Victimae Paschali Laudes

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Victimae Paschali Laudes is a sequence prescribed for the Roman Catholic Mass of Easter Sunday. It is usually attributed to the 11th century Wipo of Burgundy, chaplain to the German Emperor Conrad II, but has also been attributed to Notker Balbulus, Robert II of France, and Adam of St. Victor.

Victimae Paschali Laudes is one of only four medieval Sequences which were preserved in the Missale Romanum published in 1570 following the Council of Trent (1545-63). Before Trent many feasts had their own sequences.^[1]

Victimae Pachali Laudes is one of the few Sequences that is still in liturgical use today. Its text was set to different music by many Renaissance and Baroque composers, including Busnois, Josquin, Lassus, Willaert, Palestrina, Byrd, and Fernando de las Infantas. Lutheran hymns derived from Victimae Paschali Laudes include Christ ist erstanden and Christ lag in Todesbanden.

1 Latin text and English version
2 Trans-literation: Latin to English
3 Footnotes
4 External links

[edit] Latin text and English version

The following is the text of the sequence and a translation. In 1570 "suos" ("his people") in stanza five was replaced by "vos" ("you"), "Amen. Alleluia" was added at the end, and the stanza in square brackets was removed altogether.^[2]

Victimae Paschali               To the Paschal victim
laudes immolent Christiani.     may Christians offer songs of praise. 

Agnus redemit oves:             The Lamb has redeemed the sheep;
Christus innocens Patri         The innocent Christ
reconciliavit peccatores.       has reconciled sinners to the Father.

Mors et vita duello             Death and life have clashed
conflixere mirando:             in a miraculous duel:
dux vitae mortuus,              The Leader of Life is dead, 
regnat vivus.                   yet reigns alive. 

Dic nobis Maria,                Tell us, Mary, 
Quid vidisti in via?            what did you see on the way? 
Sepulcrum Christi viventis,     I saw the tomb of the living Christ, 
et gloriam vidi resurgentis,    and the glory of His rising, 

Angelicos testes,               The angelic witnesses,
sudarium et vestes.             the shroud and His clothes.
Surrexit Christus spes mea:     Christ, my hope, has risen: 
praecedet suos in Galilaeam.    He will go before his own into Galilee.

[Credendum est magis soli       [More trust should be placed
Mariae veraci                   In truthful Mary
Quam Judaeorum                  Than in the deceitful
Turbae fallaci.]                Crowd of Jews.]

Scimus Christum surrexisse      We know that Christ has truly risen
a mortuis vere:                 from the dead. 
Tu nobis, victor Rex miserere   O Conqueror and King, have mercy on us.
Amen. Alleluia.                 Amen. Alleluia.

[edit] Trans-literation: Latin to English

Victimae  paschali laudes  immolent  Christiani.  
To-the-Victim  of-Easter  praises   be-offered  (by) Christians.


Agnus  redemit  oves :  Christus  innocens  Patri  reconciliavit  peccatores. 
The  Lamb   has-redeemed  the-sheep :   Christ  (the)  innocent  to-the-Father  has-reconciled 
sinners.  

Mors  et  vita  duello  conflixere  mirando :  dux  vitae  mortuus,   regnat  vivus.
Death  and  life  in-a-duel  have-contended  wondrous :   the-leader  of-life (though)  dead
 reigns  alive.  

Dic  nobis  Maria,   quid  vidisti  in  via?
Tell  us  Mary,  what  you-saw  in  (the)  way ?  

Sepulcrum  Christi  viventis,   et  gloriam  vidi  resurgentis: 
(The) tomb  of-Christ  living,  and the-glory  I-saw  of-His-arising:  
Angelicos  testes,  sudarium  et  vestes. 
The-angelic  witnesses,  the-towel,  and  the-clothes.
 
Surrexit  Christus  spes  mea:  precedet suos in Galilaeam.  
Risen-is  Christ  hope  my :  He-will-go-before  His-own  into  Galilee. 

Scimus  Christum  surrexisse  a  mortuis vere :  tu nobis,  victor  Rex,  miserere.
We-know  (that)  Christ  has-risen  from  (the)  dead  truly :  You  to-us,  O victor King, 
 have-mercy.

Amen.  Alleluia