.
 
Ut, cum coruscis flatibus
aurora caelum sparserit,
omnes labore exercitos
confirmet ad spem luminis.
 
Hic somnus ad tempus datus
est forma mortis perpetis,
peccata ceu nox horrida
cogunt iacere ac stertere.
 
Sed vox ab alto culmine
Christi docentis praemonet,
adesse iam lucem prope,
ne mens sopori serviat:
 
Ne somnus usque ad terminos
vitae socordis opprimat
pectus sepultum crimine
et lucis oblitum suae.
 
Ferunt vagantes daemonas
laetos tenebris noctium,
gallo canente exterritos
sparsim timere et cedere.
 
Invisa nam vicinitas
lucis, salutis, numinis
rupto tenebrarum situ
noctis fugat satellites.
 
Hoc esse signum praescii
norunt repromissae spei,
qua nos soporis liberi
speramus adventum Dei.
 
Quae vis sit huius alitis,
salvator ostendit Petro,
ter antequam gallus canat
sese negandum praedicans.
 
Fit namque peccatum prius,
quam praeco lucis proximae
inlustret humanum genus
finemque peccandi ferat.
 
Flevit negator denique
ex ore prolapsum nefas,
cum mens maneret innocens,
animusque servaret fidem.
 
Nec tale quidquam postea
linguae locutus lubrico est,
cantuque galli cognito
peccare iustus destitit.
 
Inde est quod omnes credimus,
illo quietis tempore
quo gallus exsultans canit
Christum redisse ex inferis.
 
Tunc mortis oppressus vigor,
tunc lex subacta est tartari,
tunc vis diei fortior
noctem coegit cedere.
 
Iam iam quiescant inproba,
iam culpa furva obdormiat,
iam noxa letalis suum
perpessa somnum marceat.
 
Vigil vicissim spiritus
quodcumque restat temporis,
dum meta noctis clauditur,
stans ac laborans excubet.
 
Iesum ciamus vocibus
flentes, precantes, sobrii:
intenta supplicatio
dormire cor mundum vetat.
 
Sat convolutis artubus
sensum profunda oblivio
pressit, gravavit, obruit
vanis vagantem somniis.
 
Sunt nempe falsa et frivola,
quae mundiali gloria
ceu dormientes egimus:
vigilemus, hic est veritas.
 
Aurum, voluptas, gaudium,
opes, honores, prospera,
quaecumque nos inflant mala,
fit mane, nil sunt omnia.
 
Tu, Christe, somnum dissice,
tu rumpe noctis vincula,
tu solve peccatum vetus
novumque lumen ingere.

Text Authorship:

  • by Aurelius Prudentius Clemens (348 - c413), "Himnus ad Galli Cantum", from the Book of Hours [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 Julián Orbón (1925 - 1991), "Himnus ad Galli Cantum", 1956 [ soprano, flute, oboe, clarinet, harp, and string quartet ] [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani

This text was added to the website: 2010-09-05
Line count: 100
Word count: 362

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

Donate

We use cookies for internal analytics and to earn much-needed advertising revenue. (Did you know you can help support us by turning off ad-blockers?) To learn more, see our Privacy Policy. To learn how to opt out of cookies, please visit this site.

I acknowledge the use of cookies

Contact
Copyright
Privacy

Copyright © 2025 The LiederNet Archive

Site redesign by Shawn Thuris