Hail Our Savior's Glorious Body / Pange Lingua

Hail Our Saviour's Glorious Body is a translation of the 13th century Latin hymn Pange Lingua by St. Thomas Aquinas (c.1225-1274). In 1264 Aquinas was commissioned by Pope Urban IV (c.1195-1264) to compose an Office for the institution of the Feast of Corpus Christi. Pange, Lingua was one of several hymns he wrote for the Office. In 1969, the Scottish Jesuit, Fr. James J. Quinn (1919-2010) translated the text into English as Hail Our Saviour's Glorious Body. It is set to a 1964 arrangement of Gregorian Mode III by the Canadian composer, Eugene Lapierre (1899-1970). In the Divine Office it is used on the Feast of Corpus Christi.



PANGE, LINGUA, GLORIOSI by Thomas Aquinas, 1264

1. Pange, lingua, gloriosi
Corporis mysterium,
Sanguinisque pretiosi,
quem in mundi pretium
fructus ventris generosi
Rex effudit Gentium.

2. Nobis datus, nobis natus
ex intacta Virgine,
et in mundo conversatus,
sparso verbi semine,
sui moras incolatus
miro clausit ordine.

3. In supremae nocte coenae
recumbens cum fratribus
observata lege plene
cibis in legalibus,
cibum turbae duodenae
se dat suis manibus.

4. Verbum caro, panem verum
verbo carnem efficit:
fitque sanguis Christi merum,
et si sensus deficit,
ad firmandum cor sincerum
sola fides sufficit.

5. Tantum ergo Sacramentum
veneremur cernui:
et antiquum documentum
novo cedat ritui:
praestet fides supplementum
sensuum defectui.

6. Genitori, Genitoque
laus et jubilatio,
salus, honor, virtus quoque
sit et benedictio:
Procedenti ab utroque
compar sit laudatio. Amen. Alleluja.