Words: (353-431) (Ecce di­es no­bis an­no, re­vo­lu­ta per­ca­to); trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by in The Eng­lish Hymn­al (Lon­don: Ox­ford Un­i­ver­si­ty Press, 1906), num­ber 195. This is Paul­in­us’ eighth Car­men Na­tal­i­ti­um (i.e., eighth in the ser­ies of po­ems he wrote an­nu­al­ly for the fes­tiv­al of Fe­lix of No­la). It was ev­i­dent­ly writ­ten for Jan­u­ary 14, 401, when the Goths un­der Alar­ic were dev­as­tat­ing Ita­ly; Paul­in­us, asking for Felix’ prayers, hopes for bet­ter times.

Music: Wohlauf, Thut Nicht Ver­zag­en, (1585-1635).


Another year completed,
The day comes round once more
Which with our patron’s radiance
Is bright as heretofore.
Now, strong in hope, united
His festival we greet;
He will present our troubles
Before the mercy-seat.

The Scriptures tell how Moses
Did for the people pray,
Appeased the Judge eternal,
And turned His wrath away;
Elijah’s prayer had power,
To close and open Heav’n;
Such saints as were aforetime,
Such saints to us are giv’n.

O saint of God, belovèd,
And placed on His right hand,
Thy prayers be like a rampart
As ’gainst the foe we stand;
For Abraham’s God is thy God,
And Isaac’s God is thine,
Thine is the God of Jacob,
The Lord of power benign.

For forty years His Israel
He fed with angels’ food;
The flinty rock He opened
The streams of water flowed.
Entreat that Christ His people
May lead to victory:
The God of Joshua’s triumph
The Lord thy God is He.