Little
is known about Prudentius (348 – after 405, possibly 413). He was born in Spain
and served twice as a governor before serving at the court of Theodosius I. He
must have had a spiritual crisis and withdrew from public life. During that
period he wrote a substantial number of poems,. In 405 he published these poems
and added a preface in which he told something about his background, but only
very sketchy. It is all we know about Prudentius. Amongst his works is the Cathemeron, a Greek word meaning `According to the day’. The title implies
that is a Book of Hours (a book that contains prayers for certain hours of the
day a certain festivities ). It contains 12 poems of which the first six are
indeed releted to certain hours, but they seem too long for liturgical use, so
it is not quite sure what use they had. May be they are more meant as a
Christian counterpart for pagan poetry. The poems by Prudentius became
immensely popular and because of his Cathemeron,
he was called the Christian Horace. Parts of his poems are still in use in
Christian worship and this is especially true for the last poem of the Cathemeron, which is about the killing
of the innocent children in Bethlehem. For use in worship the various stanzas
are rearranged and do not reflect the original order.
I have
selected a part of this poem in which Prudentius depictures the slaughter with
vivid not to say horrific details – for good reasons they are left out in
selections of his poems. We may frown upon baby heads smashed against rocks
with brains coming out and other details, but for the Christians of his time
these details must have illustrated the wickedness of Herod. Fortunately those
poor children became the first martyrs and are now playing in Heaven with palms
and crowns before the altar!
Prudentius,
Cathemerina, Hymn 12, Hymnus
Epiphaniae 93-132
Meter: iambic
dimeter (x- x- x- x-)
audit
tyrannus anxius
adesse
regum principem,
qui
nomen Israel regat,
teneatque
David regiam.
nomen Israel: the name of Israel = the people of Israel (Mind
that Hebrew names are mostly not declined.)
exclamat
amens nuntio
‘successor
instat, pellimur:
satelles,
i, ferrum rape,
perfunde cunas sanguine.
amens: without mind, furious
insto institi: to be ad hand
pello pepuli pulsum: to drive away
satelles (m.): guard
rapio rapui raptum: to seize
perfundo perfudi perfusum: to make wet
cunae cunarum: cradle
mas
omnis infans occidat,
scrutare
nutricum sinus,
interque
materna ubera
ensem
cruentet pusio.
mas maris: male
occido occicdi occasum: to perish, die
scruto: to search carefully
sinus –us (m.): bossom
uber uberis (n.): breast
ensem cruentet pusio: that he may stain the sword with
his blood
suspecta
per Bethlem mihi
puerperarum
est omnium
fraus,
ne qua furtim subtrahat
prolem
virilis indolis.’
puerpara: woman in labor
fraus fraudis (f.): trick, deceit
fraus…qua
furtim: in secret
prolem virilis indolis: offspring of male nature
transfigit
ergo carnifex
mucrone
districto furens
effusa
nuper corpora,
animasque
rimatur novas.
transfigo transfixi transfixum: to pierce through
carnifex carnificis (m.): executioner
mucrone districto: with drawn dagger
effusa nuper corpora: just born bodies
rimor rimatus sum: to tear up
locum
minutis artubus
vix
interemptor invenit
quo
plaga descendat patens,
iuguloque
maior pugio est.
minutis artubus : in the small limbs
interemptor interemporis (m.): murderer
quo plaga descendat patens: in which a wide open blow can come
down (i.e. a blow that can make a wide open wound.)
iugulum: neck
pugio pugionis (f.): knife
o
barbarum spectaculum!
inlisa
cervix cautibus
spargit
cerebrum lacteum,
oculosque
per vulnus vomit;
inlisa
cervix cautibus: a head dashed against the rocks
spargo sparsi sparsum: to scatter
cerebrum: the brains
lacteus: white
vulnus vulneris (n.): wound
aut in
profundum palpitans
mersatur
infans gurgitem,
cui subter artis faucibus
singultat unda et halitus
palpito: to
tremble
merso: to immerse
gurges gurgitis (m.): stream
cui subter artis faucibus singultat unda et
halitus: for whom
under his small throat water and breath hick up.
salvete,
flores martyrum,
quos
lucis ipso in limine
Christi
insecutor sustulit,
ceu
turbo nascentes rosas.
quos lucis ipso in limine Christi insecutor
sustulit: whom the
persecutor of Christ took away on the very threshold of light (i.e. the birth
of Christ)
ceu: just as
turbo turbinis (m.): whirlwind
nascor natus sum: to be born, begin life
vos,
prima Christi victima,
grex
inmolatorum tener,
aram
ante ipsam simplices
palma et
coronis luditis.
grex grecis (m.): herd
simplex simplicis: simple, without trouble
ludo lusi lusum: to play
Translation
by H.J. Thomson (1949)
The
uneasy monarch hears of the coming of the King of Kings
to rule
over the name of Israel and possess the throne
of
David. Out of his mind at the news, he cries
"
He that shall take my place is upon me, driving
me out.
Go, guard, grasp thy sword and steep the
cradles
in blood. Let every male child perish.
Search
the nurses' bosoms, and at the mother's
breasts
let the boy-child's blood redden thy blade*
I
suspect guile in all that have borne babes in
Bethlehem,
lest one of them by stealth save her male
progeny."
So the executioner raging madly with
drawn
sword pierces the new-born bodies and tears
the
young life out of them. Scarce can the slayer
find
room on the little frames for the gaping wound
to fall upon;
the dagger is bigger than the throat.
O
barbarous sight ! A head dashed against the stones
scatters
the milk-white brains and spews out the
eyes
through the wound; or a babe is flung all
throbbing
into the depths of the flood, and beneath
in his
narrow throat water and breath make choking
spasms.
Hail, martyr-flowers, whom on the very
threshold
of life the persecutor of Christ destroyed,
as the
stormy wind kills roses at their birth. You
are
Christ's first offerings, a tender flock slain in
sacrifice,
and before the very altar you play in inno-
cence
with palm and crowns.
Lodovico
Mazzolino (1530)
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