Vox Clara Ecce Intonat: 'Behold, a voice of pleasant harmony'

Prayers and rubrics for Advent in a 14th-century English Breviary (BL Stowe 12, f.1v)

Vox clara ecce intonat,
obscura queque increpat:
pellant eminus sompnia;
ab ethere Cristus promicat.

Behold a voyce of plesant armony
Resownyth owt and bringyth gud mesage,
And sayth owr helth shall come frome heyvens hye
Whyche owr langowr shall lessone and assvage,
And shall vs save frome deth and all damage,
Cryst, goodys sone, charyng awey þe nyght,
And on vs hath spred þe beemys of hys lyght.

Mens iam resurgat torpida
que sorde exstat saucia;
sidus refulget jam nouum,
ut tollat omne noxium.

Now lette owr mynd reyvyvoen and respire,
That hathe ben slowe infecte wyth synfulnes,
Latte vs lyft vp owr hert and howr desyre!
Behold þe sterre of excellent hyghnes
Schynyth new, rapelyng of darknes!
The lyghtsome sterre raplenyschyth with pleasance
Wyll gyden vs frome all old greuance.

Ex sursum agnus mittitur
laxare gratis debitum;
omnes pro indulgencia
vocem demus cum lacrimis.

ffrome heyvyn is sent a lambe of innocence,
To mak for vs raunsone and finaunce,
Wythe owr trespas frely to dispence,
And to for yeue owr wrecched ignorance,
Wyth humble hert mak we owr creaunce
Vnto þat lambe with teerys lavvabyll.
Be sechyng hyme to vs be mercyabyll.

Secundo ut cum fulserit
mundum horror que cinxcerit,
non pro reatu puniat,
sed nos pius tunc protegat.

Whane he shall come and yeue hys last sentance,
And all þe world shall quak for feer & drede,
Hys mercy may be to vs defence,
Syth noo thyng els mey helpe vs in þat nede.
Latte nott owr gyltys receyvyne than heer mede,
But beynyngly pray hym hys mercy vse
So that owr gylt hys pyte wyll excuse.

This is a translation of the Advent hymn 'Vox clara ecce intonat', from a fifteenth-century English manuscript which is now British Library, MS. Additional 34193. This manuscript contains many translations of the Latin hymns de tempore, each verse of Latin interspersed with a verse in English; the English is not a literal translation, but a paraphrase and poetic elaboration on the original. The hymns, which are anonymous, are all transcribed in Frank Allen Patterson, 'Hymnal from MS. Additional 34193 British Museum', in Medieval Studies in Memory of Gertrude Schoepperle Loomis (New York, 1927), pp.443-488, where this hymn is at 448-9. I've posted several of this manuscript's translations before: 'Conditor alme siderum', 'Hostis Herodis impie', a hymn to the Holy Spirit, and three morning hymns. They're really rather lovely (especially the morning hymns), and this version of 'Vox clara' is no exception.

John the Baptist (BL Stowe 12, f. 257)

A modernised version:

Vox clara ecce intonat,
obscura queque increpat:
pellant eminus sompnia;
ab ethere Cristus promicat.

Behold, a voice of pleasant harmony
Resoundeth out, and bringeth a good message,
And saith: Our health shall come from heaven high,
And shall our langour lessen and assuage,
And shall us save from death and all damage;
Christ, God's son, chasing away the night,
On us hath spread the beams of his light.

Mens iam resurgat torpida
que sorde exstat saucia;
sidus refulget jam nouum,
ut tollat omne noxium.

Now let our minds revive and reinspire,
Which have been slothfully infected with sinfulness,
Let us lift up our hearts and our desire.
Behold the star of excellent highness
Newly shineth, repelling the darkness!
This lightsome star, replenishing our joyfulness,
Will guard us from all old distress.

Ex sursum agnus mittitur
laxare gratis debitum;
omnes pro indulgencia
vocem demus cum lacrimis.

From heaven is sent a Lamb of innocence,
To make for us ransom and recompense,
With our trespass freely to dispense,
And to forgive our wretched ignorance;
With humble heart make we our obedience
Unto that Lamb with purifying tears,
Beseeching that he be merciful to us.

Secundo ut cum fulserit
mundum horror que cinxcerit,
non pro reatu puniat,
sed nos pius tunc protegat.

When he shall come and give his last sentence,
And all the world shall quake for fear and dread,
His mercy may be to us a defence,
Since nothing else may help us at that need.
Let not our sins receive then their meed,
But humbly pray that he his mercy use
So that our guilt his pity will excuse.



This is the hymn 'Vox clara' - 'plesant armony', indeed! Some modern translations of the hymn can be found here; perhaps the most familiar is Caswall's 'Hark, a herald voice is calling'.