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Te lucis ante terminum ('To Thee before the close of day') is an old Latinhymn inlong metre. It is the hymn atCompline in theRoman Breviary.
S.-G. Pimont argued for the authorship ofAmbrose of Milan.[1] TheBenedictine editors andLuigi Biraghi disagreed.[2]
The hymn is found in a hymnary inIrish script (described byClemens Blume in hisCursus, etc.) of the eighth or early ninth century; but the classicalprosody of its two stanzas (solita in the third line of the original text is the only exception) suggests a much earlier origin. In this hymnary it is assigned, together with the hymnChriste qui splendor et dies (also known asChriste qui lux es et dies), toCompline.[2]
An earlier arrangement (as shown by the Rule ofCaesarius of Arles, c. 502) coupled with theChriste qui lux the hymnChriste precamur adnue, and assigned both to the "twelfth hour" of the day for alternate recitation throughout the year. The later introduction of theTe lucis suggests a later origin.[2]
The two hymnsTe lucis andChriste qui lux did not maintain everywhere the same relative position; the latter was used in winter, the former in summer and on festivals; while many cathedrals and monasteries replaced theTe lucis by theChriste qui lux from the first Sunday ofLent toPassion Sunday orHoly Thursday, a custom followed by theDominicans. The oldBreviary of theCarthusians used theChriste qui lux throughout the year. The Roman Breviary assigns theTe lucis daily throughout the year, except from Holy Thursday to the Friday after Easter, inclusively.Merati, in his notes onGalvanus'Thesaurus, says that it has always held without variation this place in the Roman Church. As it is sung daily, the VaticanAntiphonary gives it manyplainsong settings for the varieties of season and rite.[2]
| Latin text (original)[3] | Free English translation by J. M. Neale[4] |
|---|---|
Te lucis ante terminum, | Before the ending of the day, |
The 1632Urban VIII version makes classicizing revisions.
| Latin text (Urban VIII)[5] |
|---|
Te lucis ante terminum, |
The 1974 revision replaces the second strophe with the following two strophes from the hymnChriste precamur adnue.[a]
| Latin text[6] | English verse translation[7] |
|---|---|
Te corda nostra sómnient, Vitam salúbrem tríbue | Lord, when we sleep, be in our hearts, Your living power breathe from above, |
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Te Lucis Ante Terminum".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
