I was headed to my lunch break today and as I was meandering through cubicle world for a bit of respite, I happened to notice a notification on my phone. This notice told me that a monetary reward related to my music was awaiting me. That was unexpected because I don’t know I have ever seen such a notice before. Given the way these things work the notice was a least a month delayed.
Curious, I logged in to my distributor account and discovered to my surprise that in January someone had decided that they wanted to purchased one of the albums. That was a surprise and I want to say thank you to whoever you are. You have the honor of being the very first non-robot to purchase an Augustinus Vox album. It was a special blessing to me and the entire robot band. I wanted to memorialize the moment in thankfulness so I decided to create this post.
After the events of the day and some good times with a few family members I returned back home and to that memory of thankfulness. I then began to wonder whether I had saved the original prompt translations I did of the Ambrosian Hymns as I was working on the album because it seemed to me a fitting extra to revisit and honor the occassion. Fortunately being the digital packrat that I sometimes am, it appears I did indeed save them.
One thing you will notice below as you compare each hymn against its corresponding Vox track is that Hymn 6 in the album is quite different in creation and method than the rest. It was somewhat an experiment that I decided to keep. It seemed to me a rock intermission. It resulted from recognizing Hymn 6 as a fragment and then getting an idea to create a sparse heavy rock hymn song with the language in a higher register basically making it a bit more metaphorical. I also experimented with another version I call Orabo which is an instrumental track. That phrase in latin means I will pray and you can find it as the first word of the hymn in latin. You can listen to Orabo here.
So dear reader, I present the Ambrosian Hymns as I originally prompt translated them from wikisource. Enjoy!
God bless you!
Ambrose Hymns
HYMN I – Eternal Maker of All
Eternal Maker of all things,
You rule the night and day,
Setting the rhythm of time itself
To ease the weariness of our hearts.
Now the herald of the day cries out—
The watchman who keeps vigil through the deep night,
A light for travelers in the dark,
Separating one night from the next.
At this call the morning star rises,
Lifting the veil of shadow from the sky;
And the whole company of darkness and error
Abandons its path of harm.
The sailor regains his strength,
And the waves of the sea grow calm.
Even the Rock of the Church, at the rooster’s crow,
Sings and is cleansed of guilt.
So let us rise with energy!
The rooster calls those who lie asleep,
Chides the drowsy,
And rebukes those who deny.
At the rooster’s cry, hope returns;
The sick are restored to health,
The robber’s sword is sheathed,
And the fallen recover faith.
Jesus, look upon the weak
And by Your gaze make us whole again.
When You look upon us, our sin falls away,
And tears wash guilt away.
Shine Your light upon our senses,
Drive out the sleep of our minds;
Let our first voice each morning be Yours,
And our prayers rise to You.
HYMN II – Creator of All
God, Creator of all things,
Ruler of heaven,
You clothe the day in glorious light
And bless the night with the gift of rest.
Grant that quiet may renew our weary limbs
And make them ready for work again;
Let our tired minds be eased,
And our anxious griefs dissolved.
Now that the day is done, we give You thanks;
As night begins, we offer prayer:
That by our vows You would help the guilty
And receive our hymn of praise.
Let the depths of our hearts sing to You,
Let our clear voices ring for You;
Let holy love be our delight,
And a disciplined mind our worship.
When the deep darkness closes the day,
May faith remain untouched by night,
And may the night itself shine
With the light of faith.
Do not let our minds sleep in sin;
Let only guilt grow weary and die.
Keep us, O faithful Guardian,
And temper the heat of sleep.
When our senses are stripped of wandering thought,
Let our hearts dream of You;
And may no deceit of the jealous enemy
Disturb our quiet rest.
Let us pray to Christ and to the Father,
And to the Spirit of both—
One power through all things,
O Trinity, shelter us who pray.
HYMN III – The Third Hour
Now the third hour rises—
The hour when Christ was lifted to the cross.
Let no proud thought arise within us;
Let our hearts be turned to prayer.
Whoever welcomes Christ within the heart
Holds a mind free from harm,
And through faithful prayer
Is made worthy of the Holy Spirit.
This is the hour when the long night of sin ended,
When the reign of death was washed away,
When guilt, ancient as time, was lifted.
From this hour began the blessed days
Of grace through Christ:
Faith filled the world,
And truth established the Church in every land.
From His lofty throne of triumph
He spoke to His mother:
“Woman, here is your son.”
And to the disciple: “Here is your mother.”
By this, He revealed a holy mystery—
A covenant beyond human marriage,
That the Virgin’s sacred birth
Would not diminish a mother’s honor.
He proved His truth with heavenly signs,
Though unbelievers refused to see.
But whoever believes will be saved.
We believe that God was born,
The child of the holy Virgin,
Who bore the world’s sins
And now sits at the Father’s right hand.
HYMN IV – Come, Redeemer of the Nations
Come, Redeemer of the nations,
Show the miracle of the Virgin’s birth!
Let all the world stand in awe:
Such a birth is fitting for God.
Not by the seed of man,
But by a divine breath,
The Word of God became flesh,
And the fruit of the womb blossomed.
The Virgin’s womb swells,
Yet her purity remains untouched.
The banners of virtue shine,
For God dwells in His temple.
He comes forth from His royal chamber,
From the sacred hall of virginity,
A giant of twofold nature,
Eager to run His course.
His coming is from the Father,
And His return is to the Father;
His descent reaches even to the dead,
And His ascent returns to the throne of God.
Equal to the eternal Father,
He girds Himself with human weakness,
Strengthening our frail flesh
With everlasting power.
The manger now shines bright,
And the night breathes new light,
A light no darkness can extinguish—
Faith’s light that never fades.
HYMN V – The Light of the Most High
O Most High, who lights the shining stars,
You are peace, life, light, and truth.
Jesus, show Your favor to all who pray.
When, by the mystery of baptism,
You turned back the flowing Jordan,
You made that water sacred
By Your own presence.
When the star of heaven marked
The Virgin’s holy birth,
You led the Magi by its light
To kneel before Your manger.
At Cana’s feast, when jars were filled with water,
You gave it the taste of wine.
The servant drank and knew
That what he poured was not his own doing.
The water blushed with color,
The streams themselves seemed drunk with joy;
The very elements stood amazed
To see themselves transformed for higher use.
So too, when You broke the five loaves
To feed five thousand men,
The food increased in every hand;
Those who shared it saw it multiply.
The bread grew greater by being given,
Like an endless fountain flowing;
Even what was left uneaten
Became a sign of overflowing grace.
HYMN VI – Prayer in Spirit and Mind
I will pray with my mind,
And I will pray with my spirit;
Let not my voice alone sing to God
While my thoughts drift elsewhere,
Carried away by restless cares
Or the vanities of chance.
HYMN VII – Radiance of the Father’s Glory
Splendor of the Father’s glory,
Light from light eternal,
You brighten each new dawn
And illuminate one day with the next.
True Sun, come into our hearts,
Shining with unending light;
Let the beam of the Holy Spirit
Glow within our minds.
Let us call upon the Father—
The Father of everlasting glory,
The Father of mighty grace—
To remove the stain of sin.
May He shape our actions with strength,
Blunt the teeth of envy,
Turn our misfortunes to good,
And grant the grace to persevere.
Let faith govern our minds and bodies,
Pure and steadfast;
Let it burn with holy warmth
And know nothing of deceit.
May Christ be our food,
And faith our drink;
Let us joyfully taste
The sober intoxication of the Spirit.
Let this day pass in gladness:
Chastity like the morning light,
Faith like the noon,
And our minds free of twilight gloom.
As dawn advances its course,
May the full morning rise—
The Son wholly in the Father,
And the Father wholly in the Word.
HYMN VIII – Eternal Gifts of Christ
Let us sing with joyful hearts
Of Christ’s eternal gifts
And the victories of His martyrs—
Our worthy songs of praise.
They are the princes of the Church,
Triumphant leaders in battle,
Soldiers of heaven’s court,
True lights of the world.
They conquered the terrors of this age,
Despised the torments of the body,
And by the short struggle of holy death
Gained everlasting life.
They are thrown to flames,
To the jaws of beasts;
The torturer’s cruel hands
Tear their flesh apart.
Their holy blood is poured out,
Yet they remain unshaken—
Sustained by the grace
Of eternal life.
The faith of the saints is steadfast,
The hope of believers unbroken,
The love of Christ perfected—
And the ruler of this world is defeated.
In them shines the Father’s glory,
In them the will of the Son,
In them rejoices the Spirit;
Heaven is filled with joy.
Redeemer, we pray,
Join us, Your servants who now plead,
To the fellowship of these saints,
Forever and ever. Amen.
HYMN IX – Morning Prayer
Rested from sleep, we rise from bed,
Turning from the couch of rest.
We ask You, Father,
To be present as we sing.
Let our tongues begin with You,
Let our hearts burn with love for You,
That You, Holy One,
May be the source of all we do.
Let darkness give way to light,
And night to the star of day,
That the guilt brought by the night
May fade away in morning’s gift.
We pray, humbly,
That You cut off every sin,
So that those who sing Your praise
May praise You forever.
Grant this, most loving Father,
And You, the Only Son, His equal,
With the comforting Spirit,
Reigning through all ages.
HYMN X – Companion of the Father’s Light
You share the Father’s light,
Light of light, day of day—
We break the night with song,
Asking You to be near.
Dispel the darkness of our minds,
Scatter the armies of demons;
Drive away our sleepiness
Lest sloth overwhelm us.
So, Christ, grant to all who believe,
That our prayers may bear fruit
And that our songs of praise
May profit those who sing.
HYMN XI – O Blessed Light, O Trinity
O blessed Light, O Holy Trinity,
One God of sovereign unity,
Now the fiery sun departs—
Pour Your light into our hearts.
We praise You in the morning song,
We pray to You at evening’s close;
Our humble glory lifts to You
Through every age forever.
HYMN XII – The Gate of Grace
The gate of Christ stands open—
Filled with overflowing grace.
The King Himself has passed through
And remains, though the door is sealed forever.
From the court of heaven’s light
The Bridegroom came forth,
Redeemer and Creator,
The mighty Champion of His Church.
Honor of His mother, joy of the faithful,
Boundless hope of those who believe,
He drank the dark cup of death
To wash away our sins.
P.S. if you happened to hang around this far then now you get my apology for the pronunciation of cana and wound in the album. I left those errors in the album because I had already grown so attached to the songs in worship I couldn’t bear to throw them away and I knew what Vox meant to sing because I had the lyrics. My mind was able to make up the difference but I can never unhear the errors 😂. At some point if I make an alive version I might fix them like George Lucas tinkering with the the original trilogy. Lol
