A Litany
ἐν οὐρανῷ φαεννὰς
κρύψω παρ' ὑμὶν αὐγὰς,
μίας πρὸ νυκτὸς ἑπτὰ νύκτας ἕξετε, κ.τ.λ.
Anth. Sac.
First Antiphone
All the
bright lights of heaven
I will make dark
over thee;
One night shall be as seven
That its skirts may
cover thee;
I will send on thy strong men a
sword,
On thy remnant a
rod;
Ye shall know that I am the
Lord,
Saith the Lord
God.
Second Antiphone
All the bright lights of heaven
Thou hast made
dark over us;
One night has been as seven
That its skirt
might cover us;
Thou hast sent on our strong
men a sword,
On our remnant a
rod;
We know that thou art the
Lord,
O Lord our
God.
Third Antiphone
As the tresses and wings of
the wind
Are scattered and
shaken,
I will scatter all them that
have sinned,
There shall none
be taken;
As a sower that scattereth
seed,
So will I scatter
them;
As one breaketh and shattereth
a reed,
I will break and
shatter them.
Fourth Antiphone
As the wings and the locks of
the wind
Are scattered and
shaken,
Thou hast scattered all them
that have sinned,
There was no man
taken;
As a sower that scattereth
seed,
So hast thou
scattered us;
As one breaketh and shattereth
a reed,
Thou hast broken
and shattered us.
Fifth Antiphone
From all thy lovers that love
thee
I God will sunder
thee;
I will make darkness above
thee,
And thick darkness
under thee;
Before me goeth a light,
Behind me a sword;
Shall a remnant find grace in
my sight?
I am the Lord.
Sixth Antiphone
From all our lovers that love
us
Thou God didst
sunder us;
Thou madest darkness above us,
And thick darkness
under us;
Thou hast kindled thy wrath
for a light,
And made ready thy
sword;
Let a remnant find grace in
thy sight,
We beseech thee, O
Lord.
Seventh Antiphone
Wilt thou bring fine gold for
a payment
For sins on this
wise?
For the glittering of raiment
And the shining of
eyes,
For the painting of faces
And the sundering
of trust,
For the sins of thine high
places
And delight of thy
lust?
For your high things ye shall
have lowly,
Lamentation for
song;
For, behold, I God am holy,
I the Lord am
strong;
Ye shall seek me and shall not
reach me
Till the
wine-press be trod;
In that hour ye shall turn and
beseech me,
Saith the Lord
God.
Eighth Antiphone
Not with fine gold for a
payment,
But with coin of
sighs,
But with rending of raiment
And with weeping
of eyes,
But with shame of stricken
faces
And with strewing
of dust,
For the sin of stately places
And lordship of
lust;
With voices of men made lowly,
Made empty of
song,
O Lord God most holy,
O God most strong,
We reach out hands to reach
thee
Ere the wine-press
be trod;
We beseech thee, O Lord, we
beseech thee,
O Lord our
God.
Ninth Antiphone
In that hour thou shalt say to
the night,
Come down and
cover us;
To the cloud on thy left and
thy right,
Be thou spread
over us;
A snare shall be as thy
mother,
And a curse thy
bride;
Thou shalt put her away, and
another
Shall lie by thy
side.
Thou shalt neither rise up by
day
Nor lie down by
night;
Would God it were dark! thou
shalt say;
Would God it were
light!
And the sight of thine eyes
shall be made
As the burning of
fire;
And thy soul shall be sorely
afraid
For thy soul’s
desire.
Ye whom your lords loved well,
Putting silver and
gold on you,
The inevitable hell
Shall surely take
hold on you;
Your gold shall be for a
token,
Your staff for a
rod;
With the breaking of bands ye
are broken,
Saith the Lord
God.
Tenth Antiphone
In our sorrow we said to the
night,
Fall down and
cover us;
To the darkness at left and
at right,
Be thou shed over
us;
We had breaking of spirit to
mother
And cursing to
bride;
And one was slain, and
another
Stood up at our
side.
We could not arise by day,
Nor lie down by
night;
Thy sword was sharp in our
way,
Thy word in our
sight;
The delight of our eyelids
was made
As the burning of
fire;
And our souls became sorely
afraid
For our soul’s
desire.
We whom the world loved well,
Laying silver and
gold on us,
The kingdom of death and of
hell
Riseth up to take
hold on us;
Our gold is turned to a
token,
Our staff to a
rod;
Yet shalt thou bind them up
that were broken,
O Lord our
God.